Home Sweet Home
How frequent flyers Chris Black, Sue Chan, Shenarri Freeman, and Sophia Jennings reacclimate to life in Los Angeles.
There’s no better city to return home to than Los Angeles. To be fair, I’ve only lived in New York and L.A. Yet still. Here, it feels seamless to seclude yourself for a few days and reacclimate to a routine. There’s no pounding the pavement or weaving through crowds to get to work. Produce is abundant, fitness is king, smoothie shops are everywhere, and Erewhon beckons, making it easy to detox after indulgent vacations and plane travel. Hikes are accessible. Ktown’s day spas are rejuvenating. The list goes on.
One of the things I love most about this city is how it brims with succulents and fruit trees. I’ll walk around my neighborhood, smell the grassy vanilla aroma of fig trees, and spot the neon orange tentacles of firestick cacti. Right now, it’s citrus season, and Meyer lemon, tangerine, and pomelo trees are fruiting at every turn. A row of cypress trees divides my driveway from my neighbor’s, and the sight of them is immediately grounding whenever I come home.
I’m not the only one who feels this. It’s something that I’ve discussed at length with my friend Sophia (who is featured below). Now that we’re squarely in the new year and the holiday travel craze is over, I asked Los Angeles transplants (and frequent flyers) Sue Chan, Chris Black, Shenarri Freeman, and Sophia Jennings about their back-in-L.A. routines—where they go, what they eat, and why this city is uniquely comforting to return to.
But first, I’ll go.
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