The Way I See It...

I often tell my friends that I won't live in a house as nice as the one I do now until I'm 35. My backyard has a great view - stretching from sleepy Marina Del Rey on up the coast to Malibu, inland to Century City, traversing upward to reach the Hollywood sign, and eventually ending with downtown's iconic skyline. In my parents home, when I was growing up in Marin County, where views come standard, I became spoiled, and developed a condition not conducive to living in much of Los Angeles - the "i need a view" condition.

With graduation a handful of days away I am consumed in thought - where to live being the most prominent question. I am concerned - where can I live in LA, affordably, with a view? Will I have to submit to the drudgery of boxed-in apartment living downtown? ... (which I'm coming to understand is no cheap reality at nearly $1000/month). Will I ever shed this 'view complex'?

-- Ryan Cavalier

Photo Cred: Dr. Mills LMU

Prospective Perspective Amid an Angeleno Collective

TWO years back I would have described LA as a place so focused on aesthetics that its moral character was severely underdeveloped – something which spawned within me a strong distaste for all things Angeleno. Over the course of my undergraduate career, I had time to break down, and eventually dissolve my negative conceptions. It took leaving the west LA area, getting to know downtown, battling the inevitable traffic, sampling the taco trucks, hiking the canyons, enjoying the concerts, meeting new types of people and quite simply making ‘a city for myself’ to realize the fault was my own – that I had constructed mental boundaries which perpetuated my bubble reality.

There are so many aspects that make LA unlike any other city around the world, something I have come to understand as a result of ‘getting cultured’ from a global perspective. A six-month work/study experience in London, UK helped me develop a series of coping skills which increasingly allow me to enjoy my time here – simultaneously allowing room for creative analysis. For example: LA can be a confining city if you have no means of transportation, so I found a way to get around. The air quality is horrible at times, another issue of mine, so getting away into the mountains for a hike really makes all the difference, and hits the reset button.

Although overall my perception is still changing, growing, evolving, I can say that living in this city has expanded my perception of place, space and the influence one's attitude toward them can have on the overall wellbeing and success of an individual

-- Ryan Cavalier

caption: A Lens Lit View of Reality

credit: Ryan Cavalier