Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 4 (Response to The Grove)

Response to: http://walkinginmycity.blogspot.com/ "The Social Organism of The Grove"

I found your post quite interesting the way you related The Grove and the way it functions to Durkheim's analogy of a city to a body. Since I have visited The Grove on several occasions, I was able to picture in my head what you were speaking of and grasp the ideas and points you were making regarding The Grove. Your reference to the cells in our body and the people working within The Grove was right on key, because just like our cells and organs work within our body to function, the people within The Grove, (workers, store managers, customers, security, etc.), make The Grove function as the retail/entertainment site that it is. With that said, since I have visited this place numerous times and I also have a certain family tie within The Grove since my aunt is a manager at one of the stores located within The Grove, I feel that there was a lot more that could have been mentioned regarding what goes on inside The Grove and the various places that you can visit while being there.

It is funny to me that the day you visited you mentioned it was pretty quiet, considering there is always something going on inside The Grove. For one, I know that stuff is constantly being filmed there, especially Extra with Mario Lopez as host, because The Grove is their actual set and prime location while filming. With Extra being filmed there, as well as other random things, you can mention that The Grove is a very popular spot for tourists to visit while in Los Angeles. (You did cover that a bit with the Jonas Brothers segment mentioned in your post.) Another thing, is that you did mention that there are various restaurants to visit, but you could also have mentioned the Grove's Farmers Market that is also very popular. 

Overall, good post. Makes me want to visit there again soon!

Week 3; Hollywood

Hollywood
This week I visited Hollywood, CA. It was a drastic change from last week's visit to Burbank. There is a whole different lifestyle that they live by. The streets are packed with quite a variety of people. The faces you see on the streets range from the average Asian tourist with their cameras to your favorite superhero such as Superman or the Hulk. This is just the usual scene that any visitor of Hollywood would see. The streets are not the cleanest as trash surrounds the side walks, not to mention the numerous amount of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk. One may wonder why Hollywood is so popular with my descriptions of the streets. But, it is filled with historic places to visit which is why Hollywood is such a tourist attraction and is one of the most photographed places in California.
I visited those historic places myself on this trip to see them for myself. One of the most visited and famous places is the walk of fame with gold stars and celebrities' names aligning the street. This is quite a sight to see as many celebrities have claimed the star and taken their pictures on this very street. Another sight that many people visit is the Kodak Theater. This is home to many awards shows such as the Oscars. The theater is a large building that has beautiful architecture and is such a popular site to visit and take pictures of, especially if there is an awards show near. Another theater that is very popular in Hollywood is the Chinese Theater that is one of the most famous theaters in California. I remember seeing my very first famous musical play, Wicked, in this theater. The architecture and design inside and out is top notch and decorated very nicely. Places like these is why Hollywood is such a popular place due to it being home to the films and stars. Clearly the sights aren't so bad if you look past the dirty streets and homeless along the streets.
It is definitely a place to visit if you have never been there before with these iconic places that have been photographed, recorded and spread around the world. The nightlife is also another lifestyle with bars and night clubs lighting up the streets. Hollywood is obviously not a suburb like Burbank where families can live safely nor is it a major city with skyscrapers lining the streets but it is a fast paced and busy city that attracts thousands of tourists.

Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 2 (Burbank, Home Sweet Home))

BURBANK

Home Sweet Home

(Week 2)

This past week I took a car ride over to Burbank, CA which is approximately eighteen miles away from UCLA. I decided to start off my first trip around L.A. in Burbank because it is where I was born and raised. Considering the fact that I grew up in Burbank, one could say that I know the ins and outs of the city, which may be true. But truth of the matter is, even though I grew up in Burbank, it doesn't necessarily mean that I know every statistic there is about it. 

I like the fact that I chose to visit my hometown for the first trip outside of Westwood because every place I visit after this week I will be comparing the differences between that place and Burbank. 

This time around, visiting home was a different experience because I usually don't pay attention to every detail around the neighborhood since I am just so used to seeing everything that is going around in the neighborhood. 

Driving around Burbank, which is approximately 17 square miles, there is quite a variety of things to see. From first view, it seems like a typical suburb with the streets aligned with house after house and cars parked along the streets. There is a variety of cars from the expensive to less expensive that result to Burbank seeming like the typical middle to upper-middle class suburbia. What makes it even more like a suburb is the way the neighborhood is set up. First off, Burbank has its own public services. Where other neighborhoods or cities share public transportation, police stations, and one school district (for example, L.A. school district), Burbank has all of these services to itself. Burbank has its own school district, police stations, fire departments, and own public transportation. While driving around I see a blue bus/van that transports people around Burbank (mostly kids or elders) for a small fee. 

There are the public schools that expand from the bottom to the top of the hill (which includes the two rival high schools, one on the hill and the other on the bottom of the hill). On the flatlands of the neighborhood, there is a running/bike path that runs along Chandler Blvd. Driving along and past the pathway, I see people walking along the pathway, talking with their friends, people jogging, and people riding their bike. This picture seems like a typical scene from any suburb, as people meet up on the pathway for their exercise as a daily routine. As I drive up the hill over Burbank Blvd. I head into what we call "Downtown Burbank", which consists of the mall, movie theaters, shops, and restaurants. This appears to be the hangout spot for the weekends. A little further up there are the town's golf courses De Bell 18-hole and Par 3 courses as well as the driving range and clubhouse. At the very, very top I drive up to the Castaway which is a popular restaurant and venue for big events such as weddings. This offers one of the greatest views in Burbank of the sunset and the city lights down below. Or, if you're not up for a formal affair, there's also a place to hike up the mountain and visit the nature center which also offers some gorgeous views. (On a clear day you can even see the ocean miles away.)

While Burbank appears to be a neighborhood of a close-knit group, there is much more than the homes and the downtown area. Burbank has its own airport, the Bob Hope Airport, which transports all the visitors in and out of the city if LAX is just too big of a trip for them. Since the airport is named after Bob Hope there has to be a reason why Bob Hope is associated with Burbank. Yes, Bob Hope, himself, worked and lived in Burbank (Toluca Lake which is a smaller community inside of Burbank, which is/has been also home to many other celebrities such as George Lopez, Steve Carell, and Miley Cyrus). Burbank is home to many studios such as ABC/Disney, NBC, and WB. Burbank is right in the center of the entertainment industry with shows constantly being taped such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or The Ellen Degeneres Show. Burbank natives are used to seeing film crews working on the streets filming movie after movie on the streets or on the studio lots within the city. With Burbank being home to the studios, this makes that part of Burbank seem less like a suburb and more of a city-like landscape, but nowhere near the style of Downtown L.A. 

Driving back home, I realize the things I have been offered in Burbank and how sheltered I may have been growing up compared to other cities that I will face in the future. Burbank is very structured and built for the needs and/or luxuries of its residents and visitors. The streets, schools, and parks are all clean and there is a great sense of community that you can feel when you enter the neighborhood. From the places I visited in Burbank, it appears that there's a little something for everyone to enjoy from entertainment to relaxation. With that, Burbank will always be my home and hold the memories of growing up. So, in the words of Bob Hope, "Thanks for the memories."

Downtown Burbank

....Oh look, there's Jay Leno driving one of his many cars down Magnolia Blvd. (Something very common I see on the weekends since his car garage is located in Burbank.)

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. Week 1

This blog that I am forming is for Geography 151: Cities and Social Difference. Throughout this blog I plan to explore the different cities in Los Angeles and compare the social forms of each city within L.A. The reason I am particularly interested in taking this class and writing this blog is for various reasons. One is because during spring quarter, I had taken Metropolitan L.A. with Professor Wilford and truly enjoyed the class and got to know more about the metropolitan areas in Los Angeles particularly. Another reason I am interested in this class and writing this blog is because I was born and raised in Los Angeles. Being a Los Angeles native makes me think that I should know it inside and out, but having studied in the class, Metropolitan Los Angeles, it made me realize that there is so much more out there that I had not known, considered, or even bothered to pay attention to. I know that growing up in a particular town, a suburb for that matter, I have been a bit sheltered. With that, I feel that taking this class and keeping a blog will let me explore Los Angeles and see what is out there in the urban fabrics of Los Angeles outside of my little hometown within such a large mass of land. Join me on my trip through Los Angeles and see what it has to offer.