Social Networks

Small town feel immersed in the bigger City of Los Angeles. Clean streets and trimmed trees flowed through the Westside of the city, a destination for the LGBT population, families, and children. Streets lined with chic and glitzy coffee shops, boutiques, hair saloons, bars, fitness facilities, and other venues. Couples getting coffee, people walking their dogs, and athletic typesrunning, made up the social networks on Santa Monica Boulevard.


We wandered into "A Different Light Bookstore," which sells books initially catered towards the LGBT community and has ventured towards the broader population. We had the opportunity to speak with Jake, the buyer for the bookstore who is all too familiar with the tastes and interests of the city.

The east side of the city beginning at Fairfax, is home to people from the Former Soviet Union and their families. Groups of elderly people were sitting throughout Plummer Park. Additionally, we were told by representatives from "The Jewish Family Services," that the majority of this population spends their days at 5 available elderly daycare centers.

Although there are two distinct areas of West Hollywood, the east and the west, they are unified by the protection services of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. A deputy discussed the close social community of the city and gave the example that people were friendly and knew his name. This is novel for a city in Los Angeles, demonstrating its small town social network.