First Night Out

Last night was the end of another long day of job hunting and interviews. Feeling discouraged and exhausted I walked out to my car to head home and found a papery little treat under the wiper.  My first parking ticket.  Too drained to cry and too poor to even begin to think about paying it, I stuffed it in my purse and drove home in a daze.

Trying to keep my chin up I decided a little distraction would do me good, so I took my roommate up on the offer to go out with him.  His friend Lily was playing a final show with her band at The Echo, so I tagged along for what turned out to be the perfect medicine.

We started the evening at The Gold Room where I sipped soda water (due to my weak stomach) and surprisingly ran into a couple of friends of mine! Seeing someone from San Francisco right here in my neighborhood bar totally brightened my mood and gave me the sense of being at home.  After the bar we headed to the venue where we saw three bands. Lily, the lead singer of "Lily and the Ladies" was fantastic and "the Ladies" rocked out. I'm not one to critique music, not really my field of expertise but I will say the whole night was loud, fun, visual and highly entertaining.  The crowd was made up of what appeared to be the Hipster scene on steroids, the hottest and coolest looking chicks you've ever seen and the skinniest boys in the tightest pants.  The fashion, for the most part, was similar to the Mission sensibility but amped way up. 

All of my roommate's friends were totally welcoming and fun and they were all interesting and accomplished people who seemed to have a million different jobs and artistic endeavors.  Overall the night gave me a break from stress, it gave me a nice big dose of fun and it gave me the first taste of my local nightlife.  Once again I'm grateful to have landed in the neighborhood I did, I'm so stoked that I hit the jackpot with my roommies and I can't wait to continue to explore all LA has to offer.  So far so good, sippin' on a coconut Italian soda and gearing up for another job interview.  After that, the beach. Good, free fun and a little nap in the sun.  I think I can do this.

Reporting From The Front Line: Day 3

• I'm at a cute cafe near my house drinking an iced coffee that just came with cream, there was no asking about it.  It's delicious. *Also, I find it funny that every cafe I've been to alone so far I have overheard cell-phone conversations or meetings about "the script" or "the project".  My, my, these fancy movie people are everywhere here!
• It's hot.
  
• Very hot.
  

(I don't have much time because my laundry is across the street and will need to be rotated soon.)

• No Internet at the house yet but I'll have it once I get us a router.
  
• Day 3 and I've already been to hear live music at The Hotel Cafe, met 3 blonde actresses, gotten lost, (or as I like to call it; went exploring) and dropped off 4 resumes.
• My room is hot enough to host a Bikram class in, but now that I've painted it and started to unpack and decorate it's getting cuter and comfier and the roommates are very nice and welcoming.

• I love the area I live in: Silverlake right near Echo Park.  
  
• It's definitely going to be bikable which is awesome and driving hasn't even been half bad!
  
• I get to listen to NPR in the car which is fun cause I never could before and it's the only time in the day that I get to be in air-conditioning.
  
• So far, so good.  People have been really friendly, helpful and nice!
  
• I need, need, NEED a job because I pretty much came here with no money but I'm feeling very optimistic and excited!
  
• I think I'm in the right place.
  
• More soon...

Over and out.

Where Will I Land?

When you happen to live deep in the San Francisco Mission District among the hippest of the hipsters how can you settle for bland? On my internet hunt for rooms in LA I keep wondering, where will I land?

Girl on a budget, moving to LA. Seeking art, music, good food and good people. Bikability a major plus!

I've looked into Hollywood and Santa Monica, Echo Park and Silverlake and now I'm hearing another place worth scoping may be here in Highland Park.

I know nothing can compare to San Francisco but I'm determined to make the best of wherever I go. If I'm surrounded by more concrete than trees it'd better at least be covered in interesting graffiti or trampled by colorful characters. Whatever tiny room I end up in will be stamped with my own eclectic style but wouldn't it be nice if I could find some like-minded friends to create community with?

Here's hoping!