I’m jealous of everyone who isn’t afraid to drive in LA

or rent and use a car in any new city for that matter.

Hi everyone, greetings from LA after a quick little jump back to New York for a few days. This month, my newsletter will likely include some classic NY v LA content so please bare with me. Maybe it’s fun for you too?

I recently rewatched The Holiday with a sleeve of Oreos in bed (which is the professional way to watch that film), and this time with a new focal point. I am shocked and deeply envious of how easily and confidently Iris (Kate Winslet) manages to drive in LA. SHE DRIVES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD USUALLY, and here I am with about fifteen years of right side of the road experience, unable to do it.

And so, I’m leaning into the pedestrian culture of LA:

I can’t believe humans are allowed to have cars.

A walk is never just a walk. Each destination invites an onslaught of on-the-way(ish) errands or a visit to a bakery I’ve been meaning to try. And I can’t tell at this point if this way of life suits me or has shaped me. Probably a bit of both. What a high to like, GET IT ALL DONE, and get a bouquet of tulips. In New York I feel crazy and alive and also endless back pain :)

This type of relationship with a city can be exhausting, but it creates an immediate bond. A personal connection. You develop your routes, you find your favorite bodegas that always have your favorite cookies in stock, you feel the city in your bones (I’m getting mushy for NYC!) and you just melt into it. Keeping in mind of course that it really sucks in the winter when you’re carrying 3+ grocery bags and dodging deceptively deep puddles of half melted snow that also contain human/dog feces and or urine.

My favorite activity here is to look up all the stunning and charming and sweet homes I pass on Zillow. And people watching is replaced with cactus and succulent watching. The plants here have so much personality.

This accidental outfit is the coolest I’ve ever looked and I want to recreate it in a few other colorways:

On my walks, I feed myself Starbursts and I feel like I’m rewarding myself with treats like a dog (comic to come). There’s something self-soothing in there. Do they still make the tropical flavor Starburst packs? I’m on the lookout for those.

I’m also obsessed with this outfit because of the layers.

Are there any rules against driving topless?