Days Like Today

There are days that you wonder why you’re still here. You sit in your car, idling in traffic on Sunset or Santa Monica and feel like bashing your head against the steering wheel. You imagine some other city you love and how easy it is to get around. You think about the rent and how much cheaper it is. You think about how much easier it is to meet people. You think about things you don’t get here in Los Angeles: seasons, a sky full of stars, a restaurant that doesn’t require a reservation for dinner.

The more you think about these things, the more impotent and out of control you feel. There is nothing for you here, no inspiration — nothing. Los Angeles is a farce. … Continue Reading

L.A.: Stressed or Self-Obsessed?

In a study of the country’s most stressful cities, Forbes has found Los Angeles ranks second — right after Las Vegas.

Their methodology is fairly straight-forward: compare unemployment, commute times, work hours, access to health care, overall physical health and incidence of exercise. … Continue Reading

The L.A. Personal Service Entourage — Explained

Ah, the lovely rays of the sun as they beat down, intensified by the smog. The sound of traffic on the 405, which almost sounds like the Pacific, just a few miles west. It’s the city where dreams are made and shattered, and to commemorate our devotion, here’s an eye-opening ode, from Laura Mannino. … Continue Reading

Rising Without A Trace

British graffiti artist Banksy came back to L.A. and left his mark. Greedy as we are, it wasn’t long before someone stole it. Oh, Los Angeles, city where dreams are made, shattered or simply stolen from under our noses!

In a piece for the LA Weekly about his film Exit Through the Gift Shop, the infamously anonymous artist gives an ode to our city worth sharing:

In Los Angeles, you can rise without a trace. There is a moment in the film where you see a dude joining the back of the line at an art show. He says he doesn’t know why he’s there, but he joins it anyway. The first time I saw that, I laughed — it was the emperor’s new clothes, the triumph of hype and hot air.

But now I’ve thought about it. I love that guy — he’s prepared to give anything a shot, to try something new. Cities like New York and London might pride themselves on being more hard-bitten and cynical than Tinseltown, but you have to ask yourself: what’s actually so great about that?

Image and picture from the LA Weekly.