LA Part I: Of Prejudices and Misconceptions

The truth is, I never really wanted to come to Los Angeles. It didn’t appeal to me and there were hundreds of holiday destinations I was more interested in. The reason I am here nonetheless is that I have a good friend, John, who lives here, and who has been going on my nerves for the better part of 10 years that I have to come and visit. So I finally gave in, booked a flight and brought a suitcase full of Franconian beer and hefty prejudices.

Prejudice No. 1: „You need a car in LA!“

LA is massive and I think I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into prior to coming here. I spent lots of time looking at Google maps and seeing how long it would take me to get to places. Staying in East LA – close to Atlantic, the last stop of the Metro E line – means I do have decent access to public transport but – as it’s the very last stop – it also means I would spend lots of time on the Metro.

So, does it work navigating LA without a rental car? Yes and no. It is certainly not as bad as some of my work colleagues claimed („In LA they don’t even have sidewalks and the police will call you out if they see you just walking around!“) but it can be challenging. I am spending quite a bit of time here, which is why it didn’t bother me to spend over an hour on the bus from Hollywood to Santa Monica. I liked seeing the city change from a filthy Hollywood via a green and lushious Beverly Hills to seaside Santa Monica. Also, had I not seen the sign from the bus, I wouldn’t have discovered the Hollywood Forever Cementary (which I had never even heard about).

That would also be my main suggestion if you travel to LA without a car: Split up your trips! For instance, today I am planning to go to LA Zoo – a 30 minute car ride but 2 hours on public transport. The route, however, goes through Little Tokyo/Arts District, so I will get off there for some lunch first and will stop on the way back at Arts District Brewing Co. That way I get to see lots of things and the trip feels less long and tiring.

Also, taking public transport here has it’s advantages: At $1.75 per trip (no matter how far you are travelling) it is cheap as chips – especially for LA standards. Also, since nobody seems to be making use of metros and buses here, they tend to be quite empty.

Where taking public transport doesn’t really work, is longer round trips. Yesterday, for instance, John took me for a ride to Malibu Beach, Calabasas and Griffith Observatory – a day trip that would never be possible on public transport.

Prejudice No. 2: „Everyone here is superficial“

I obviously knew that not everyone here would be a Hollywood- or „I go hiking on Runyon Canyon with my Stanley Cup“-stereotype. But I still came with reservations and didn’t know if I would like the overall vibe.

On my first Saturday here, John and me hosted a little Octoberfest party in his backyard, which – to my surprise – gave me the chance to get to know one of the most heterogenic groups of friends I have ever met. One of my first conversations went like this:

Guy: „I don’t want to make this a political conversation… but how do you feel about the migrant crisis in Germany?“

Me: „I am liberal/left wing, so I think the bigger problem is mass media and their portrayal of it.“

Guy: „Ah, I am more conversative which is also why I want to move to Texas soon. Easier access to fire guns.“

US Stereotype no. 1: check!

One of the next conversations I had, went in a totally different direction. It was with someone who had recently moved to Seattle for school. He talked about only flying business class on international flights and about his fine dining experiences in Europe – something I clearly didn’t expect in this East LA backyard.

John’s group of friends also includes an eldery gay person, whose partner had died a few years ago and who was basically picked up by them in a bar and has been a part of the group ever since. He happily joined a game of „Cards against Humanity“ and invited me to a day-drinking session in his favourite bar on Friday.

Apart from those three, there was a goth girl with her boyfriend who was the spitting image of Noel Fielding, a chef with a deep love for Anthony Bourdain, Mexican-American hobby DJs, a policeman and a federal agent. I certainly cannot say that this was a boring night and – apart from quite a few conversations about calorie intake, heavy lifting sessions, protein sources and the benefits of a skinny bitch (Vodka with Soda) – it wasn’t superficial at all. They seemed truly interested in my and had fun trying to integrate me into their circle by supplying me with lots of Dodgers merch. Go, Dodgers!

Now, I am lucky to have a connection to people here through John and I wonder what my impression would have been if I had been here on my own. Two years ago in New York, it seemed easier for me to get chatting to people in public and people indeed seemed a bit more outgoing and talkative over there. But we’ll see if this first impression sticks…

Prejudice No. 3: LA has no food culture

I travel for food and I like going to places with an interesting culinary heritage. LA never really had that for me. Yes, they invented the cheeseburger but how innovative is it to put a slice of cheese on a beef patty? (I mean, this post was written by the genius who put a slice of cheese and some pineapple on döner meat…)

I would say, to me this preconception still holds true to some extent. LA doesn’t have this one dish that the city is known for all around the world. Go to New York and get a bagel. Go to Vietnam for Phở. Travel to Japan for Ramen and Sushi… LA though? I don’t know.

But I learned that not having one unique local dish doesn’t mean the place doesn’t have a food culture. I would say that LA food is not about the food item as such but more about the act of buying and consuming your food. There’s thousands of street vendors selling everything from fresh mango with chili over corn based snacks to tamales and ice cream popsicles (mostly in Mexican style flavours like spicy mango). I had heard about these before but what I didn’t expect is that they were not only selling their goods in crowded urban areas but also in residential parts of town. I wondered who would buy from them in residential areas (have never seen anyone actually buying something here) but someone at the Octoberfest party told me it was pretty common:

„You lie on your couch on a chilled Sunday and you hear the tune or honk of one of the vendors. From the specific tune, you will know what they sell. And then your mind goes: Oh, I might treat myself to some fruit, a popsicle or whatever…“

And of course you have all those late night taco stalls that don’t only seem to serve as places to get food from but also as hangout spots where you meet people. Everyone has their favourite taco stall and talking about the latest addition to the LA taco scene is pretty common here. Street food is clearly part of community building: Those spots help you meet new people and there is an element of giving back to your community when buying from little vendors or stalls instead of going to (chain) restaurants.