On Thursday, December 4, 2014, I visited Westfield Century City in order to find out how LA’s citizens feel about living in one of the most well known cities in the world. Westfield Century City is a shopping center and marketplace located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. These days this mall is filled with people because the Christmas season has started. As I walked through the mall, which was filled with the joy of Christmas, I noticed a lady walking my way with three big Bloomingdale bags in one hand and a Coffee Bean coffee in the other.
She had dark brown hair that came down to her shoulders, bright blue eyes and was wearing business casual attire. She looked liked the perfect person to start my interviews with. I stopped her and said, “Hi my name is Nevena Tepavac and I am writing a school paper for my English class about how the citizens of LA feel about the city. Do you have a moment to spare to answer some questions? ” She looked at me, smiled, and responded, “Yes, of course. ” I then proceeded to ask her the first question I had prepared beforehand, “What do you do in the city during your spare time? Well, I like to go to the movies and I love hiking the Temescal Canyon trail, but my favorite thing to do would definitely be going to the Misfit Bar in Santa Monica with my friends,” she responded thoughtfully. “Is there any specific reason why that bar is your favorite place? ”
“No, but my friends and I have been going there for years and its just the perfect place for us to catch up and unwind a little after a tiring work week. ” “We’ve had some rain the past few days how do you feel about that? I loved it, I thought it was refreshing and great for the enviornment especially since we’ve been in a major drought the last few years. Also, I was born and raised in Boston, and that kind of weather reminds me of home. ” “What first attracted you to come to LA? ” “I went to USC and majored in pre-law, then attended their law school, but I guess the major reason as to why I stayed in LA was because I got good job offers here. ”
“Overall how do you feel about the city and if you had to describe it in one word, what would that word be and why? I love LA, I love the warm weather, it feels nice after living in the cold for most of my life, and most of all I love the people and the life here. Its exciting to be in such a big city with so much constantly going on. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say diverse. There are all kinds of people here from all over the place. They all bring life to the city and offer such great perspectives. ” Those were all my questions so I looked at her satisfied, thanked her for her time and went on my way.
I walked passed the Apple store, strided past Coffee Bean, and was approaching Free People when I saw two girls exit the store. They were much younger than the first lady I had interviewed. The taller girl had pin-straight short blonde hair and electirc blue eyes. She was wearing ripped jeans, a UCLA Bruins tanktop, and white high top converse. The shorter girl had long curly dark brown hair and dark eyes. She had a backpack on and looked like she had just come from school. They both had Free People bags in their hands and were laughing about something while exiting the store.
I decided it was a good idea to get a younger person’s perspective on LA so I approached them and said, “Hi, guys! I’m Nevena and I’m doing an interview essay for my English class about people’s perceptions in LA. Do you mind answering some questions? ” They glanced each other and the taller one answered: “Yeah! Sure, why not? ” Then I aked them the same first question that I asked the lady, “What do you do in the city during your spare time? ” “I love going to Diddy Riese with my friends.
The line is always really long, but the cookies are so good that its worth it. I also love going to UCLA football games, they’re really fun. ” “Do you go to UCLA? ” “Yes! ” the tall bonde girl replied enthusiastically. I then turned t the brown haired girl and asked her “Where do you go to school? ” She said,”I go to Harvard Westlake High School, its right off of Beverly Glen. ” “Are you a senior? ” “No, I’m a junior” she replied. So I asked her, “Would you want to stay in LA for college or you have other plans? ” “Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of LA or the weather.
I’m more of a cold weather kind of person, so I’ll probably leave LA for college, but I’ll still apply to some colleges here. ” “Where would you want to go? ” “Somewhere colder, like on the east coast. ” “One last question for both of you. How did you like the rain we had in past two days? ” At the same time they both responded,”We loved it! ” I pleasantly smiled and thanked them for their time. Based off of these interviews, I think it would be safe to conclude that people generally enjoy the lifestyle that Los Angeles has to offer.
The city has many places where different kinds of people can spend time with their friends or get a bite to eat. LA also has many interesting places and landmarks to visit, such as the Hollywood sign, the LACMA museum, the Chinese Theatre and many more. Although the climate is considered to be perfect for living, some of the citizens don’t like it because it lacks “real” seasons and that is a big reason why some people move. The diversity also plays a huge role in making the city lively; it’s impossible not to notice it.
