I know I talked about Los Angeles feeling smaller some days and larger on others, and the day Amanda and Kandra left I stood in my big empty bedroom and felt like even that room felt intimidatingly huge. I feel better now, but it took some getting used to. I've never been so happy to see two girls in my entire life! I feel like they got a good taste of the city and even I got to know this place a little better. I really do love Los Angeles- I'm just not sure my small-town shy personality is very conducive to finding friends in a city where everyone is a bit reluctant to let others in. All I know is that I felt more complete with those 2 people being here than I ever have with them being in NY; I guess it really has nothing to do with where you are, just who you're with...I don't really pay much attention to differences in culture/attitude in this city, but one thing has become especially apparent to me. Since I bike almost everywhere I go (best $350 I ever spent BY the way) I have a lot more contact with people than I would if I were driving. And I've noticed that the hispanic men that roam the streets in LA are unbelievably forward with me in a completely harmless way. I had a man riding in the opposite direction stop right in front of me, lean forward to look me in the eye, lift his hands up to the sky and say, "Oh my GOD, byoooo-tyful" and keep riding onward. They are always polite, minus the occasional awkward stare. They always say hello. One man pulled me aside on the street to tell me I was beautiful and ask for my number.
And on the contrary, when I'm riding down Washington in the morning, the same group of 5-6 black men are always in front of the same building, and the same man always says, "Can I ride?" Though he did switch it up one day and say "I can see that g-straaang." I am unbelievably attracted to black men; they have more passion and appeal to me than a lot of people. But- from what I've noticed after 3 months here (what!!), that man would appeal to me more if he could give me a "good morning" rather than a "show me that ass."And maybe I should start wearing higher-waisted jeans when I ride my bike, because I'm sure the g-straaang really was in plain sight, which makes the comments all my fault.
I think I might have to come back to this post or write a new one tomorrow because I really don't have the memory to say what I wanted to say when I first sat down at my computer...
