# 22 Proximity

#30 Hollywood Walk of Fame
#29 Yamashiro
#28 Hollywood Billiards
#27 Genghis Cohen
#26 Piano Bar
#25 Shmutzville
# 24 Loteria
# 23 The Griddle

# 22 Proximity

LA is one of the most sprawling cities in the world. This sprawl can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, there is no easy way to get ANYWHERE in this city. Unlike New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, public transportation is the last thing you think about when getting around here. The fact that the city is so spread out makes it somewhat difficult to meet up with friends on a regular basis, but it has its advantages too. The thing I love about it here is the plethora of distinct neighborhoods dotting the city. Different bars, apartments, scenery, restaurants, people, and music assures that every time you leave, you're getting a unique experience. Which brings me to my place.

There's a saying in LA that everything in LA is twenty minutes away. This is never truer then it is from 6615 Franklin Ave. From my front steps, you can get downtown in twenty minutes, Echo Park in twenty, Silver Lake in fifteen, Los Feliz in ten, Franklin Village in five, Koreatown in ten, the grove in ten, Melrose in ten, West Hollywood in ten, Beverly Hills in fifteen, even the valley and the beach is in play. I work near the beach, and it never takes me longer than forty-five minutes to get to work. Never. There are plenty of places that are buried in this city. People that live in Brentwood can't get anywhere without bringing a few CDs in the car with them. And that completely changes one's view of the city.

To me, here, traffic is an issue, but never a problem. To me, here, any time someone invites me anywhere; I am never worried about how long it will take me to get there. To me, here, the city is large, and accessible, and vibrant, and diverse.

Furthermore, another great thing about Hollywood is the walkability factor. From my place, Yelp! lists 299 bars within walking distance, 369 restaurants, thirty-four theatres, and one music store that is the best place in the entire city (foreshadowing). People that know me, know I'm an explorer, and my location alone gives me the best possible jumping off point for exploring, for checking out neighborhoods, for drinking with friends, eating, and shopping.

Our new location will be pretty buried as far as LA goes, but one of the best places in town to disembark from LA proper and check out the rest of SoCal, so friends in the South Bay, and friends in Long Beach now are much more accessible, which is good. But the great City of Angels will become a little smaller with a move southeast, which is bad. Might suck a little bit.