North and south of California

I found myself back in California one year later. A lot of time was spent in the South Bay, DTLA, Hollywood, as well as a quick weekend trip to San Francisco.

Perhaps it speaks to the culture of Los Angeles, but I found myself enjoying the car rides through the intricate network of highways more than exploring the city by foot. Driving through the dusty hills bathed with the light of golden hour was one of the few times I understood the magic of this city.

626 Night Market was pretty interesting; unlike the night markets in Canada, it was much larger with more dedicated entertainment and shopping areas. The amount of food was about the same, but the aisles were about 2-3 times the size, so it never got as crowded as the ones back home.

San Francisco was the typically gloomy morning and then sunny afternoon. Sadly, we were mostly outside during the gloom stages, but I still love the vibe of SF.

I was able to complete a hike we had to cut short last year - I think I explored almost every nook and cranny at Runyon Canyon time year. I revisited some areas of Griffith Park, but the full Hollywood Sign hike will have to wait for another day.







When shown through the lens, Los Angeles seems to be the place where dreams come true, where success can be found amidst the glamour of Hollywood and posh houses of Beverly Hills. Admittedly, many people do find exactly that here.

• Los Angeles is very car-centric. Most of California is, but LA is almost depressingly so. 
• Public transit isn't as terrible as it was made out to be. It is pretty affordable in comparison to other major cities, but frequency of service is pretty lacking.
• It was common to walk a couple of kilometers in the South Bay and not encounter a single other pedestrian. 
• Many parts of the city and surrounding areas are rundown; the change can be apparent from block to block.
•  Parallel parking, lack of parking, constant traffic jams, parking meters, parking restrictions, smog... 

Asides from the few magical moments hiking or driving at sunset, there was not enough to draw me to this city. This might seem like a farewell to California, and in many ways, it is exactly that.