Los Angeles

Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.” That’s the kinda place Los Angeles is. You can find a bit of everything in this vast, sprawling city. It covers 503 square miles and is home to close to 4 million people. That’s a lot of folks. Los Angeles County is even bigger. Weighing in at close to 5000 square miles, and home to more than 10 million people.

Whew! So, why would anyone in their right mind want to live here? I grew up Kansas City, Missouri and joined the Marines right out of High School. I spent a year in Japan and visited several other far away, exotic lands. I’ve also spent a great deal of my adult life in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. I’m not from L. A., I’m from K. C. Home of the Kansas City Royals and the K. C. Chiefs. This makes me the perfect person to ask. So, what’s so great about living in Los Angeles?

Leaving L. A.?

To tell the truth, I came very close to leaving Los Angeles about twelve years ago. I was a single parent with a six-year-old daughter. I craved the security of having close family members nearby provides. All my brothers and sisters live in Kansas City, not to mention my mother. My dad also lived there before he passed away. I missed them, and I knew it would be great having my family’s support while raising Day. I was all set to move back. My job transfer back to Kansas City had even gone through (I’m an Electronic Technician for the U. S. Postal Service). I was ready to make my move.

As I was wrapping everything up, something happened that let me know it wasn’t time for me to leave, just yet. While I was in the process of getting a job transfer to Kansas City, A friend at work introduced me to her sister. After dating her a short time, I suddenly decided that maybe I didn’t want to leave L. A. after all. The rest is history. We were married eleven years ago, and I’m happily living in L.A. with my wife and our children. We joined our families and became one, her two sons, and my daughter. Now that I have close family members in L. A. I can actually enjoy living out here. My daughter is also happy we’re still here, with her “Mom” and her not so new now, brothers. So, what else is so great about living in Los Angeles? Good question.

Colossal Los Angeles, City with No Center

Anyone who lives in L. A. for any length of time will soon find out that this city has no real center. The City of Angels is a humongous collection of neighborhoods and small cities. You can drive from China Town to Hollywood, to Beverly  Hills, to Inglewood, to Manhattan, or Venice Beach, to Little Armenia, and it’s all L. A.

When a local describes where they live to another local, you’ll never hear them say I live in Los Angeles. They will say something like, I love living in Paramount, but traffic is always bad on my way to Tarzana to see my parents. Or they might say, meet me after work in Koreatown, for some Korean Bar B Que. People use neighborhood’s names to give you an idea of what locale they’re talking about, Leimert Park, Mid-City, Little Tokyo, the East-Side. The list goes on and on.

33 Amazing Things about Los Angeles

Speaking of lists, how about a gigantic, off-beat list of 33 cool things that people love about living in Los Angeles.  The list is all about Los Angeles, and it barely mentions my favorite thing about living out here. It’s great living so close to the beach. Check out the above link, is anything missing? What else can we add to the list? While you’re having fun with that, also check out, Groundhog Day in Los Angeles, Why Stay Here?

God be with you until we meet again. No matter what city you’re living in right now, be sure to give your family some love. Peace Out.