Impression of Los Angeles

Impression of Los Angeles

Family Guy in the City

Mario Fernandez Restaurant Owner in South Central (Ex-gang member)

(Crenshaw Boulevard. 5pm. He in his mid-20s and is babysitting his two twin little boys Michael and Oscar who are both four years old and very fond of their daddy. He reveals to me that he used to live a dangerous life in the streets of L.A but decided to change his lifestyle)

Diverse! L.A. is like a big old melting pot that has got some of everybody from some of everywhere! I stayed in the east for a while with the cold but nothing beats the nice weather all year around.

I feel like this city is a busy ton of rich famous but still very hot beautiful and amazing. A lot of people don't realize how big LA is because it is very flat and lay out but yea it's huge.

I feel like LA has never a dull moment, I mean never. Ever since I left the streets, I became a family man. We Mexicans are all about family but anyway we love Universal Studios. Wife and the kids go there every year.

I really think LA doesn't have a certain character or personality because it's really not just one. Like I said earlier, I have lived on the east coast and its like coming from two entirely different words but they both are so like diverse with everything but I would call LA the city of multi-personalities because there are so many different types of people that you will meet -- myself included lol

Being a citizen in this city has not always been a walk in the par particularly for me since I am a second generation Mexican-America. What I don't like about LA is the stereo types that I have gotten as a Latino. I mean I know it doesn't help none that I was involves with gangs and all but it is like a scar that I cannot move. If you're Latino and you're from LA than people automatically think I am some gang member.

To relax, my favorite place to go is believe or not Hollywood. I know it sounds crazy but hey this city is known for the Hollywood walk of fame. It was always been my dream to just be in the movies one day, yea sounds a little crazy but everybody believe it or not comes to this town for that. But, yea, walking down that street and looking at those stars just gives me a relief. I take my wife sometimes as well but sometime, she doesn't want to go so I go on my own.

If I could change anything about the city it would probably be would have all of South Central remodeled. It is so sad to me that many think of this part of the city is gang infested and I am not saying that it is not but then again most don't want to come here to even see what we are like. We ain't all going around doing the gang stuff.

When it comes to the history I think that my culture has contributed a lot to LA that goes way back when this state belonged to Mexico you know. We Mexicans use to rule this town before whites took it over. I think that because a lot of Mexicans are getting a bad rap in this town that a lot don't really want to acknowledge our heritage but hopefully that will change one day.

One of the things about this city that really brings it our is the Hollywood sign that sticks out of the mountains. Did you know an actress jumped from that sign years ago because she didn't get the part in some movie?

If I could move to another part of the city I would maybe think about Beverly Hills but we don't fit in that area you know what I mean. It's too rich and high dollar for us but you know what, hey you never know, maybe I'll get some acting gig soon -- you know lol. Then again ain't no place like home so I probably stay right here in south central.