
Do more than just the beach.
As an engineer, I like routine. I enjoy the idea of familiarity, in work, school, and my day-to-day life. Especially at the start of a semester, it’s easy to go right back into the routine of the previous semester at USC.
For starting out, and getting your feet under you, this is totally fine, and usually makes everything easier on you! But, I fall victim at times to a very similar routine. Not to say that I don’t enjoy it, but one of the reasons I came to USC in the first place was to enjoy Los Angeles.
I’m currently taking a class called “Los Angeles: The City, The Novel, The Movie”, which aims to provide students with an understanding of the city in which we live, and also the social issues and growing pains, and triumphs, that Los Angeles has endured throughout the years.
Through engaging in this class, and completing the required projects (the first of which is a scavenger hunt around USC) opened my eyes to a whole new side of the campus and also LA that I thought I’d never discover, having already had two years to acclimate and familiarize myself with the LA area.

Something as simple as trying a new food truck can change your day-to-day.
Now, I’m not recommending you scavenger hunt your way around LA every week to find the next underground or trend-setter’s hideout, but what I am encouraging is to avoid complacency. Grab a friend and car, or even your bike, and go explore. Don’t just go to the beach, or Downtown, or Hollywood: check out street food, the fashion and arts district, the valley, go for a hike…what you’ll find may surprise you.
Even in speaking with those who have lived in LA their whole life, new experiences pop up regularly that re-invigorate old souls to enjoy this place like they had just arrived the day before.
Not only is LA the City of Angels, it’s also the playground for their exploration too.
Fight on!
-Naish
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