Huntington Beach, CA.

Thanks to the good folk at Nike, I somehow ended up back in California less than three weeks after I left. This time, it was as part of a press group attending the US Open of Surfing in Huntingdon Beach, where Nike 6.0, Hurley and Converse were the official sponsors. I’m saving my proper write-up on the trip for a few, far more widely-read sites on the Innernetz, but I thought I’d share some random pics from my camera on the off chance that someone, somewhere, might be vaguely interested.

Massive thanks to Simon ‘Waka Flocka’ Wainright (credit due to Gary Warnett for coming up with that one) for many LOLs, a great event, and general good times all round.

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The best thing about travelling – aside from the adventures, and the meeting new people, and the food and the fun and the laughter – is the perspective that you gain on your home life while you’re away. Before I went to L.A. I was stressed to the point of tears. Finishing my degree nearly finished me off, then I immediately started a very intense internship, and then I moved house three days before my flight. Needless to say that by the time I got on the plane, I was pretty much a mess.

Luckily, L.A. was exactly what I needed (previous posts here and here explain why), not least because it made me realise how fucking lucky I am to be 22 and living in London. It’s hard to articulate exactly why this city feels like such a good place to be right now, but it does. I think it’s to do with the fact that so many people are making money doing work that they love, or at least trying their absolute best to. Strong NY-LON connections and lots of shared cultural references mean that young Londoners have adopted the entrepreneurial mentality of our New York counterparts,  but have modified it to suit our naturally less manic pace of life.

The commercial explosion of the urban music scene has obviously been important too – suddenly, making a living out of music seems viable if you’re willing to work hard enough. Ironically, the same goes for the recession. When trying to get a ‘job’ seems like a generally futile mission, you have to think of more ingenious ways to make money. Like a lot of my friends, I decided a while back that freelancing seemed like the best, and most financially fruitful, option. Luckily, my theory seems to be working out quite well so far.

My inner history geek (just done a History degree and I’m still nerd mode, allow me please) is compelled to relate this to historical research which shows that economic depression often gives rise to periods of intensive creativity in urban environments. That seems to be exactly what has happened in London. And I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.

The view from Soho House

Where to start? The past week has been a blur of pools, beaches, shops, cafés, restaurants, hotels, warehouses, rooftops, hilltops, margaritas, bellinis, vodka tonics, vegan food, junk food, hip hop, death metal, UK funky house (inexplicably), dogs, cats that like to climb into bags, car rides, taxi rides, bus rides and walking in a place where no one else walks.

L.A. is like nowhere else. It sprawls out further and wider that any city I think I’ve ever visited, or at least it feels that way. Every destination requires a twenty minute car ride, and every neighbourhood feels completely different from the last. The city strikes a strange balance between clean and dirty living – in the day it’s egg white omelettes and acai shakes with spirulina boosters. At night it’s flowing alcohol, drunk driving, and house parties galore (a necessity in a city where all clubs shut down at 2am). Things get done noticeably more slowly than in London, and no-one seems to be overly stressed. The pace and style of life has taken a little while to adjust to, but after seven days I can say that I definitely like it. I like it a lot.

Lots more photos when you click the link.

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It’s on rainy, grey, dark-as-soon-as-it-gets-light days like this one that my daydreams of Miami Beach are at their most frequent and most potent. When I was about 18, my Dad announced (to my great delight) that he was moving over there, and in the three or so years that he was an M.I.A. resident, I visited him 8 times – one time maxing out my tourist visa to stay for three months.

Even though my Dad has since relocated and I haven’t visited Miami for over a year, I still feel an intense connection to the place. I vividly remember the first time I ever stepped out of Miami International airport and was hit by the sultry, sweaty heat that lasts pretty much all year round in that part of South Florida. We jumped in a cab and rode across the bay on the causeway with the skyline of downtown Miami twinkling out the rear window. From that point onwards I was pretty much hooked.

People often associate Miami with beautiful Latinas, P. Diddy and huge nightclubs, and it is about all those things. But that was never what I loved about it. What I  loved about Miami was the light, which is somehow soft and strong at the same time, and the vibrant colour, which is everywhere you look. The beach ain’t too bad, either.

So yeah. Basically, I really miss that place. Will someone please lend me £500 so I can buy a flight back?

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