Good Bad Not Evil

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I’m pretty happy with my chosen neighborhood, Echo Park. Out of all the neighborhoods in LA, this one makes the most sense to me because, uh, it’s the coolest. This district is a bit rougher around the edges than the others, kinda like the LA equivalent to Brooklyn’s Bushwick.

Just on the tip of gentrification, Echo Park features block-by-block perimeters of progress. For instance, there are chunks of coffee shops and concert venues in one area, and then you drive six blocks south and it’s like Guatemala City circa 1994. But that’s what makes it so cool – you never know what you’re going to get. Yes, some parts are slightly…sketchy (broken down meth houses, etc.), but those areas are just as easy to avoid.

Sometimes, when I’m hanging out around the lake, I feel like the only white person in the entire park. I love it. The park itself is already lively enough, with ducks, birds, geese, and when you throw in the street vendors, the fishers (catch & release), and the family picnics, the Saturday Quinceaneras, the nappers and the joggers, you have a real sense of community that’s pulling together after a patch of rough luck.

It’s like I was just saying the other day: After a while, when you look out the kitchen window, you don’t really notice the bars anymore. They just blend right in, adding a second frame to the scenery.