"It's Going to be Jammed!"

Have you seen that Saturday Night Live skit called “The Californians?” Well if you haven’t you probably should! The skit is like a soap opera that takes place in what it looks to be Malibu, California. Just picture it:  All the characters have blonde hair, yep, even the black guy. Every time they speak their speech is slowed down and catchphrases like “jammed” and “what are you doing here” are mumbled. When a character enters the scene slow, melancholy music plays and the character says something like “Hey honey I brought us some tangerines, this guy was selling them over on the off ramp over by the 2.” Pretty much throughout the skit the characters are all giving directions and tips on how to get somewhere, how to go back home, and even on where to park. Seriously, just watch it.

Despite my little geek out up above, I think the title does not best suited for the skit. It says “The Californians,” but we all know they are making fun of the sprawling city that has tons of parking lots, but never any space to park! If I’m going to talk about cultures in LA I have to mention geography and the driving culture that is a byproduct from it.

Alright, I got to mention, Los Angeles county is big as hell! You’ve got San Gabriel, San Fernando Valley, Palos Verdes, and the metropolitan area. I mean I can go on, but I’d rather not. Being a native to this massive area I have actually become familiar with some of the areas the county has to offer. One of the most underrated (in my opinion) part of Los Angeles would have to be the South Bay. The South Bay is home to Torrance, Hermosa Beach, San Pedro, and my favorite, Palos Verdes. In the South Bay you have the option of visiting a suburban type area where families live and it’s cute cause it reminds you that there’s life outside of college and people don’t eat top ramen out of the pot. Hermosa Beach is in fact hermosa (beautiful in español) and it’s nice place to hit up during the summer and get away from the bros at the OC beaches. Palos Verdes is nice cause there’s large mansions to gaze at and when you look to your left there’s the ocean. There’s also amazing hiking spots (Runyon canyon needs to stop being a thing) the Donald Trump golf course, and lot’s a little nature spots to visit! I think it’s an area most Angelinos need to explore because it’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

So why do I think the South Bay is underrated? Uh, well it’s fucking far. What you do is hop onto the 110, which by the way doesn’t have a car pool lane--it has a fast trak—then you merge onto the 105 and ya keep going until the sun goes down and you hit the ocean. If you know of the freeways I’m talking about, great you are officially an Angelino integrated and trapped by the driving culture that has evolved other the years. For those of you who have no clue, welcome to Los Angeles, where the weather is great so you don’t have to bring it up and the traffic is bad so we know why you were late.

This driving culture in LA is indeed a “thing” and there are terminologies like fast trak, “better directions” other people can give you, and factoring in time it takes to get from one place to another.  The freeways, in a way, have a personality that reflect the areas you’re passing by; The 110 is kind of, well, ghetto (that’s why there’s walls!) the 405 is bougie and you’re most likely to be driving next to a Tesla owned by some big shot who is at the same time humble so you can stay mad at them. When you’re on the 101 you know you’re heading towards fun whether it’s driving to Hollywood on a Saturday night or enjoying the coast. It’s important to understand that the geographical locations in Los Angeles play a large role in the culture that live within them.

Check out this blog "L.A. Can't Drive!"

Sample Annotation

Rapkin, M. (2013). Leaving los angeles. The Virginia Quarterly Review, 89(1), 218-223,10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315926674?accountid=14749

Rapkin is a native New Yorker who is on the verge of moving to LA. Although he is not officially an Angelino, he does a very good job of glossing over some of LA’s distinct features. As a writer himself he is an insider of the celebrity world and understands the ins and outs of celebrities in Los Angeles. He offers his own personal insight, as a New Yorker, to compare and contrasts the vast differences of the two head-butting cities.

 Some of what he brings up is what I would be interested in blogging about. He claims to not be an outdoorsy guy, but yet he still takes hikes. This kind of phenomena of crossing cultures is definitely practiced in LA. For the majority of the article he talks about how LA is celebrity obsessed and how he has had personal experiences with some celebs. This article would be useful to back up my own theory that Angelinos are open to crossing into new cultures.

Hello World

  I am not quite accustomed to introducing myself to the “world,” but I have had some experiences in doing so with social media—certainly most people have these days. My experience with social media is different than others: I don’t like to make/share/like posts, definitely don’t share tons of photos, nor do I actively engage in online conversation. I think we have become narcissistic, we get offended if someone else is doing something cooler than we are, and everyone has access to social media and frankly I don’t think everyone should—I’m looking at you Jaden Smith! Doing this blog is a bit out of my comfort zone, I mainly enjoy sharing my thoughts to the people closest to me, but here I am, sharing it with the world. I’m sure one day my snooping offspring will read this and see how lame I was. (Go do the dishes you crazy kids!)

 Have you ever felt alone sometime during the day? You may be having lunch alone, studying alone, or whatever you do when you’re alone—I’m not implying anything weird. If you have never been by yourself in any way I challenge you to do it. Go to a coffee shop and just hang out! It is liberating to just do what you want to do and be in the company of your own thoughts. When you are done go back into your comfortable niche and continue doing what you do. I am pretty sure it may be difficult for some to just be by themselves, and that is normal because when we are alone it feels unsettling. Belonging to a group is important because we are social beings and sharing interactions with others keeps us going. It is a great feeling to know that you are a part of something and what ever you are part of, your role is important to the group: they understand you, they challenge you, and most importantly, they accept you.

 My blog will mainly be about the cultures that exist in this large metropolitan city. I chose this as my topic because I have been studying sociology and I thought it would be interesting to dive deeper into the cultures we participate in. As mentioned before being alone at some point during your day may be common, but no matter how alone we are at that moment we have our own groups, cliques, or circles that we are a part of. It is fascinating how a large sprawling urban city can have so many cultures, and I want to dive deeper into the cultures LA is typically known for. It will be less about racial, ethnic, religious, or political culture, but more about cultures people engage in on their free time, such as, yoga, music festivals, food, film, gangs and so on. I chose this topic because I am a native to Los Angeles and every time I am looking for something new to do, I do not have to look very hard. There are so many activities to engage in and there are so many other people that know so much about the activity I am interested in. I want to know about the people involved in these cultures; do they have a name for themselves like yogis, hispters, foodies, etc.? Do they ever cross paths with other cultures? Is the culture gendered or targeted for a certain age? Are these cultures just part of a new fad? These are just some questions I will ask. I will also be interested in talking about hipsters, boy they are an eclectic bunch! I enjoy their smug attitude and interests in coffee, beer, denim, and music. Speaking of hipsters below are some of Jaden Smith’s tweets:

Jaden Smith @officialjaden

I Watch Twilight Every Night

Jaden Smith @officialjaden

20 Slizered Unicorns XxYxŸ

Jaden Smith @officialjaden

Jonah Hill Is A Genius

Jaden Smith @officialJaden

School Is The Tool To Brainwash The Youth