It seems impossible that I would miss anything about Los Angeles, but there you have it. You need some time away, some distance, to be able to gain a perspective about a place that had seemed the cause of so much of your unhappiness. I've compiled a list of sorts to describe what it is about Los Angeles I do love.
1. I love that the sun, which seems to shine every day, glints off of every surface, casting a light of indescribable beauty.
2. I love the time spent alone in the car, listening to NPR.
3. I love the palm-tree-lined boulevard of Santa Monica Boulevard, heading into Beverly Hills, which seems the epitome of the California Dream.
4. I love wearing a dress with bare legs in December, January, well, all year long.
5. I love driving past a Starbucks or Coffee Bean, noticing the hordes of people sitting outside.
6. I love driving the length of Sunset Boulevard from the PCH to downtown, all of the city's economic landscape on display as you make your way past gated mansions, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Silverlake, and finally downtown.
7. I love the immense Korea Town that stretches as far north as Santa Monica Boulevard and as far south as Pico, and from Western to Vermont, where English is rarely spoken, all the store signs in Korean.
8. I love the Korean spas where Russian women, Korean women, American women, lounge around the tub naked.
9. I love the Los Angeles coffee shops that offers an opportunity for people gazing and the leisurely sip of a Latte.
10. I love the spectacle of the Oscar Awards--an unofficial holiday for the city.
11. I love the melange of architecture on any given street.
12. I love the sound of the sprinklers turning on, signaling the start of the day.
13. I love being able to purchase a large bag of oranges or a box of strawberries while waiting for a light to turn green.
14. I love the ArcLight Theater where you can call ahead to reserve, not only tickets, but your seats.
15. I love the diagonal crossing signs for pedestrians in Beverly Hills.
16. I love Crustacean Restaurant's food, but more importantly, walking over a Koi pond floor.
17. I love that roses can bloom well into November.
18. I love the hummingbirds that danced from flower to flower in our garden.
19. I love the black crows that would swoop in our cul de sac.
20. I love that coyotes can come down from the hillside, reminding you nature's door is so near.
21. I love that you can arrive at a party, knowing every other person will work in the 'business.'
22. I love that writers on strike drop their kids off at the same school as the producers, network executives, and heads of studios.
23. I love that Neiman's has a bar in the men's department, so that you can sip a martini after a strenuous day of shopping.
24. I love the Peninsula Hotel's high tea where women can pretend to be ladies from a different era as teas are sipped, scones are eaten, and the harpist plays.
25. I love the patrons of Cafe Roma, where old Hollywood, including the governor, holds court, reliving a hey day long past.
26. I love that women, even those who are brunette, come to LA to become blonds, proving this city is the place of reinvention.
27. I love the Hollywood Bowl on a warm summer's night.
28. I love the Getty Museum, which is more about the space than the art work on display.
29. I love seeing the entirety of the city below from a Hillside home.
30. I love that Larchmont Village feels more like a Midwestern town than a part of Los Angeles.
31. I love Yuca's taco stand on Hillhurst Boulevard, proving the point that a place run by an old Mexican woman and her daughter can win a James Beard award for excellence.
32. I love Little Tokyo's Village where you can get cheap sushi, shiatsu massage, and the most perfect mochi ice cream.
33. I love the mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant, who is one of the best promoters of his little domain.
34. I love the skaters, who congregate down on Venice Beach, to perform as music blares out of large boom boxes.
35. I love that Santa Monica feels like a separate state.
36. And I love that all of this world can be processed from behind the safety of a car windshield, proving that LA is truly a city of the new millennium.
24.
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