I went to Los Angeles for the first time in late June, 2025. I took it all in. I did nothing but wander the sprawling enormity of the city. My only objective was to capture LA — not just what it looks like, but what it feels like.

LA meant something to me, but I don't think I meant anything to LA.

It is deeply impersonal. It's performative. It promises something it doesn't deliver. It's built for the wide shot, not the close-up. You walk down Sunset Boulevard expecting cinematic scenes on every corner, only to find urban decay masked by palm trees and amazing weather. Concrete and stucco walls block out any proof of life. Nearly every street is a stage with no audience.

It feels like a simulation — because in many ways, it is.