How Do I Love L.A.? Let Me Count the Ways

1. I'm surrounded by characters. I don't mean characters from TV and film, thought it's true those people are prevalent in this place. I'm talking about average people who have somehow become caricatures of themselves. Cartoon-like creatures wandering the streets of L.A. Like the 65-year-old, gray-haired man on the street corner in Venice, resplendent in his leopard print leggings and white running shoes. Or the young man in Hollywood (and I use the word "man" loosely here) sporting a silver tank top sparkly enough to put every Southern pageant queen since the '80s to total shame. There are heads of hair in every color of the spectrum. There are people on stilts. There are people whose sex cannot be determined by mere observation. There are beauties and junkies and class-acts and freaks. And they make this place what it is. A place where no one is out of place. Except, of course, for the tourist families wearing fanny packs...and let's face it. Those people don't fit in anywhere.

2. There's history on every corner. Wherever I go I always wonder who has walked that path before me. For years people have flocked to this place, be it in search of stardom or just the desire to live somewhere beautiful. The kings and queens of Tinseltown wandered these streets. Some of this world's most influential musicians have played here. And you can feel that in the air. It's impossible to ignore. At least for me, anyway. My first visit to The Roxy was moving, not because the show was great, but because I know that John Lennon used to hang out in that very place. My feet possibly touched the same ground his feet once touched. For most people I'm sure that sounds silly, but for me, it's electrifying.

3. It's damn near impossible to get bored. There is always something happening in this town. A never ending string of fun festivals, live music every night of the week, comedy shows, beautiful beaches, mountains, theater, sporting events, farmer's markets, and a plethora of gentlemen's clubs offering the best live nude entertainment this country has to offer. You name it, you can do it here. Hey, they don't call it LaLa Land for nothing, people.

4. Food. Any kind of food you can imagine, and some that you'd never want to. Whatever taste you need to please your palate is certain to be no more than a few minutes away, if not right next door. I haven't been able to tickle my culinary fancy just yet, considering my lack of funds at the moment, but just knowing that it's there waiting to be devoured is enough for me. Some favorites to date... Brazilian cuisine just a couple of blocks from my apartment, a hole-in-the-wall seafood dive in Santa Monica and brunch at Overland Cafe, including $5 all-you-can-drink champagne. Those people know how to make this girl happy. Give me bubbly and I'll be forever loyal.

5. The "come as you are, que sera, sera" attitude. I'm growing quite fond of the laid back atmosphere of Southern California. Doesn't matter what you wear, when you arrive or why you came. Just do what you please. No one will mind. Or even notice, for that matter. Some people say it can be a lonely place since people don't really go out of their way to interject themselves into your life or your personal business. I revel in the fact that no one's in my business, but that shouldn't come as a surprise to those of you who know me well. What should come as a surprise is how drastically my anal retentiveness has slacked off (you know what I'm talking about - the cleaning, the bed making, the organizing, etc.) There are currently dirty dishes in the sink and the trash needs taking out. I haven't made my bed in quite some time and I have unpacked boxes upon which I have piled books, magazines and other unsightly items. And it's not bothering me a bit. Maybe it's just a visual testament to what I knew the first night I slept on Bentley Avenue as a resident of Los Angeles... I'm happy.