There are only a few cities in the world I am completely madly obsessed with and have been for years. Tokyo, Los Angeles, Stockholm and London.
I now live in London, so that's one obsession under control. I am going to Stockholm in July (merci maman for sharing your hotel room with me). I hope to go to Tokyo sometime soon.
I have been to Los Angeles in 2004. It was only for a week, but I drew so much energy from this city, and so much inspiration that all I want to do is go there again. A lot of people absolutely hate it, mainly because it is "not New York". But this is what I like about L.A. - it is not NY. To me NY is just an americanised version of London, with taller buildings. I don't feel as if going there would be a massive change of scenery.
Los Angeles is a weird one, it is so gigantic, but at the same time, the various areas seem to have a nice community vibe going. It is totally just my impression about the place after a week, so I am sure locals will say I am mistaken.
A giant metropolis by the sea is pretty much my idea of heaven though. Like July Stars, I have a strong taste for nature, but I also come running back to the city and kiss the ground after a holiday in the middle of nowhere.
I shall now stop talking and leave you with images...
I now live in London, so that's one obsession under control. I am going to Stockholm in July (merci maman for sharing your hotel room with me). I hope to go to Tokyo sometime soon.
I have been to Los Angeles in 2004. It was only for a week, but I drew so much energy from this city, and so much inspiration that all I want to do is go there again. A lot of people absolutely hate it, mainly because it is "not New York". But this is what I like about L.A. - it is not NY. To me NY is just an americanised version of London, with taller buildings. I don't feel as if going there would be a massive change of scenery.
Los Angeles is a weird one, it is so gigantic, but at the same time, the various areas seem to have a nice community vibe going. It is totally just my impression about the place after a week, so I am sure locals will say I am mistaken.
A giant metropolis by the sea is pretty much my idea of heaven though. Like July Stars, I have a strong taste for nature, but I also come running back to the city and kiss the ground after a holiday in the middle of nowhere.
I shall now stop talking and leave you with images...
Depuis de nombreuses années, je suis totalement obsédée par plusieurs villes: Tokyo, Stockholm, Londres et Los Angeles. Je vis à Londres, donc je suis tranquille de e côté là. Je vais à Stockholm en Juillet et j'espère aller à Tokyo dans un futur pas trop lointain...
J'ai eu la chance de séjourner à LA en 2004. Un très court séjour, juste une semaine. Mais cela m'a suffit pour tomber raide dingue de l'énergie de cette ville. J'ai une envie folle d'y retourner aussi vite que possible.
Beaucoup de gens détestent LA pour la simple raison que ce n'est pas NY... A mes yeux, NY n'est qu'une version américanisée de Londres, pas de dépaysement, pas de surprise.
LA est étrange, c'est une ville gigantesque, mais constituée de quartiers avec des communautés soudées (en tous cas c'est l'impression que j'ai eu).
Une métropole géante au bord de la mer, c'est pour moi le paradis. Comme July Stars, j'adore la nature, mais je retourne en ville avec plaisir après des vacances en rase campagne.
Photos are mine. Maps and postcards from LA Yesterday.
If I had to live in the US it would definitely have to be LA. Only downside: it's so bloody far away from Europe where my family lives! But I agree with you, NYC is just like London (and I prefer London anyway).
ReplyDeleteAs for Tokyo I think it would be too much of a culture shock for me to deal with. I don't think I could ever live there or feel comfortable with the fact that I don't speak the language. I guess I'm stuck in London! Hahaha.
July Stars - Come on let's go to L.A. We can kidnap our families too! Or maybe just go there for a holiday...
ReplyDeleteIt is funny, you know, because I think I feel the same way about LA as you, only I've never been there.
ReplyDeleteRecently, my best friend went to NY and told me I'd love ot there too. She was appalled when I told her that I'm afraid of the Big Apple and would rather go to LA.
While I had to leave London behind for a while, I still feel like it's my home and where I should be ;) and I think LA would be just as nice minus the cold tempratures.
I just want to go everywhere. As much as I'd love to visit beautifully exotic places such as Thailand & the like, I'm much more of a city girl & adore the hustle & bustle & bright city lights. I live in London & have visited New York & Paris twice each, but next I'd love to go to Prague, Amsterdam, LA (although I have been on a short trip before, but it was nowhere near long enough!) & SO many places that would take far too long to list. I'm hooked on city breaks!
ReplyDeletetokyo, tokyo, tokyo! i cannot wait to finally go there.
ReplyDeleteand it's a bit of a cliche but new york is also on top on my list (with a hundred more places in the US i desperately want to go to, including LA). as i'm turning 30 this year i'm thinking of doing it in style and in NYC.... or maybe in LA with the rich and the beautiful??????
I live in a small city in little old New Zealand and all I wanna do is live in a HUGE city!! As soon as I finish university I want to move to Paris or Tokyo. My city is so quiet and boring and I love love love metropolises (metropolisi?)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how I feel the same!
ReplyDeletewent to L.A 2 years ago and I'm obsessed with it since then... I was neither amazed by NYC, nor by San Fransisco to many people's surprise... What I absolutely loved among everything was Las Vegas, L.A, and the trip in between...
I love London too and hope I'll get the chance to live there a bit too... and Tokyo..ahhh Tokyo... THE dream!!
So I'm guessing Stokholm is great... :-)
The closest I have been to LA is San Francisco and I was disappointed by how cold it was!
ReplyDeleteIt is my dream to go to LA, and I think my boyfriend and I would like to live there one day too. The film Chinatown also makes me really want to go to LA. And, weirdly, so does Curb Your Enthusiasm!
love all your pictures.
Ooh! I had never really thought much about going to LA before but your photos and what you have written is gradually changing my mind:) I am going on a California trip next year so hope to visit then. I have been in San Diego and New York before and I loved them both. The two places I most want to visit at the moment are Paris and Tokyo but I am off to London and Lisbon next week:) I live in Glasgow which I love but I do enjoy travelling....
ReplyDeleteCaz x
I grew up in LA and I will say that it has a lot of cool stuff and neighborhoods, as you mention, which makes it a great place to visit. But living there can be a pretty different experience. Lots (and I mean lots) of time in the car. And it's a lot more like a big collection of suburbs than a metropolis. But there is a lot of cool stuff spread all over, which is why I love to go home to visit!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, everyone looks for different things in a city, so that's just one girl's experience. :)
While it just kills me what you said about NYC, (still love ya though) I have to agree that many of us here hate LA just because its not NYC. We actually recently had a post about why we dislike LA and LA fashion. It's interesting to hear your perspective. Is the canal shot yours? It's lovely!
ReplyDeleteI live in NYC and love it more than anything. I grew up in Florida which is the most miserable place ever, and NY always just felt more like home. I love Paris and London to death and visit whenever I can. I'm getting ready to go to Berlin in 1.5 weeks and am so excited I could scream! Tokyo is nice, but only for about a day, 2 tops. You can't find anything (their idea of addresses is impossible), nothing is in English except for the trains, and people don't speak English. It's a lot like a big cosmopolitan city like London or New York, but it's built more for living then visiting.
ReplyDeleteAnisha - You absolutely must go to L.A one day. I used to feel the same way about London as I feel with LA. But i moved my life to London now so it is ok!
ReplyDeleteAimee Marie - I am definitely a city girl too. All the places I want to visit are cities. Once I have seen them all, I will move on to the rest of the world!
Miss Eltan - Turning 30 in LA would be splendid. On the beach with a cocktail. Could you ask for more. Or maybe you could turn 30 in Tokyo.
Sophie - I would choose Tokyo over Paris. I am from Paris, and even though it is a beautiful city, I am pretty sure that Tokyo is more lively!
Purrfect Kat - C'est peut être un truc de Frenchie alors de tomber amoureuse de Los Angeles! Je te dirais comment je trouve Stockholm quand j'y serai en Juillet.
Sapphire Island - I really wish I could move to LA, but it is so far from my family and friends. I do have a few friends over there, but I don't think I could cope with leaving everyone behind again!
Caz - If you go on a Cali trip, you MUST visit LA. London and Lisbon: good choices. Lisbon is beautiful! I am supposed to go there at some point this year too...
Sarai - I love nothing more than spending time in the car. I did spend quite a bit of time driven around when I went, and loved every second of it! I suppose the American suburbia is highly exotic for me as it doesn't really exist in Europe!
Natanya - What I said about NYC is in no way a dig. I was just saying that it was too much like London, so it doesn't give me a culture clash like LA does. I have to agree with you about LA fashion, but the feel of the city is amazing!
The shot of the Canal is not mine, it is from that YesterdayLA site. It is lovely though.
Mlle G to You - I went to Florida and wasn't really impressed by the cities. I was impressed by the nature there though! I think in Tokyo you really need to be with someone who knows the city very well, ideally Japanese as well!
ReplyDeleteI lived in Tokyo for a little while and it's an amazing city, totally different to anywhere I've ever been but after a year, it was definitely time to go...knowing Japanese is helpful, but I somehow managed to get by an entire year without knowing much more than the basics - so don't let the language barrier scare you!
ReplyDeleteI live in London, but I've left my heart in Sydney, Australia where I grew up (the sun, beaches - sigh!), but not sure if I'll ever return - I think it would feel like a small town after having travelled the world!
YES! Come to LA! Let me show you all of its secrets! I love New York and SF a lot. It's easy for me to visit SF so I've been ...seven times in the past two years? I love me some New York though! Wish I could go back this summer! I'd like to visit London again as well but I MUST see Paris first. :)
ReplyDeleteNew York! I felt at home there. I haven't been to London, but I would love to go there too!! I love big cities and tall buildings. I also love the middle of the forest too. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI loved London. I think I probably enjoyed that more than I might NYC.
ReplyDeleteJ'adore LA!! The Getty, Sunset, Wilshire, Santa Monica ... and it's warm...
Et j'ai besoin de visiter Paris! It's at the top of my list.
Oh... Forgot to add New Orleans. Something about old world Acadian/French/Southern charm..... Must visit!
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived in London, I miss it so much it hurts every day.
ReplyDeleteI love Stockholm, live like 1 ½ hour drive from it so I have that in the bag at least x)
I rather love the whole SoCal area; it's so diverse! My dream city has to be San Diego though; I just love the laid back, beach-community vibe. Every time I've been out there, I've met loads of cool, creative types. Hopefully one day I'll make it out there... ;)
ReplyDeleteLA/SoCal is an area I need to revisit again in greater depth for sure....
ReplyDeleteIm from Southern California, San Diego to be exact, but I've been living in San Francisco for almost 10 years.. i love it here, my heart is definitely here.. you should visit sometime..
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of a postcard I have somewhere. It's all text and titled "Where Exactly IS L.A.?"
ReplyDeleteI live near LA "proper" - about 25 miles from the heart of the actual city... but still within the area people call LA.
Sure, the traffic sucks and there are bad areas. But every place has down side. The positives (weather, ocean, entertainment options, and a billion other things) far outweigh the bad. Today I got a massage in "the OC". Tomorrow I'll be taking burlesque classes in Hollywood and Venice (I've never walked the canals - I like the pic you posted).
Come back any time. We'd be happy to have you!!
Having grown up just outside London and now living in Los Angeles for the past 4 years I agree with you 100%.
ReplyDeleteIt takes time to be comfortable in LA, I loved it for the first few months, hated it after a year. And fell head over heels in love a few months after that.
The only city I'd give it up for is London. (and you are right on about New York - I've never understood why someone would choose NY over London)
If you ever come back let me know, you have to check out the east side, it took me a while to find myself here,. but now I rarely go west.
Kelsi x
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