Written by Lianna Brinded, CNN
I read “The City” when I was a kid and lived in London. I have carried my love of the city and its architecture with me for decades, and happily, it has adapted with the times.
During my 20s in Paris, the city had a genuine second, third, fourth, fifth or even sixth life. Walk across the Seine, snap a few pictures and call it a day. Go to the small towns in the countryside to soak up the charming charms of the place that I had grown up in. Go for a stroll along the River Seine and see the lovely French bridge that spans over to the French capital; or strike up a conversation with the friendly locals. In short, go to the places that made me want to move there.
Now, with my second-generation American family in Los Angeles, we have been faced with few truly engaging citywide archetypes. How does one define the city? Who should people visit? Where should they shop? If we are building, what should they do? It’s enough to make your head spin. Thankfully, some of our discoveries have been incredible: Disneyland, Griffith Observatory, the Bob Hope Theater.
We too often turn our attention elsewhere for refuge, but another Los Angeles resident, Bill Veeck, briefly came into his own in the city’s most notorious and forbidding environments; the Hollywood Valley’s notoriously voracious construction sites.
Starting with the red carpet, this collection provides a fascinating glimpse into Los Angeles life circa ’65 and ’70.
It’s utterly fascinating, whether one was there or not. There is certainly life beyond the official business of the City of Angels.
I know, because I’ve played there myself!