Retro-filtered

After my whine about L.A. being such a grimy city, I felt a little bad about dissing the city that's been home for nearly three years. I think that - like my years in London - I'm developing a bit of a love/hate relationship with LaLaLand. Maybe that's normal for an expat, I don't know. It feels familiar.

I suppose that all big cities have their good and bad sides, and it can be too easy to get caught up in the negative, and to stop noticing the good. All I know is that at some point, every city I've lived in has managed to get under my skin. I don't mean that as a bad thing; I just mean in the sense of living and breathing the city. Feeling the city. An understanding of the city.

That realisation has only dawned on me recently. I've been catching up on some top British TV shows and movies, and viewing the outdoor scenes - especially around London - I experience somewhat sensory-drenched memories. I can smell and taste the air. I go through pangs of emotion that are probably only experienced by others who have spent time in London. And although I was happy to bid adieu to London when we did, I wouldn't trade those years for anything. Now, when I see London, it feels as though I'm watching an old housemate - someone who I didn't always get along with, someone who pissed me off quite a bit at times, but also someone with whom I ultimately bonded, having some fabulous times along the way.

I wonder if I'll feel the same way about L.A. down the track? This city won't be home forever, so I want to start noticing the good again. I've begun by donning some rose retro-tinted specs, ignoring the grimy buildings, and focusing on the fab retro-style architecture that's easy enough to find... and you know what? It's been fun. Making it my mission to photograph these places (on my walks) has become a little obsession over the last couple of weeks, and now when I'm driving further out from my neighbourhood, I find my eyes wandering to the buildings I pass, and getting annoyed because - more often than not - I can't just pull over to take a photo.

When Los Angeles has a vintage1950s/6os filter placed over her, she's a pretty groovy place to be. The filter might not be real, but it's fun to pretend, right? It's enough to make me wish I could time travel.