What is it with this city? Does it attract people that have no soul? Or is it something else? Why is there no community spirit?
I grew up in Venice. As a kid, I knew most of the neighbors. The next street over would actually do a whole block party where they’d block off the streets and make great haunted houses.
What happened?
I live in the Hollywood Hills now, and aside from the 2-day party my neighbors had over the weekend (which, frankly, had nothing Halloween-y about it), I’d never had guessed it was Halloween. At dinner yesterday (Halloween proper), kids were coming into the RESTAURANT to trick-or-treat.
Is that what it’s come to? Kids are hitting up the local businesses?
It’s no wonder! Driving to and from dinner, I was depressed by the complete and total LACK of Halloween decorations. Hardly a pumpkin! On my entire street, the only house with decorations was the one with 2 kids.
So just because we’re a commuter city we can’t focus on our own neighborhoods? We can’t liven things up for a single night?
And what about for adults? It seems like aside from clubs, there were virtually no options for us grown-ups. A couple benefit house parties in Culver City, a movie at Hollywood Forever, a “parade” in WeHo… And that’s it?
Sometimes I feel like I live in the biggest small town in the world…
I know how trite it is to harp on the car culture, but it has fundamentally stunted the community development of this city: it’s not built on a human scale. There can be no community spirit, because you have to get in the car and drive 5-10 minutes just to pick up a stick of butter you forgot at the store. It takes me 20 minutes to walk to the closest business: a gas station.
So of course you’re never going to meet anyone if you’re in your car 24/7. Otherwise you’re jogging, so no conversation possible then. And even if you did, god forbid, go for a walk, who the hell would you meet? Would they even talk to you if you did pass someone? No. Not in this town.
Riddle me this: how many of your neighbors do you know?
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3 responses so far ↓
1 laure // Nov 2, 2007 at 10:24 am
I’ll show off and say that my neighbors and I made a point of celebrating halloween with jackolanters, scary movies and candy. I think that’s why I love where I live even though it costs an arm and a leg; it’s an actual neighborhood where I chat with my neighbors and know most of the people on my street. But that’s venice, don’t know about anywhere else…
2 Louis // Nov 2, 2007 at 12:33 pm
While I had you specifically in mind as an exception to that rule as I wrote this, I’d almost argue that it’s no longer true for most of Venice…
Think of all those new fancy expensive designer homes and the dot-com millionaire transplants that live there now… How many houses were all Halloween’d up outside of your little pocket?
And if it is still true for Venice, I need to start making a whole lot more money to get back there.
3 shana // Nov 8, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I was in New York for Halloween. I was really curious as to how the whole trick or treating thing was going to play out. Around 3 or 4 pm hordes of children began wandering through the streets trick or treating at restaurants, bars, laundromats. I even saw kids going into a real estate office! It was sorta strange to see, but I really enjoyed how out of place it all was to me. I miss the days of trick or treating down my little pumpkin lined street. But maybe we cant expect that anymore?
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