"My Adventures In LOS ANGELES" Los Angeles by Krystynn

Los Angeles Travel Guide: 4,336 reviews and 8,580 photos

LA (in the far distance) on a smoggy day - Los Angeles
LA (in the far distance) on a smoggy day
Earthquake In LA!

Welcome to the "City of Angels".... ;-)

Early-1990s:

Half an hour before my plane touched down to LAX in 1990 (on my first visit to Los Angeles), a massive earthquake had struck a portion of LA and if my memory didn't fail me, Pasadena was the most badly affected area. I remembered when I checked in to my LA hotel, there were several messages already waiting for me from MY MOTHER! She was so worried that her beloved daughter (ahem!) was caught in the earthquake. My friends had also left several messages with the Concierge prior to my arrival. Ah, it feels great to be loved.... :-))

I don't know about you but for a foreign visitor like myself, and having grown up watching predominantly (99.9%) American TV shows and movies, I had expected LA to be...ya know...like what I see in the movies. But boy, was I surprised with what I saw!

First of all, I was way, way too "overdressed" for LA. Everywhere I went, I see gorgeous California girls donning sexy tank tops with strategically ripped shorts/ jeans and t-shirts that I felt like ripping my own jeans with a pair of scissors - after only1 hour of my arrival in this city. ;-p

Culture Shocks
The city of LA as seen from Griffith Park - Los Angeles

The city of LA as seen from Griffith Park

Next, whilst shopping along the famed Melrose Avenue one afternoon, I accidentally mistook a guy for a sales lady - who was working in a Norma Karmali boutique! I hope he wasn't offended when I addressed him as "Madam". If he was angry, he certainly didn't show it. Phew! I mean, this guy had such lovely flowing long hair like Julia Roberts... that he'd put some women to shame! How am I supposed to know the difference - from the back?! Definitely not a good sign. And not a good way to begin my holiday!

Well, you know me, being such a slow learner and all... can you imagine what happened when my American friend brought me out to spend a day at Venice Beach on the 4th of July. Yes, I was again way, way too "overdressed". Sigh. I mean, the girls there were all... so... skimpily attired (read: sexy a la Pam Anderson)... and I felt like a prude standing next to them.

Culture shock, you mutter? I guess you're right. It's just me going through my first bouts of CULTURE SHOCK!

When that silly friend of mine mentioned that we were going to spend a day at the "Beach", of course I thought I was going swimming and promptly packed all my swimming gear along with me. How am I supposed to know that the water is too cold to swim.... and that most people just chill out at the beach - without swimming?

From Country Bumpkin To Cosmo Girl...
LA... in the far distance - Los Angeles

LA... in the far distance

You must surely think I'm some country bumpkin by now. And a prude. Wow - a double negative. Not a good sign at all. :-)

And talking about more culture shocks.... I was really astonished when I found out that the coffee and drinks here are all REFILLABLE. Believe me, this word "refillable" doesn't quite exist in Asia or in Europe. By the time I finally left LA for home, I was sure I'd turned into a coffee junkie! Help....!

The American food portions are also extremely HUGE. And I mean - humongous! I almost had to beg the other diners to eat my other half-portion.

Well, enough said.

Whether I was going through a culture shock or not, I was definitely going to make the best of my stay here in LA: Eat like them; drink like them; swear like them (oops!); dress like them; think like them... and party like them. ;-)

And why not? Anything is possible in LA.

Oooh, I just love LA!


"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.'
- Robert Louis Stevenson.



Footnote: This travel page is written from my very first impressions of LA on my first visit in 1990. I have since returned to LA thrice over the years, my latest trip was in January 2002 - en route to Las Vegas to attend a conference. I hope you'll find my first time experiences useful in helping you plan for your forthcoming holiday. Don't worry... The tips aren't ancient and have all been updated. Thank you.



Copyright © Krystynn 2004
Please do not take my personal pics without prior permission.
Thanks.

  • Last visit to Los Angeles: Jan 2002
  • Intro Updated Mar 19, 2004
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