los angeles: dream city or soul trap? 🌴🎬
The first time I landed in Los Angeles, I thought I’d found freedom — ocean breeze, palm trees, and endless sunlight. Everywhere I looked, people were “living their dream.” But after a week, I realized most weren’t living their dream — they were performing it.
At Venice Beach, I met a guy who said he moved there to “find himself.” Now he rents electric scooters to tourists for $2 a ride and sleeps in his van. He smiled, sunburned and tired, and said, “But hey, at least my office has a view.”
In Beverly Hills, I saw a woman taking photos with a rented designer bag, pretending she owned the car behind her. A man jogging past looked flawless — but his face didn’t move when he smiled. Even the sunsets felt rehearsed, perfectly timed for Instagram stories.
LA sells a dream, but few can afford the script. It’s the city where ambition meets exhaustion — where everyone shines, but no one really glows.
#Travel #LosAngeles
