After Murray’s fantastic Wimbledon win and heading for Olympic gold this week, got me inspired to pick up the tennis racket once more. So far I’ve only played three times, but I’m hooked.
I was really pleasantly surprised at how many free public courts there are around the LA area. And good ones too. I played at Poinsettia Recreational grounds (7341 Willoughby Avenue), Plummer Park (7737 Santa Monica Boulevard) and finally at West Hollywood Park, which is up on the roof of the library’s parking lot, where we lost a few balls over the top of the fencing…I hope they didn’t land on anyone’s motor! I am still very much a novice and trying to find my feeet after a long time off, so if anyone is up for a game, give me a shout. Perhaps there might even be a Brits in LA tennis team in our future?
Try using Yelp! to find the best courts near you.
New faces
I always love it when we get a batch of new Brits in LA. The rush of excitement, the nervous energy, and the wide-eyed wonderment of the new arrivals is so welcome and something I remember very well from first moving here 17 years ago. This week we welcomed a young chap who has moved here from Scotland and I have to give him major credit. He came here about a year ago to scope it out and make sure it was the place he wanted to live. He did! He got his working visa (he’s a model and dancer), he sorted out his housing through our Facebook group (Brits in LA housing) and then he contacted me privately to see if he could pick my brains about the move. (I obliged) he asked great questions about what to expect. So when he finally arrived we went to dinner at Cecconi’s (I swear I love this place) with some other friends and we all advised him about the pros and cons and some pitfalls to watch out for…especially when it comes to friendships.
LA by nature is a very transient place; people come and people go so naturally it has a reputation as being very flakey and full of plastic people. And from a distance this seems to be the case. But what people don’t realize is that people who generally move to LA are on a mission, to succeed. Which is why the question “what do you do?” is usually one of the first things out of new acquaintance’s mouth. To which I normally reply “I’m a conversation killer.” Which is normally met with a blank stare. “I’m an actor”, I explain. To which I’m met with an “Oooh” followed by awkward silence, this proving my point.
It’s not that I think people are fake I just think they are very transparent. For the Brits out here, it takes a tremendous amount of guys, bravery and gusto to cross the Atlantic to set up a new life. Plus in the UK friendships mean a lot to is, so it can be harder for us to make real friends but when we do, they tend to be friends for life. So it’s easy for Brits to get disappointed in people when they first arrive. For one night you can make the best “insta-friends”, exchange numbers and never hear from them again.
Another lesson I learned early on was “let’s hang out” doesn’t mean what we think it means. If some one asks to hang out with you, they are probably looking for more than to JUST hang out. More Netflix and chill. The phrase itself really blurs the lines between friendship and romantic conquest, so it can be a little confusing for new arrivals.
And speaking of romance, dating can be very difficult in LA too, since so many folks out here have such a strong desire to succeed that plenty of them don’t want distractions from their goals. So very often you will hear: “I’m seeing a few people right now”, or “I’m not committed to any one person” or “I’m just having fun”. Trust me I’m not judging here. It’s just that your expectations may run high and you might be let down very quickly. But don’t despair, there are some really great people here and it might take you some time, but eventually you will find your tribe, but in the meantime, join the party, get stuck in and have some fun for the first couple of years.
Finally, I’d like like to give a birthday shout-out to Herb Ankrom, a longtime supporter of Brits in LA. We love you, man!
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Craig
