CITY & ITS PEOPLE
The Real LA
LA through locals' eyes isn't quite the postcard.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- See Hollywood from a distance; hike Griffith and catch it on the way
- Save the beach for sunset, not noon
- One neighborhood a day, then slow down
- The best food often isn't on the line-up list
Full text
The postcard LA
The Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, the Santa Monica Pier. All great, but that's LA's cover, not the pages inside.
An LA morning
It's not lining up for brunch. It's the farmers market for fruit first, then something iced. Weekends in LA start at the market.
The locals' Hollywood
Locals rarely walk the Walk of Fame. They hike Griffith and catch those nine white letters from a distance on the way.
The locals' ocean
Not the pier at noon. It's El Matador or Point Dume around sunset. One coffee, one beach, and you wait for the sky to change color.
How locals eat
The best food often isn't on the line-up list: a taco truck on the corner, a little spot in the SGV, a strip-mall place with no real sign.
How locals measure distance
Distance in LA isn't counted in miles, it's counted in traffic. So locals stick to one neighborhood a day and take it slow once they're there.
The real LA
It isn't one place, it's a pace: no rushing, no cramming, one afternoon left open for the sun. You get it after one visit.
In this series
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).