Westwood, Los Angeles, CA

Whoa, Nelly. What the hell is going on with the three-tier title for this post? Well, to knock one of my favourite hooks of the 90's, "It ain't my fault". You know how people say L.A. is a sprawling city? I didn't grasp the full breadth of its sprawlingness up until today. For 2.5 hours my research included Santa Monica, Hollywood, Venice, Beverly Hills and the like. Some of these places are separate cities and some communities within the city of Los Angeles. For a city on the laid-back coast, ya pretty complicated L.A.

But I came to learn of Westwood through a neighbourhood within its community (I know, can L.A. dissect itself once more?) named Little Persia; or, better known and made official by Google Maps as Tehrangeles*. And it's about time if you ask me. As a kid, I always wondered why America didn't have more towns like Chinatown on its maps. If we're a melting pot then I wanted to know where all the seasoning was, you know?

"There's a section of L.A. that feels like Tehran, there's even an ice cream shop that sells saffron ice cream!"
"WHAT?! Tell me more, tell me more!" To a friend as I fought the urge not to colonize our conversation with Americana (i.e. "Grease"). (Hey, it was a summer ritual for me in my teens.)

(To all the health nuts, the bright yellow hue is not from turmeric -- control yourselves)

Of course, she could only tell me so much because there's nothing like a visit to see and taste (new favourite next to coffee chip) what a place is really like. Walking down Westwood Boulevard neon store signs in Farsi were blinding me with the truth -- Persian culture is more than a spice here, it's part of Los Angeles' mirepoix. Yet, when I was researching other things to do in Westwood beside distend my stomach, Airbnb's neighbourhood guide barely hints of this essential base. Two small pictures with Farsi, really Airbnb? Maybe it was me, maybe I was paying too much homage given my love for Persian cuisine.

Nope. From first-hand accounts that are my uncle and aunt, Persian restaurants, stores, and services have been in business here for decades. "Most of these places opened up when I settled here in the late 70's. And I'm pretty sure this part of L.A. has the highest percentage of Persians outside of Iran." Airbnb, I don't get it. But I have to wonder if this little misrepresentation is a representation of what's going on in our country...

Being a child of the early 80's, my generation, I think, were the first kids to use the internet while it still gurgled from its dial-up connection. Straddling the two eras of B. I. (Before Internet) and A. I. (After Internet), we knew exactly how this abstract thing could improve our lives overnight: Goodbye card catalogues! Goodbye snail mail! Hello Mr./Ms. Popular (eventually you found that chat room...) As we grew in tandem with the internet we became lazier -- and why not when we had to deal with the flustered madness of paper trails? Of all times, though, now is the time to stop taking what we read on the internet (this blog included!) at face value and start citing the primary source that is life again.

* At least they're doing something right ::sigh::


Length of Stay

About a day

Docking Index

     

Six anchors, because Shamshiri (one of the few Persian restaurants I've been to that has a full vegetarian menu which includes gormeh sabzi -- bliss!) and Sprouts (like Trader Joe's with bulk aisles -- am I in heaven?) are on the same block. A block in heaven? Not when rents for a one-bedroom are over $1500 (according to Zillow).