The Boulevard

Summary: The essay “Interesting Times” by Judith Lewis describes the important memories of the narrator in Los Angeles. She moved from Minnesota to Los Angeles in 1991. The narrator writes about the lifestyle in LA and emphasizes the celebrities and how they live. She had a routine and ordinary life. Her car has been stolen two times and the car she bought after them exploded. She writes about the life of people in Los Angesles and the challenges they face in their lives. She also writes about the people and her feelings about the earthquake in Northridge. The Narrator also writes about the unusual parties in the city. At the end, the narrator states how grateful she is for living in Los Angeles and she sees every trouble she has as an opportunity to feel alive.

What I Understood: Living in a big city like Los Angeles is challenging and moving to Los Angeles is even more. Dealing with challenges can be seen as opportunities to move and think about other things, to feel alive and enjoy interesting times.

Question: The Hollywood and film industry represent Los Angeles, they picture not only the luxury and a dream life under the sun and next to ocean, it also pictures the troubles and challenges of living in a big city. Why the she ignored the famous beauty of the Los Angeles and just portrayed the challenges in living there? Is she influenced by the movie industry or not?