Hollywood

When I first moved to Los Angeles I had nothing, and I lived with relatives, a while later I moved into my first apartment with a friend just off Santa Monica and Gower. It was a small place in what I consider a dirty area, but it was for a time, home. My next apartment was on Larchmont and Melrose blvd., and then Beachwood north of Franklin. These places were all smack dab in the center of Hollywood. Living in Los Angeles was tough most of the time, jobs were tough, it’s crowded and I was young to boot, so daily life while fun and exciting, because I was in Hollywood, was still less than perfect. Still though one of the things that always made me feel like I had succeeded, something that made me feel as if the struggle to live in that city was worth it, was being able to look up at “Cahuenga Peak” and see the biggest Icon in Hollywood, the “Hollywood Sign”. Just seeing the sign gave me this strange surge of pride, as if just by it being there it said to me, “You made it!”.  It meant that I had been able to survive in a tough city, and when things were tough I didn’t pack my bags and run away back to my hometown. I stuck it out, and IT was always there for me, up on the hill looking down. It was my “North Star”,  I always knew I was home as soon as I could see the sign, and the reality of that hit me when I was in LA this past December. While driving, as soon as the sign came into view, I felt relaxed, and I knew, I was home. It was a really great feeling, because over my lifetime, I have moved around a lot, and I never truly felt that any place I had lived was home, and I was always a bit confused when someone asked me, “where are you from?”. Now I say Hollywood, because that’s where I feel the most comfortable of any place I have ever lived, and it’s where I lived the longest, 17 years to be exact. Why am I writing this story? Well, to make a long story short, “Cahuenga Peak” may possibly be sold to developers that want to build luxury homes, so there is a very real possibility that the “Hollywood Sign” could be removed forever. As you an expect many Los Angelinos, are up in arms about this, and a preservation group has been formed to raise money to save the Iconic landmark. I hope they succeed. I know it’s just a sign, but to me it’s a little bit more than that, and I think it’s more than that to all of the people of Los Angeles. Today if you look up at the “Hollywood Sign” the letters that spell out Hollywood have been covered, and the sign now reads “Save the Peak”, and it will remain that way until and decision in the matter has been made.

I hope it’s saved.

Jerry