Downtown
Los Angeles, Californie, États-Unis
Hey there,
We've never expected how Los Angeles can be so different. Each area of this huge city is unique in so many ways. You walk through similar neighborhoods, but they have a different soul in the air. We didn't even think about how big this city was. Having to drive 40 minutes every time we wanted to see something, walk somewhere, visit... was unexpected. When you grown up in a country or even a city when the easiest way to go somewhere is to take the train for less than 20 minutes, and then you move to a town when you just have to walk to go wherever you want to go, everything that will take longer or will demand a different kind of transportation is surprising. We weren't angry about it, it didn't change we saw the city, we didn't complain. Because it was worth it, and I like to remind myself that. Everything was worth it.
Downtown L.A was not a breath of fresh air. Let's be honest, it was suffocating but not in a bad way. It felt like we were actually in a different place. We have left Los Angeles and stepped into an old New York City. Yes! That was it, that's what it felt like: a 50's vibe New York City. Every corner, every building was stepping from another dimension. The old cinemas, the old signs, the fire escapes, the big windows, the old bricks buildings... every thing was still there. Except that it had changed, and the old spots where you could see the letters announcing a movie or a concert were replaced by letters from names like Urban Outfitters. It was like 2017 met 1955. A culture shock. Everything could have been black and white.
Then you have the skyscraper string so high in the sky it hurt your eyes just to stare at them. A whole park with only tall glass buildings, with the windows which feel like mirrors. Each building reflects into another one with the sun and the clouds. Suddenly it's all that you see, clouds, skyscrapers and the sun. You have officially transported yourself into another dimension, it feels like you have your head in the clouds. Except, you are well grounded on earth, and it's only your head that looks up. The only thing that made us realized we weren't really in New York City was the fact that it wasn't all a concrete jungle. Downtown L.A only has a small concentration of building, all in one place. Like the outcast, the intellectual working while the hills have fun.
We had fun walking through this city, having lunch in a crowded interior alley that was as hot as the subway on a hot day in Paris. We felt like true tourists among the locals with camera in our hands. But we loved it. Grand Central Market was the breath of fresh air, with the alley that gives you so much choice, you don't even know what to choose, but you end up sitting at a bar, eating a bagel with pickles on the sides, talking with the waitress that will perform at a stand up that same night. It felt so nice to talk with people, and eat even though it was 100 degrees in there because it was real and it was genuine.
We didn't stay long downtown because we found the atmosphere a bit weird. The streets weren't crowded, it was the opposite. It felt like we were the only ones left in this world. We would walk through empty streets for two blocks. Even when we were heading to the museum's avenue, the most touristic place, we were surprised to find no one... We were not going to complain about the situation because it was nice to have the city all to ourselves. We loved it, it made us appreciate the city even more. We met the authentic Los Angeles, the empty and genuine city of angels.
We loved a few things about this trip downtown but our favorite was The Broad. Although it was not officially opened according to our guide, we still found our way in. We waited 40 minutes outside because free entrance doesn't necessarily mean "anyone can go in at any time". And we hoped the inside was worth the wait. When we finally went it, we found ourselves standing in front of amazing pieces of modern art that felt somehow so similar. Social medias are an amazing thing, isn't? It spoils the surprise and you see online whatever you want to see in real life. Sometimes, even when you try your best to live your life for real, and not live it through a screen, you can't... Whatever, because even a screen can mess the feelings you have when you stand in front of giant colorful tulips. So jokes on you Instagram because I was still mesmerized by everything in the Broad!
It was a quick visit but we loved the photographs on the walls, the golden Michael Jackson, the fresco that surrounds a whole room, the dinner table for giants, and the feminist memos. It was definitely worth the wait. It felt like the Moma but in smaller. You don't have to run or walk from room to room, with a pain in your back or in your feet. Everything is gathered into one big level. You run, you walk fast because you want to see everything. You don't want to miss anything. Every wall, every picture, every piece. It's Christmas, well the excitement on Christmas day. Art is so beautiful and worth to share and worthy of admiration, it's simply mesmerizing.
It's funny how I don't follow our program at all while writing those blog posts. I still hope I'll get to finish writing about this trip completely. You'll understand my apprehension when I see how the last post from Copenhagen ended up in the trash simply because of lack of time.
I'll talk to you soon,
Love,
Elsa.
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