Surprise Me LA

LA surprise me all the time. 

And that's a good thing. Beautiful little pockets of culture, history, architecture. This is what makes LA so beautiful and one of my favorite cities.

A long long time ago, my dad took our family to the Lotus Festival in Echo Park. Years ago. Echo Park shut down for over 2 years, I believe, for a beautiful make-over. And here we are. Emerged once again, is this gorgeous park with a huge fountain and lake. They've put nice benches along the perimeter of the lake, made a nice walking pathway, cleaned up. Yes, there are still homeless. But I guess that's the charm of this park (not really). Who knew that you can get a gorgeous view of the Downtown skyline from here?! 

Another beautiful piece of architecture, sitting smack dab in the middle of Downtown. Who knew!? I mean I knew, but I never thought it was this amazing. I need to get around more. We attended a lecture by Ron Finley (the "Gangsta Gardener") at the LA Public Library on Flower & 5th. The lecture was a tad boring and not what I had imagined, so we skipped out a little early to explore the area. Boy, were we glad to! What an amazing area!! We live near DTLA, visited a ton of times and have never come to this library!! What the heck!

(Gorgeous tower of the Library. Dead ends at Hope St)

(Inside atrium of the library. High ceilings and interesting chandeliers)

(Bunker Hill. These steps are so pretty!! Right next to the US Bank building)

I think the Man and I are going to make it a thing to discover and explore LA a bit more this summer. We love discovering all of its nooks and crannies. Maybe we'll explore Grand St next. Who knew that The Standard was also right behind the Library?!

Learn something new everyday,
The Lady

Hope for LA

There are times when I become cynical and lose hope in our city, Los Angeles. There's homelessness, grim, dirt, filth, crime, traffic and so much blah wrapped into this city, it's sometimes hard to see the diamond in the rough. But once in a while this city will surprise you. It's like a real eye opener. It's an awakening.

The cynical me is tucked away and I can once again see the beauty this city offers. It's amazing how many hidden treasures and gems there are. If you don't look closely, it will surely pass you by. You really have to open your eyes, look closely and evaluate the unexpectedness this city has to offer. 

This weekend, after weeks of cynicism (probably due to our house and our neighborhood) I feel like I am once again awaken and more so, excited about the city. There's so much it has to offer that I haven't even begun to discover. Isn't that just exciting?! There's so many 'pockets' within a neighborhood. It's really astounding. Over the weekend, the Man and I discovered pockets of greenery along the LA river and small parks along Elysian valley that we once were looking for homes. Areas where we thought were  shabby and kind of shady have now transformed into a beautiful, semi gentrified, clean space. How can we not know of these spaces?! I've been a Los Angelenos all my life. How have I missed this?!

(Clean, paved bike path along the LA River - which is to the right, and Marsh Park - which is to the left. Who knew
hidden parks and gems such as these existed here!)

(Gorgeous grassy knolls at Vista Hermosa Park off 1st Street and Toluca Street in DTLA. Definitely want to check
it out again, it has so much to offer and amazing views!)

(Entrance of Grand Park looking towards City Hall. I love the complete balance and symmetry of this park. If you
turn around, it's completely centered with the LADWP building as well. Another well done urban park)

(The Suicide Bridge in Pasadena, also called the Colorado Street Bridge. We love taking a stroll on this bridge, it's
historical and the views are outstanding. I am a bit scared of heights so it makes me slightly nervous, but we sat at
a little pocket niche and enjoyed the view and beautiful weather)

I really love LA. Though I may forget sometimes, we are so lucky to live in a culture filled, rich of history, eclectic and fun city like Los Angeles.

Inspired,
The Lady