City TRIP

Los Angeles

In "L.A. Crash" it says: "It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."
It's 2022, and the film quote from 2004 still couldn't describe it more aptly.

For anyone expecting a city of angels will be disappointed. Anonymity, traffic, rubbish, homelessness, along with displayed wealth and big egos dominate the cityscape of the Californian megalopolis.

We search almost frantically for the corners worth seeing from a travel guide and at the same time miss the flair of large European cities and an atmospheric, cultural centre that is worth visiting. Instead, we push our way through the traffic of this never-ending giant city. To the left and right of our lane: lonely-looking people in their gigantic SUVs and pick-ups, swallowed up by L.A.'s smog as they creep past palm trees, shops and mansions.

In the posh districts, the magnificent buildings with their metre-high fences and walls are more reminiscent of fortresses. And as much land as you would get around your dream house outside of L.A., here each one stands close together. Suburban dream meets big-city reality. So the question of 'Why?' forces itself upon us. Why here? And why like this? Are the walls meant to protect from the prying eyes of others or to prevent from seeing the sober reality out there?

Only in rare moments can we begin to understand what attracts so many people to this distant, forbidding city and why L.A. has such an appeal for them. Maybe it's the wide beaches of Malibu, the exclusive shopping streets in Venice and the film studios in Hollywood. Everyone seems hopeful here and the sun is always shining too. People support artists and their crazy ideas. Freaks are tolerated and stars are idolised. L.A. is a melting pot of glamour and grime. And in the middle of it all, millions of people and all their dreams.

So now, after all, a small, conciliatory look at L.A. Because what we take with us is optimism and hope for a typical happy ending á la Hollywood.

USA, June 2022. | All words and photos by The Sturgheons.