Andrea Gabriel’s L.A.

You know you’re in Hollywood when you can easily frame a sex shop into your photo. Wouldn’t want it any other way.

This is the first in my hopefully many installments of this “Our L.A.” series. I’ve been feeling such an affinity for this place lately. Maybe it’s because I’m older. Maybe because I most likely won’t live here forever. Maybe because I think a lot of people who don’t live here have incorrect preconceived notions about Los Angeles (I think a lot of it is this. And that picture above probably didn’t help, but stay with me). I've lived here for almost 28 years. It’s a big place and I've been around a lot of it, but honestly, I haven't deeply explored Los Angeles enough. And it’s so easy to stay in your little bubble. It’s not easy to get places. Effort has to be made.

And I do love it here. It was a little complicated for a while though.

I feel like for years when I would drive through lot of Los Angeles neighborhoods all I would see is places where I made a ton of mistakes. That's what happens when you move here in your early 20's. But now it feels different. Looking through a different lens now, filtered through the heartbreaks, embarrassments, and mistakes yes, but also love, artistic successes, fantastic friendships, and life experience. I became myself here. I truly grew up here in a way.

So I asked my friends who live all over this city, if they would share their part of Los Angeles (or a part that they love) with me. Let me experience it with them, I’ll write about it and of course we get to spend a couple hours together. And so many of my friends were game! Up first, my dear friend Andrea Gabriel.

Andrea is an actor (you may know her as Nadia from Lost and Kebi from Breaking Dawn 2), a writer, and an intuitive reader. She’s also one of the most kind and fun people I know. If anyone can get me out of my comfort zone, it’s Andrea. I trust her so much. I met her through a mastermind group years and years ago. I have this memory when I was new to the group. I’m an introvert so I can be a wall flower. I remember I was walking on a downtown L.A. street heading into our meeting for the night and Andrea called behind me, “Hey Beth!” And I don’t remember exactly what she said but it something so comforting and familiar. Words that had the feeling of: I know you, I’m gonna know you for a while. I’m glad you’re here. We connected right away.

So it was no shock to me that Andrea jumped at this opportunity to explore L.A with me. She kept what we were doing a surprise. She gave me an address to show up to and we’d meet there. I pulled through the Hollywood alley that had pot holes the size of hubcaps and parked behind a blue building. Hollywood has a seediness to it there is no question, but there is also something else. There are these pockets of goodness everywhere.

An escape room! I have never done one of these before. While waiting for Andrea, a young guy came out of the orange door and waved at me. “You’re part of the Perfumer party?” Maybe? He said to come in when we were ready. He was smiling and eager. Guessing he didn’t have a ton a business going on that afternoon.

Andrea arrived. Just seeing her face always makes me smile. “Let’s do this!”

Our Questroom host, this young man in his 20’s, held an ipad in his hand, ready to show us the ropes. Andrea had done escape rooms before but not this particular one. I was stoked! I have a talent for puzzles. Just ask my husband who I watch play video games. So I was ready to apply my skills. This was themed: Purfumer. The story mimics the novel Perfume: The Story of a Perfumer and the film (which I didn’t know existed!) from 2006 starring Ben Winshaw, Allan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman about a perfumer who becomes obsessed with finding the perfect scent, the scent of young womanhood and his methods take deadly turn. We had 75 minutes to put together his perfect perfume and save the little boy trapped in the attic before the Gendarmerie arrives to take us to prison. Our host disappeared behind the door and said he would return with his “friend.” Behind the door we heard arguing between “two” people in a french accent. And then he burst through the door with urgency in period costume.

He lead us into 18th century France and locked the door behind us.

The first room was the perfumer’s office where we had puzzle together a key which took us through the other rooms in his home. The sets were great! A cellar with a dead body. His bedroom and laboratory/lavatory. All the while if we needed clues (and we did. We didn’t realize at the time but this game was meant to be played with 6 other people) all we had to do is cross our arms above our heads, look at the camera in the room and ask “Little boy in the attic, help us please!” and our escape room host in his French accent would help us out. Some funny things out of context things he told us: “You mentioned her (the dead body’s) perky breasts. What other things stand out…” “Perfumers…” He was about to tell us there was a door we could walk down to the other room instead of climbing through the wall, but I guess he saw we were pretty nimble for being over 40 so he said, “Please…. be careful.”

It was a blast and he kindly gave us 15 extra minutes so we could finish. As we left, he praised our good work and Andrea spoke to him in French which she knows fluently. He sweetly said, “You know, I don’t actually speak French.” We know, my dear. He was adorable.

Fun fact— we were able to name our team for the escape room, and since Andrea signed up I didn’t get to see it, our team name was “Les Deux Licornes” which means the two unicorns.

Victory (as long as I could wear my reading glasses)

We stepped out into the bright L.A. sun and headed over to the final stop of her tour, The Edmon Hotel bar, a historic hollywood hotel with art deco design right down the street from Paramount Pictures. Time for happy hour.

We talked. Reveled in our victory. Got into why L.A. is where live. Here are a some snippets:

How long have you lived in LA?

Since 2002.

Where did you move from?

Although born in L.A. and my family moved to New York City when I was 2 when my dad got on Ryan’s Hope. 

What do you love about LA?

The sun spans the sky.  I was always searching for the sun in New York. You’d get a little piece of it between buildings. It’s the vibration of L.A. Not even the people but the land.

What do you think is a big misconception of L.A.?

So I think one big misconception is that everyone in L.A. is fake and superficial. I think there is definitely an element of that here, and I can’t speak to other states (except maybe New Orleans where I went to college— but does that count? lol) but I’m also from NYC where people are thought to be “so authentic”— and I find there’s just as much inauthenticity there as here— at least these days. Maybe that’s because there are so many transplants in both places— both authentic and inauthentic. Maybe here there is a little more curated self presentation, but I think that’s more because of the personal space/privacy here that doesn’t exist there. You’re thrown into crowds way more often in NYC—so it’s more difficult to put up pretenses when you’re forced to interface with strangers and sweating on a subway. Also here the superficiality story just gets more airtime because of its proximity tot the entertainment industry, which gets the superficial rap in general.

How would you encapsulate your L.A. experience?

And I’d say LA offered me a perfectly beautiful blank slate to come home to my Saturn return. Like so many who move to their “grown up” place in their twenties, I grew into my adult self here. The city could be frustratingly unresponsive, isolating, and challenging at times, but the isolation gifts you the space to find your own center. It’s hard to get a toe hold, but up to you to you to connect the dots—everything you create is based on your own momentum, and that’s empowering. Also, not to be superficial, but it’s really really pretty. 🤩

Thank you, Andrea! Can’t wait to hang again.