L.A versus Barcelona

I love the tempo in L.A. I love the fact that people are goal oriented, get things done, it says swish swish to get answers and to set deals.

But I absolutely hate traffic here. Driving for hours…it´s such a waste of time!!!!  I wanna spend those hours with people I love, doing things I love, interact, meditate, work out, move forward in life.

I miss walking around in Barcelona, those small streets, narrow callejóns I think it´s called in Spanish. I love being able to walk around , find a cafe, sit down, look at people, have a glass of wine, feel the city vibe…absolutely love that.
Waking up, hearing that constant noise of car and bicycle horns, dogs barking and people arguing or discussing something passionately. The local stores opening not at 9am sharp but everything from 9, 9.30, 10, 10.30 and the owners who drank Rioja and Sangria at 3am the night before decides to not open until 2pm…or maybe not at all.
I love stepping out on a balcony, looking out over the city rooftops, smelling the air which is a mix of moped fumes, fresh fruit, sweaty people who don´t shave their armpits, new baked pastry’s, cigars, red wine and garlic. It´s a weird mixture I admit that but it´s absolutely true…That´s what Barca smells to me.

Walking down to the Boqueria and just looking at all the fabulously placed fruits, nuts and frutos secos.
Having some STRONG REAL coffee outside at a plaza somewhere…

Being left alone!
Now let me explain this one. L.A people,  most of them are boolshit talkers, who smile and pretend they like you even though they don´t give a shit about you.
One one side I like the fact that people are opened and friendly, I do, and on one side I don´t give a Fck whether it´s shallow or not.  And I´ve gotta admit, meeting people in Barca ain´t that easy, at least it wasn´t until I learned some Spanish.
But when you DO meet people there, they feel more genuine. They have actively chosen to talk to you and know more about you. Not because they “should” do it but because they want to.
Now I´m not gonna be unfair at all. L.A is a lot more business driven than Barca, LIGHT-YEARS ahead of Spain. Things get done here, now, pronto, asap. To pursue a career here is probably a great move.
There is nature here. The beaches in Malibu, the mountain trails, Malibu Creek Canyon Park… I have seen eagles, snakes, deers and lizards on my weekend jogs there.
I love that there are a million options here! Everything from things to do on a Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, to the million types of cereal and milk-variations in the grocery store. It makes it personal in one way, and at the same time this is as far away from personal you get in a town. Contradictions contradictions…

But the one fact remains and it is this only fact that will keep me from moving here. I am not willing to spend 20% of my life in a car, not 10% or not even close to that.

Here it´s transportation 2-3 hours per day. Transportation to work, to school, to buy food, to go jogging, to go for a coffee, to go to a pub to watch football, to go to the beach…
The ONLY place I walk to is the mail box. I kid you not.

I would love to work here but not live here. 1+1=3 hm..tricky…