Los Angeles is still cooling down after the Santa Ana wind that blew in from the desert and heated up the citizens. Naturally there were controllable fires in the Hollywood hills and the Coachella festival in the desert saw a good number of over-boiled casualties when temperatures inland soared and fried all the keen kids who were hanging out in the desert listening to Prince (artiste now known again as), Roger Waters and many other famous bands I have never heard of.
The talk of the town this week has been: those who went to Coachella and those who didn't. I was one of the ones who didn't, I remained in LA, keen to continue discovering the many guises of this sprawling metropolis.
For indeed LA, one of the most talked about cities in the world, the city that created celebrity hype, is a confidential place. It may seem like there is a culture of expose and be exposed, but after several weeks out here, it is evident that there are many who live away from the bright lights and vacuous dreams. There are a myriad ways to live here, from the beach and surf and medicinal marijuana life of Malibu and Venice beach to the criminal street life of South Central LA, where the infamous gangs of LA roam.
Much of the non-celebrity activity takes place in the 'little' towns situated around the city - Armenia, Korea, China, Tokyo to name but a few, and looking down on it all are the fabulous, secret villas in the hills where the fabulous people look out onto the sea of shimmering lights below. Located at the centre of it all is Sunset strip and Hollywood Boulevard, a mix of trash and glamour. Lurking in the distance is the downtown area, which empties out fast in the evening, only for the ghouls of Skid Row to emerge after dark, coming into contact with the ad hoc movie sets and alternative hipsters who are reclaiming downtown as their own.
But when it comes down to it, one should not shy away from the SoCal celebrity culture, in fact one should embrace it. Your ears should prick up when someone tells you that some famous actor or TV personality is in the room/club/store/restaurant - it's all part of the fun.
Even if you don't care in the slightest, the hype creeps into your system and you soon start wanting to see Mel Gibson having coffee in Malibu or Nicole Kidman shopping at Fred Segal. As luck would have it, I have been within feet of golden celebrity, but alas, being a celebrity ignoramus means that someone has had to point them out to me, mention their name again and still get nothing but a blank stare. I honestly don't know who is famous these days, the new famous anyway, but I am sure I would recognise a stalwart ancient if he or she stepped on my toe, and secretly hope this will happen so I have a story to tell at a bourgeois summer barbeque this summer.
A word of advice for all those star-seekers out there: do not be fooled by appearances! Some of their best places for spotting the demi gods could easily be overlooked. A nondescript mani pedi salon in Beverly Hills, where you walk in off the street, no appointment needed, is one of the best places for rubbing shoulders with the it girls and the luminous ladies. And again do not shudder at the thought of spending a day in a shopping mall, you're bound to have a run in with a shopaholic Gucci clad starlet or starletto.
For the real diehards there are websites to tell you where to go and who has been spotted where, but even the most disinterested visitor will pick up tips and tidbits on who dines and dances where and when, and before you know it you will find yourself looking out of the window in your car or taxi hoping to be dizzied by the flash of a paparazzi promising a glimpse of the Hollywood hype first hand, even if you have never seen or heard of that celebrity before - Paris who?
The talk of the town this week has been: those who went to Coachella and those who didn't. I was one of the ones who didn't, I remained in LA, keen to continue discovering the many guises of this sprawling metropolis.
For indeed LA, one of the most talked about cities in the world, the city that created celebrity hype, is a confidential place. It may seem like there is a culture of expose and be exposed, but after several weeks out here, it is evident that there are many who live away from the bright lights and vacuous dreams. There are a myriad ways to live here, from the beach and surf and medicinal marijuana life of Malibu and Venice beach to the criminal street life of South Central LA, where the infamous gangs of LA roam.
Much of the non-celebrity activity takes place in the 'little' towns situated around the city - Armenia, Korea, China, Tokyo to name but a few, and looking down on it all are the fabulous, secret villas in the hills where the fabulous people look out onto the sea of shimmering lights below. Located at the centre of it all is Sunset strip and Hollywood Boulevard, a mix of trash and glamour. Lurking in the distance is the downtown area, which empties out fast in the evening, only for the ghouls of Skid Row to emerge after dark, coming into contact with the ad hoc movie sets and alternative hipsters who are reclaiming downtown as their own.
But when it comes down to it, one should not shy away from the SoCal celebrity culture, in fact one should embrace it. Your ears should prick up when someone tells you that some famous actor or TV personality is in the room/club/store/restaurant - it's all part of the fun.
Even if you don't care in the slightest, the hype creeps into your system and you soon start wanting to see Mel Gibson having coffee in Malibu or Nicole Kidman shopping at Fred Segal. As luck would have it, I have been within feet of golden celebrity, but alas, being a celebrity ignoramus means that someone has had to point them out to me, mention their name again and still get nothing but a blank stare. I honestly don't know who is famous these days, the new famous anyway, but I am sure I would recognise a stalwart ancient if he or she stepped on my toe, and secretly hope this will happen so I have a story to tell at a bourgeois summer barbeque this summer.
A word of advice for all those star-seekers out there: do not be fooled by appearances! Some of their best places for spotting the demi gods could easily be overlooked. A nondescript mani pedi salon in Beverly Hills, where you walk in off the street, no appointment needed, is one of the best places for rubbing shoulders with the it girls and the luminous ladies. And again do not shudder at the thought of spending a day in a shopping mall, you're bound to have a run in with a shopaholic Gucci clad starlet or starletto.
For the real diehards there are websites to tell you where to go and who has been spotted where, but even the most disinterested visitor will pick up tips and tidbits on who dines and dances where and when, and before you know it you will find yourself looking out of the window in your car or taxi hoping to be dizzied by the flash of a paparazzi promising a glimpse of the Hollywood hype first hand, even if you have never seen or heard of that celebrity before - Paris who?