RECAP: My LA Love Story ❤️🩹
Love you, Los Angeles.
This week has been devastating for Los Angeles.
My heart goes out to the families that lost loved ones, homes, and safe spaces, and who now have to find the strength to pick up the pieces. My thoughts are with anyone that lost peace of mind over these last few days — Santa Ana winds, FIRE, smoke, ash, alerts, alarms, evacuations, nonstop images of said fires all over the news, helplessness, and general uncertainty will do that. My deepest gratitude is with the fire departments and first responders running towards the fires. Somehow, they’re doing their best to keep us all safe and will still take a minute to interact with an anxious Cali (heroes!).
But that brings me to the collective story time and where my faith is right now: with the communities that make up this place. The Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires are still burning and new destructive winds are right around the corner (as of this writing) which means many of us are still potentially in danger. And yet, I’m sure you’ve already heard countless stories of donation centers being overwhelmed with drop-offs, volunteers, monetary support, and more. I (via Makeup the Majority) was particularly moved to re-open the polls by those who have lost everything still finding ways to give back to others who may be even less fortunate. The response was quick and moving (recap below and HERE) and I look forward to keeping it up right alongside beauty polls for as long as my second home needs. If this energy is any sign, I have so much faith that LA will rebuild better than ever.
While it’s not much in the grand scheme of the need, I’m so proud of this result. I remain inspired by and give so much thanks to grassroots efforts and individuals taking on so much to help (spread the word, raise funds, gather donations) both in beauty and not, like Altadena Girls Fire Recovery Project, Seconds Market, Depotchopra; friends that took the time to amplify this, like Alanna, Audrey, Candice, Danielle, Gabbi, Gio, Lee, Meg, Sara, Shantel, Yemi (if I missed anyone, I’m sorry and I’ll come back and edit!). And last, but far from least, Joanna Simkin and Rachel Davies — this MTM effort wouldn’t exist without me seeing your work and posts, so thank you. 🙏🏾
Personal story time: I spent most of the last week being on guard and overwhelmed. Without doxxing myself for those that don’t know me IRL, an evacuation warning prompted a Tuesday night departure, and then remained just one block away from me for the better part of the week.
“I’m from New York…wtf do you MEAN evacuate for a wildfire?”
Yes, I’m from New York — but I’d always felt a call to eventually live in Los Angeles.
I did my whole entire life in New York — I didn’t even dare to leave for college. Real talk, I thought about it and quickly gave up because I got scared lol. But it was college that I first started to entertain thoughts about a life in LA. You see, I was an aspiring entertainment publicist at the time, and a bicoastal presence felt like a prerequisite for that career path. When I interviewed for jobs, I entertained ones in LA as much (if not more) than ones in NYC. But I knew no one on the West Coast, so I lied through my little teeth whenever I’d make it to later rounds. “Oh yeah, I have a cousin in Hollywood!” (I know NOW that’s like the first tell that you don’t know a single soul here 😂) I never got those jobs. Life wasn’t ready to take me out west.
That wouldn’t happen, dear reader, until May 2021. After meeting Chris (who independently had his own dreams of eventually leaving NYC for LA), after getting a job in 2020 whose dreams of an LA arm aligned with my own plans, after family health scares, the pandemic, and life all made it seem further and further away… and after accidentally walking into our dream place on a neighborhood scouting visit and being told there were 3 applications ahead of us.
“No one applies to a place they can’t get — no way we’ll get it!”
Spoiler: we got it. And life has never been the same. (Feelings and little stories like that make the losses of the homes in LA thus far feel so much heavier than just…stuff. I cannot offer my condolences enough to any and everyone experiencing this right now.)
Fear filled my head with A LOT of questions before I had no choice but to board that one-way flight from JFK.
How will I get out of LAX with all my shit? Doesn’t their airport suck? (One of my closest friends and oldest work wives picked me up from LAX — deserving of a love letter all on its own.)
How will we make friends? Isn’t LA notorious for being fake? (We met our friends turned family in our building’s elevator in Week #1.)
How will I get around? (OK, that one should’ve been obvious.)
What if I hate it? (What if you love it??)
I do. I felt guilty admitting that for a while to everyone and everything I left back home in NY, but I love LA.
I love everything about the beach — meditating by the ocean (blue mind theory is real!), the effects of regular sunshine on my health, healthier habits in general. I love what each neighborhood uniquely has to offer. I love visiting them all, whether it’s the first or the hundredth time. I love the weather, the restaurants, the malls, the arenas. I LOVE a palm tree. I love driving around aimlessly here. I love that I can pronounce Sepulveda, Cahuenga, La Brea, Rodeo and Mulholland. I love the memories.
I love love love Cali — the daughter we’d never have without this place! Speaking of, I love how much everyone loves their dogs here. I love the people I’ve met here. I love the community we’ve built here. I love that I found healing here. I love that I found joy here.
Sure, there are things to not love as is true of most places, but that’s a story for another damn day (and I encourage the weirdos online to remember that). Today, I just want to offer my love letter to the place I never thought I’d actually make it to — and give it all of my love and gratitude.
As always, thanks for being here! You missed being added to this round of ✨donations✨ but if you’d like to play Makeup the Majority in real time, check me out on Instagram at @MAKEUPTHEMAJORITY!