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“First day” tales from the survivors

No matter where you are from, everyone can bond over stories from their first day in a new city. The first day in L.A. is packed with mixed emotions.  You are full of boundless excitement, some anxiety, a little fear and definitely tons of energy. Everyone has a different story about their first day in this crazy town. We here at Survive the City decided it would be “Fun” to tell you about ours.

Escape from the Hollywood Sign

My childhood friend Chris helped me move from North Carolina to California.  He bought a one-way ticket home from L.A.. Our plan was for him to drive coast-to-coast across I-40 with me, stay in Los Angeles for a few days, and then fly home.  There we were, my car loaded-down with stuff, as we waved goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean in Wilmington, NC.  We drove East to West stopping at major landmarks (like Route 66), and eventually heading strait to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. Shortly after we arrived in L.A., we decided to climb up to the beacon of L.A., to the top of the famous Hollywood sign. We had been warned that there is no true “hike” up to the sign, so we got busy plotting our own course. I’m pretty sure we took the most difficult route as we stumbled through the heavy brush over dusty desert ground. As we got towards the top, we could see cameras moving around, following our every move. Then when we finally reached the top, we snapped a few photos, and suddenly took notice of several cop cars in the distance. We were convinced the high-tech cameras had caught us, and that the proper authorities were on their way. We rushed down the hill, ninja-style, hiding behind bushes along the way. We felt like outlaws, as if no one else before us had ever attempted that feat.

– Heather Broeker

All I need are tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.

My first day consisted of saying the sad goodbyes to mom and dad, hopping on a plane and jetting across the nation on Superbowl Sunday. When I finally arrived in my new city and my new apartment, I showered, and went for Mexican food with some friends. (I now consider that Mexican joint pretty mediocre, but at the time, it was magic.) They had to head off to work, so I made my way from our apartment near Main Street in Santa Monica down to the pier. Coming from a place that you don’t walk anywhere, the mile walk was exhausting. I sat on a bench on the pier for nearly an hour watching the waves crash; taking in the warm, salty breeze trying to believe it was real. (I also got a false sense of the late fall weather as it was an unseasonably warm February day.) It felt like being inside a postcard. Finally, I wandered down to the shopping mecca that is the Third Street Promenade and perused a few stores. Then, I saw it. The Santa Monica Place Mall (which is now under construction) stood as a beacon of all things California. Not because of the stores or the location or even the Hot Dog on a Stick, but because it was the mall from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the movie that helped define West coast cool in the ‘80s.

– Lori Bartlett

A Rebel Burrito, Bookstore and Starry Brews

My brother initiated me on my first “official L.A. day.” He had come to L.A. to pursue his dream in the movie industry, and slept on his friend’s couch, before moving to Venice Beach. I had moved to Venice Beach in a van, likely not fully realizing that I was in L.A. Seth, my brother, thought I was only visiting for a short time, thus, and decided to show me a multitude of sights. We left my deadbeat boyfriend back at the van, and began our sightseeing adventure. We first munched at El Tarasco, which is located on Washington Blvd. and Pacific at the Venice/Marina del Rey divide. The burritos are enormous and smothered in sauce. Large fried corn tortillas (not broken-down into pieces) serve as chips. From El Tarasco, he took me to Griffith Park, so I could see where James Dean had once stood in Rebel Without a Cause. We then dipped down to the streets of Los Feliz. We drank lattes and wandered around a great bookstore, which may or may not still be there. Next, we went to the Dresden Room, which was featured in the movie Swingers, where we had a couple beers (Yuck! On top of lattes?!?). We ended the day back in Venice Beach. I doubt Seth thought that I would still be in L.A. 13 years later. He still lives in Venice, but in a much nicer home than his former studio apartment. I have moved to Santa Monica, and out of the van (Thank god!). When I do make it east of the 405, Griffith Park is still one of my favorite places, especially with the re-opening of the Griffith park observatory.

– Annie Kotok

Not a Far Move, but a Big One

I took a tour of UCLA after I’d already been admitted. I was too nervous to visit the school before I knew I would actually be going there; I didn’t want to like it too much, only to get a letter saying I would be staying in Long Beach after high school. Excited as I was to see where I’d be living for the next four years, where I’d been trying to end up since elementary school, I remember the tour of the school itself less than the streets that took us to and from the campus. As soon as my mom and I exited the 405 at Wilshire, I saw the man tall and important looking office buildings that line that crowded L.A. corridor. Westwood was packed with cars, pedestrians, closely clustered shops and poorly planned traffic signals – a welcomed difference to me from the loosely scattered, homogenous suburbs I grew up in. Turing left on Veteran, we passed blocks of university housing, students walking everywhere in UCLA sweatshirts carrying large backpacks, and the apartment buildings where i knew I would live. Turning right onto Sunset (The Sunset Boulevard of film noir fame), I realized for the first time that the entrance to my new school was directly opposite the Belagio entrance to Bel Air, and that thousands of raucous students with no money would reside in ear shot of one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the country. After the tour, we went east on Sunset, then made our way south on Beverly Glenn, and I tried to pick which ivy-covered, 100 year-old-house I wanted to live in when I grew up.

~ Shelby Chambers

Chill Pills from a Stranger

After moving in a record-breaking three days (the fine people at the Guiness Book did in fact confirm it), my buddy Matt and I decided to catch a movie at the local AMC Santa Monica 7, located on the 3rd Street Promenade.  Having never been to downtown Santa Monica before, we proceeded to drive our car to 1310 3rd street, which is impossible, since, as we soon found out, 3rd street is closed to vehicles.  Eventually we found $3 parking, a foreign concept for us Philly boys, and rushed to the box office.  I found a side entrance with the letters AMC elegantly etched in the glass and yelled, “Matt! This way!”  So we enter the door and are promptly met by a very large man who politely asked, “Sir, can I help you?”

“We’reTryingToGetToTheBoxOffice!” I rattled off, “OurMovieIsAboutToStartAndWeDon’tWantToBeLate.”  My mouth was moving a mile a minute as I shouted in a rushed panic.

“Sir, can I help you?” he politly asked again.

“I just told you,” I shouted, “We’re about to miss our movie.”

“Sir…take a deep breath and slow down.  This is Santa Monica.  We live by the beach.  Relax…”

I took a deep breath and as I exhaled, I realized I was letting go of all the hustle and bustle of east coast mindset that had been ingrained into my being for the past 22 years of my life.  I grabbed his hand and calmly said, “Thank you.”

~Scott Vosbury

L.A is What Happens When You’re Busy Making Other Plans