Tip of the Day

Don't try to get more than one thing outside your home or office done in one day.

New Yorkers and many Europeans who come from cities are accustomed to running around town getting stuff done. Lots of it in one day. It is simply not healthy to do this in Los Angeles, and more often than not, impossible. Maybe, you can get two things done, but don't make it a lifestyle. The distances are simply too enormous, driving, traffic and parking too insidiously fatiguing (and expensive between gas prices and parking), and shops generally close earlier. You may live in one of the rare neighborhoods where you can walk to do things, so you can get a few more things done than most people. Power to you. Do not be alarmed if, when walking, two blocks feel like two miles back in your home city. L.A. does not have the same kind of urban pulse that propels you along, as though you are on a moving sidewalk. It's more like a scene in a Western shot in wide angle lens with the particles in the air creating wavy billows and a sense of being alone in vastness. You have to be self-motivated, self-directed.

Big tip to help you deal with this Tip of the Day (in case you haven't thought of it, which you might have, since you are here--good for you!) : internet. For communicating, shopping, researching. I am shocked at how many of you transplants I talk to who don't use it! It's like you're used to getting your information directly from people or something!! Well, let me tell you, that is generally harder here. For most of us, there is no guy downstairs or around the corner to ask. Welcome to the internet, for which my New York Minute impatience is thankful every day.