When one thinks of Los Angeles,
usually the first thing that come to mind include visions of Hollywood, a star
studded sidewalk, a warm beach filled with beautiful people, or maybe even the
hostile urban landscape of South Central. True, these things do exist in the
Los Angeles city limits, but all too often, the more normal, subdued portions
of the city are left out of the grand vision that most people think up. Often
times, the general picture of Los Angeles completely disregards the San
Fernando Valley to the north of Hollywood, a portion of LA that dwarfs the Los
Angeles one would find south of the Hollywood Hills.
Once
a vast fertile valley occupied by mostly farmers, the valley is now home to a
mostly suburban sprawl dotted by businesses and main streets which mirror
aspects of the more easily recognized Los Angeles. Grids of single family homes
and cul-de-sacs reach for miles, creating a suburban sprawl that by most
definitions works in direct contrast to what most would assimilate to Los
Angeles or Hollywood. There are no beaches here, no upscale bars or
restaurants. No flashing lights guiding you towards risqué’ night clubs, no
stars’ handprints in the sidewalk.
And
yet, the valley still retains a spirit of Los Angeles tucked into its
intersection strip-malls and child-friendly neighborhoods. As soon as you think
you’ve left LA all together, one could spot a medical marijuana dispensary, a
little film developing booth standing idle in one of thousand parking lots. And
still, like the rest of LA county, however suburban and family friendly the
neighborhood may seem, it is still ruled by the necessity of having a car to
get from place to place. No walkable grocery store in sight, no schoolyard down
the block, it is almost as if the suburban grid is yet another mythological
construct to make residents believe they
are living outside of city limits. However, the indicators are still very much
present. The four lane arterial road, endless parking lot wastelands, a billboard for 1-800-Get-Thin, and the
ominous smog reaching its dirty hand out over the grid of ranch style family housing reminding its residents that they are, in fact, still in Los Angeles.
Zack Reinhardt
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