Los Angeles

Los Angeles is often defined by its beauty -- palm trees, sunsets, oceans, and hillside homes. It is a city that sells an imaginary lifestyle to the outside world. I grew up surrounded by that version of LA in Bel Air, where privacy, quiet streets, and overall safety was never something I had to worry about. For a long time, that was the Los Angeles I knew.

Sadly, it did not take long for me to realize there was much more to LA than the little bubble I grew up with.

Drive twenty minutes and the entire city shifts. There is still beautiful aspects, but it becomes much more complicated. Luxury storefronts are neighbored to tents. Multi million dollar homes overlook streets where people struggle to live. The same amazing weather that reaches into the hills also hits the sidewalks where thousands sleep.

https://www.ppic.org/blog/californians-want-policies-that-close-the-gap-between-rich-and-poor/tents-beside-skyscrapers-in-los-angeles-downtown-at-night-4/

Growing up in a protected environment shaped how I initially understood the city. Bel Air felt calm and almost separate from the rest of Los Angeles. It was easy for me to just assume the rest of the city functioned in a similar manner. As I got older and moved through different neighborhoods, that thought quickly faded. LA revealed itself not just as one simple experience, but as many realities all in one.

What makes Los Angeles striking is how impossible it is to simply just ignore these contrasts. In some cities zoning hide certain inequalities, but in LA it is deeply woven into everyday life. When I drive to school, walk down a major street, or catch myself outside in a place meant for relaxation, you see how messed up this city is.

For a long time, I did not completely understand what was going on. I grew up thinking comfort and stability where the norm, when this was far from the truth. This perspective obviously shifted as I got older. Getting my license unlocked a new level of independence. I was able to step out of this bubble that I was so familiar with. The more I drove, the more Los Angeles revealed.

With that freedom became genuine awareness, I noticed how quickly neighborhoods could change, sometimes within a few streets. One street would feel polished and carefully looked after, while the next had multiple signs of struggles. To put into perspective, these were not distant parts of the city, often places I passed without even thinking about it. It started to show me how layered and complex Los Angeles truly is.

What continues to throw me off is the proximity of inequality. Wealth and hardship are not separated by significant distance in Los Angeles. You can literally have a quiet neighborhood with the infamous LA palm trees, and within a few blocks you'll see tents along the sidewalk. There is no middle ground, no preparation for such a significant shift. (This highlights a much larger issue, the widening gap between the ultra wealthy and those struggling to meet basic everyday needs. That divide is not hidden, it is a part of the landscape.

Despite these contrasts, Los Angeles is not only home, but one of if not my favorite city. It is where I grew up, where I first began to understand the world is not all sunshine and lollipops, where I learned first hand how beauty and hardship often exist together. Loving LA feels way more layered than it once did. The city is inspiring, yet undeniably complex, full of opportunities while still battling deep structural obstacles. Seeing both sides has pushed me to look beyond what is immediately visible and recognize that a city is never just what it shows the outside world. Los Angeles is by no means perfect, but I think its complexity is what makes it so real, and why it continues to shape the way I see the world.