Los Angeles is a city that let us dream before we even understood what dreams were.
It wasn’t school, but movies that answered our questions.
It was through the screen that we learned the world could be magical, and that ordinary life could become a cinematic story.
Everyone has heard of LA. Everyone has some image of it in their head. Everyone – at least once – has wanted to go there.
Because we know this city from every possible angle: from the big screen, from celebrity gossip, from Instagram. We see the lives of those who dreamed big – in the hills of Calabasas, in Pacific Palisades, in Hidden Hills. Their day starts with a jog in Runyon Canyon, then coffee at Community Goods, shopping on Rodeo Drive, brunch with friends, a quick trip to Erewhon, maybe even some surfing in Malibu.
But not everyone lives in the hills..
There are also those who wake up at 5:30 a.m. and get home in the middle of the night. Who live in Compton, off Santa Monica, or in Latino neighborhoods. They live in the City of Angels, yet are very far from any angels.
Because Los Angeles is a place of contrasts. Where some win Oscars, and others fight to survive. Where art is celebrated, but the sins of its creators are ignored. Where one wrong move can send you falling from the pedestal of fame and million-dollar mansions. Where people rule over people.
To be in LA is to shop, meet people, shoot hoops on the beach in Santa Monica, film a TikTok in Venice, drive out to Palm Springs, go to Coachella, freestyle with strangers on the street. Drop by Universal Studios, visit the original Disneyland, cheer for the Lakers. Drink almond, oat, or coconut milk coffee – or all three at once. Eat gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free cookies and complain about sitting in traffic for two hours just to go ten kilometers.
Or maybe… sleep in a cheap motel, count every dollar, and try not to get robbed. Maybe someone will clone your credit card, and the police will tell you it’s “no big deal.” Maybe you’ll come back years later – as someone entirely different – and see the same places from a completely different perspective. Through the tinted window of an expensive car, with the best coffee in your hand. Maybe your dream will become your daily routine – one you no longer even appreciate, because you’re already chasing the next thing.
This is where trends are born. Where music that changes the world is made. Where movies are filmed that the whole globe watches. Where pop culture is created – the culture we all end up living.
But it’s also where the wildfires burn.Where people lose themselves in the race for fame. Where many dreamers end up with nothing.Because life in the City of Angels isn’t always angelic.
Los Angeles is a place where you can be yourself – or play the role you’ve always dreamed of.You can have everything – and you can lose everything.This is where dreams come true.And where many of them shatter loudly.
Los Angeles is a city that let us dream before we even understood what dreams were.
