For me, Los Angeles is a city of contradictions.As most people know, it is home to Hollywood and the entertainment industry which brings it share of actors, performers, writers and artists. The city just drips with creativity. However, on the flip side, the city of Angels has all of the traditional industries represented from law to business to engineering, and it has a very strong economy. In fact, L.A. has some of highest rated medical facitilies in the world. So, LA is more than just "Hollywood" and what some may consider "fluff." In this respect, Los Angeles has a “more than meets the eye” quality.
And if you spend anytime walking around Los Angeles, you will find that it is very diverse. The city is rich with people of all different nationalities, ethnicities, and even languages spoken. However, this diversity is often parceled off into highly segregated neighborhoods, often defined by race, economics and class. Although the city offers an abundance of culture due to its diversity, it is often nestled away in hidden pockets that many are often afraid to venture into due to a lack of understanding or appreciation of those differences.
Even within Los Angeles’ environmental beauty there are contradictions. The city is full of gorgeous people, pristine neighborhoods and beautiful ocean landscapes. It is easy to find palm tree lines streets with beautiful Spanish and Mediterranean style homes. However, if you look on the periphery, you will also see the dirt-ridden faces of the people without homes – the homeless that take refuge on the streets of Los Angeles. Even the weather in Los Angeles can make a person a bit confused. The warm, sunny days of high seventies to low eighties will quickly turn into a chilly night were a sweater is required to brace yourself against the ocean breeze.
My relationship with Los Angeles has been a tricky one since moving here almost 2 years ago. I realize now that I too have inherited its contradictions. I love Los Angeles on the days were the sun is warm and I can see the ocean from a nearby window. However, I often long for the smell of fall, a quick rain shower, familiar faces, historical monuments and the cherry blossom trees of Washington, DC that I used to call home. In truth, Los Angeles is as contradictory as the people that inhabit it, and I now count myself as one of them - rich in diversity, striving to understand and accept difference, and full of contradictions.
Brooke-Sidney