The City of Angels? Really?

I know I've neglected all of my loyal readers out there for a few weeks. It's almost the end of June, so time is tight... there are bags to be packed, squeezing in those last minute sightseeing trips, and hosting all those summer visitors...

I finally made my way to Los Angeles last weekend. Where do I begin? First and foremost, I have a theory that LA must have been nicknamed the "City of Angels" in an effort to attract unknowing tourists to an otherwise filthy, large, polluted and smoggy city.

Warning: If you love LA and are possibly a resident of LA, stop reading this entry... now.

LA is a HUGE city. It is NOT a place you can walk through, get by without a car, or see in its entirety in a day. On top of the size, there's filth, graffiti, and run-down shops everywhere. For a second, I kept thinking I was back in my San Francisco neighborhood. Hollywood BLVD is the farthest thing from glamorous, same with the Sunset Strip.

A visit to the Chateau Marmont, following in the footsteps of Britney & Lindsey, started with a snooty waiter showing us to the famed patio in the historic hotel. It's a go-to place for A-list celebrities, and yet, it reminded me of nothing more than the patios of a couple boutique hotels in South Beach.

THIS is the Chateau Marmont?? I thought. THIS?? Located on this filthy street? with this tiny patio? There's no bar! There's no pool!


(Disclaimer: To be fair, the chateau is a beautiful hotel in an of itself, but you won't find it very different than a few hotels on Ocean Drive.)

A stroll through the Hollywood Hills is nothing more than a stroll through a hill filled with burnt and dead grass, coloring all of the hills dark yellow, instead of the majestic green you always pictured...

Finally, arriving at LAX, one of the busiest and most disorganized airports in the US, I sat at the gate, awaiting impatiently to board my plane... desperately yearning to get back to my San Francisco.

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The whole experience in LA made me realize how *lucky* I am to live in San Francisco during this year of service. While San Fran has a ton of homeless people and social justice issues are easy to find, the city in and of itself is beautiful. You can walk the whole city. It's small and compacted- each neighborhood offering a different flavor. It's CLEAN! It provides the escape I've really needed sometimes, working in a (many times) depressing field.

I've struggled at times this year feeling like I haven't clicked with good ole, fun-loving, hippie hip San Francisco... but this weekend, I realized how much San Francisco has played a part in my experience with service this year. It's provided the outlet I need sometimes. When I've felt frustrated or stressed out, and I'm walking home or downtown, I have felt like San Francisco has really embraced me and wrapped it's peace-and-love arms around me..

So this one, this one's to San Francisco, the City of MUCH pain & MUCH comfort... May many more experience it!