when i started telling people i was moving to SM, they would say: “ahhh, now you’ll be living the westside lifestyle.” what exactly does that mean? before i moved here, i thought it meant lots of beach time. ethnic food wasteland. virtually no taco trucks. paucity of subway public transportation. inability to leave the westside (k-town is just too far…i hope not). now i understand it to mean warm sun and a cool breeze. using wilshire and sunset instead of santa monica blvd. japanese food on sawtelle (and i’m closer to terried sake house!). yuppieville underscored by thousand dollar strollers. flatland and grass. using the 10 to get to SGV. closer to my MDR costco (this is crucial). i’m also closer to mi ranchito, samosa house, SFV sushi, little tehran, the getty brentwood, multiple farmers markets, julia dean workshops, and a political climate that’s almost as friendly as WH (the jury is still out on this one).

but i am farther from silverlake, huntington gardens, that beautiful bridge in glendale, 24 hour fitness, k-town (kyochon, sweet potato lattes, kbbq…i’m weeping), the lacma, russian delis, and my beloved hollywood farmers market.

the beauty of LA is that no matter where you live, you are farther from some really great things but also closer to some really great things, too. you are never far from anything.