my thoughts on los angeles

this was my second time ever in sunny los angeles, and unfortunately, it's a top contender for cities to live in. tl;dr wellness, community, thirdspaces.

for some reason, los angeles grounds you. you'll sit with your thoughts so hard that you face the true version of yourself at its core: humanity. my first 24 hours, i had an argument with my friend during the trip, so we went our separate ways and explored. i noticed people walking in flip flops, girls all distinctively dressed up, and humans from all walks of life. when you first hear of los angeles, you will hear terms like "influencer, erewhon, hollywood". i think this comes to an extent.

i took the bus down to chinatown to get a matcha. public transportation is typically neglected here, and preferably avoided in the evenings (subtle foreshadowing). the food here somehow tastes heartier, cleaner, and more energizing. coming from new york city where dining culture is the norm and san francisco where doordash is optimized, wellness can't compare. dads walking their dogs down the streets of tourists shopping on melrose, post-grad females in their clean workout set walking back from equinox, pilates, or maybe even the sauna. i met a lady who does tarot readings while sitting down at a zara, her energy was contagious. you look good, feel good, and by nature, do good. i tweeted about recommendations regarding who to meet in the space, and the activity somehow did more in numbers than my actual product did.

it's so cliché, but weather and environment play a huge role in your performance, and that is one of the values i live by. while strolling at the grove, my friend sent over an experiential thirdspace called tea at shiloh's. before deciding whether or not the $47 ticket was worth it, i frolicked in the clean, low-pollinated air. felt the urge to text my friend an apology after getting wrapped up in a slurry of thoughts post-app release. packaged my thoughts into a script in lieu of proactive journaling. maybe there was the placebo effect in place where for once in my life, the concept of locking in wasn't primal. normally, i'd have my laptop in my bag, silently weighing me down with the mental motivation of maybe getting work done, but it was just my dji osmo pocket 3 and thoughts ready to take on the world.

8pm hits, and i'm wandering in a back alley into shiloh's. tea at shiloh's was built upon the fact that thirdspaces are crucial in a post-covid world. where the crafts you're building or the conversations you're having always almost precedes the question: "what are you building?" where you can decompress in the mutual vicinity of others while not feeling judged at the same time. i'll be honest, i came in at one of the lowest points. didn't know what i wanted, didn't have faith that life would work out in that very moment. and yet somehow, sitting there doing art next to strangers, i found myself talking to a girl studying psych who handed me five things i didn't know i needed to hear. there was one that stuck: do a character wellness check on the teams you want to be a part of. the brightest people aren't always the healthiest ones. and i think i needed permission to care about that.

i also met two women who'd been in LA almost a decade; their whole thing was that your work shouldn't be your life, and your friends shouldn't be collateral to your career. they hike. they have hobbies. they've drawn a line. and honestly? it showed. the hospitality was spot on, lighting felt like home, and the tea was really good (no exaggeration). people here balance work, play, and health so transcedentally to the point where hubs like sundays in la and verci know they need to make their mark here. because community within creativity just makes sense.

the next day, i meet up with my good friend for dinner. we're both exploring startups, both in college, both had to choose between USC and NYU at some point...and somehow found each other online first before ever being in the same room. that's the thing about the best connections. they start URL and translate IRL. but that night, neither of us wanted to talk about boring work. we talked about life. what actually moves us. what we're chasing underneath the chase. and for the first time in a while, i didn't feel like i had to perform clarity i didn't have. that's community. not the kind you network into.

los angeles thrives in hospitality. you get vitamin d consistently in the strides you take. you get dopamine from the exercise you do. you'll feel invigorated by the people who work hard, but equally put enough craft in making sure the energy matches your throughput. maybe that's why it's a lifestyle.

thanks la for a good 48 hours!