POR VIDA

Los Angeles birthed me. When I took off to college and made my way back, I remember standing on the rooftop of my dilapidated apartment across MacArthur Park looking at the crown jewel of lights that make up the small cluster of skyscrapers in Downtown. I would stare at these lights intently as the sun would draw to its end. I made a vow right then that this city was mine, that this kingdom would be had. That dream, that vision has never left me. Decades later, I still get feelings of warmth, determination and conviction when I look at those same lights. LA is a hard town. It absorbs and discards dreams for breakfast. It can be callous, it can be cold. Yet at its very best it can be exuberant, it can exhibit that raw nature of actual love. I love Los Angeles. I love my town. Los Angeles Por Vida. ____ Portrait by Justin Quebral