Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

There aren’t many places where you can go surf in the morning, go ski in the afternoon and then go camp in the desert at night.

I made my first trip to L.A. when I was 10, and I promised myself I would come back, get a job and live there. Fast forward, and I’m sitting at home in Indianapolis, but if you look back a little further, I was able to work and live in L.A. for an incredible couple of months.

Looking back, it feels like a dream. My free time was spent trying to take in as much as possible, and I barely scratched the surface. Whether I was at the New Beverly Cinema catching a double feature or exploring Point Dume, there was always something new to see and do. There was always a concert or taping that you could get tickets to. From Thundercat at The Wiltern to Soccer Mommy at Amoeba Music, to a taping of David Letterman’s Netflix show, there was always someone to see.

I crossed paths with so many kind and generous people. Whenever I told someone that I had just moved to L.A., they always gave me words of advice and made me feel like I was at home.

When I heard Bernie Sanders was holding a rally at the convention center, I knew I couldn’t miss it. That day will forever be etched into mind, not because of Bernie, Public Enemy or Dick Van Dyke, but because of the people I met. I arrived about five hours early, and by the end of the day, I was friends with the strangers I had been waiting with.

For as long as I have wanted to work in the entertainment industry, I have been told how crucial networking is. But it takes good people skills to become a good networker. One of the ways I was able to work on my networking skills was by spending time at Disneyland. I was beyond excited to be an hour’s drive from Disneyland, so I bought an annual pass and made frequent trips to the park. Every time I went to the park, I met and interacted with someone different.

For example, the opening weekend of the new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride was mindblowing in multiple ways. First, the ride was unbelievable and exceeded all expectations. It was an incredible blend of technology and storytelling. Second, I met so many like-minded Star Wars fans who were more than willing to talk about their experiences working and living in L.A. Whether talking over drinks at Oga’s Cantina or trying to kill time waiting for the Matterhorn, there was always someone interesting to meet and talk to.

Despite losing out on a chunk of the semester due to COVID-19, I feel proud of what I was able to accomplish in L.A. I wanted to see if living in L.A. would be a good fit, and I think it is. Even though there is a long list of things I still want to do, I know that when the world goes back to normal, L.A. is waiting.