Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

You take the second left past Skid Row and park. You squeeze through the hole in the fence, a shortcut slightly faster than just walking around.

At the door, it hits you: the smell of cigarette smoke, wet dog, trash and sweat, which gives The Smell — an all-ages, alcohol-free music venue — its name.

You talk for a bit with a girl with a septum piercing as wide as a pen and a 17-year-old who has already been to rehab. They both plug their Instagrams. You check out the magazine collection, a library of madmen and drug overdose harm-reduction guides. You check, and one of the two bathrooms is still out of order.

The high school student who organized the show introduces the first band. There are whoops of approval. As the first band starts, you work your way toward the front. You can feel the music energizing you and the crowd.

I write about my experiences not as a model for prospective L.A. students, but as a proof of concept that anyone can find a community here. As one of three IU students under 21 this semester, I’m often left to my own devices during the weekends. Though I would love to spend more time with the wonderful people in my cohort, this has forced me to approach L.A. as just another person who moved here, unconnected and free to explore. I encourage anyone else who comes here to do the same.

The city is so huge that no matter your interests, you can find people that share them with you. All it takes is a little Googling.