L.A. as an Ex-boyfriend

This was my fourth time returning to Los Angeles since moving to New Orleans in 2009. The first 3 times, I’ll admit I carried a bit of a chip on my shoulder, an armor against the things I left behind – like when you run into an ex. It was a little warmer than the last 3 visits but I still found myself in scarves, a hat, a coat and a blanket sitting out by the fire pit every night. The city hash’t changed that much, but I needed a GPS for the first time since moving. More extraordinary when I remember how much more time I spent in a car in L.A.

L.A. – A Nice Place to Visit… Vol. 2

My trip to Los Angeles was for a dinner with the cast of Django Unchained. With the dinner behind me, I could enjoy the friends I miss so much. Janell and I started the day with a decadent breakfast at The Farm. Though I miss her children too, it was nice to spend the morning just the 2 of us like old times. We talked about life and did a little shopping before picking the kids up for an audition. In L.A., even the kids might be on TV and the industry tends to find children as beautiful and personality-packed as Janell’s.

L.A. – A Nice Place to Visit…

I think that when most people think of New Orleans, they think of food, music and lots of drinking. It may be true that Bourbon Street is the Disneyland of drinking, but it’s just one street. When people think of Los Angeles, I suppose they think of movie stars and premieres and there are plenty of both, though I doubt the average tourist would have access to either. Having lived in Los Angeles for nearly 18 years, going to L.A. is more than a vacation for me, it’s a return to my former home and the friends I left when I moved to the Big Easy.

So You’re Filming in New Orleans… (a local primer)

As more and more people come to our fair city to film, I find myself increasingly anxious to explain New Orleans culture to the people of L.A., my former home of nearly 18 years. First, the name. Most people here don’t call it N’Awlins any more than they eat “blackened” things, but they never, ever call it New Or-LEENS. Except in a song. Let’s face it, nothing rhymes with Orleans. Try New Orlins (rhymes with fins). And if you need to find Tchoupitoulas, a local street, it’s Chop-a-toolis. Oh, and Burgundy is Bur-GUN-dy like Rodeo is Ro-DAY-oh.

Small Town L.A.

Los Angeles is the second most populated city in the U.S. (New York is first), but I’ve always tried to make L.A. into a small town. I was a creature of habit who developed relationships with people of all walks of life in hopes that when I’d walk into my favorite restaurant or store or gas station, etc., someone would smile and say, “Hi, Laura.” I even had a favorite homeless person, Sunshine, so that I might be surprised with a warm hello all over the city.

Refuel – What’s for Breakfast?

Once in awhile, there are things in New Orleans that remind me of L.A. There’s an area of Uptown where there’s a Pink Berry right across the street from a Whole Foods. That’s a one-two L.A. punch. But I was always a Trader Joe’s and Cantaloop girl, preferring cheaper food with more “character.”

Sugar

I’m still on the hunt for the perfect grocery store. Trader Joe’s was the perfect store for living single, eating healthy and doing it all at low, low prices – lower even than large chain grocery stores like Ralph’s – so low, that I’m ruined for other stores.

Mondays=red beans and rice

Few people realize that, as a result of Katrina, over 4,400 doctors and 1,200 medical residents were displaced from the New Orleans area. As a result, I was terrified when my tooth started feeling funny.