The Heart of the San Fernando Valley

- Van Nuys

House and pet sitting in the suburb of Van Nuys – the heart of the San Fernando Valley – was mostly quiet and working class and reminded me of my grandparent’s neighbourhood when I was a child, where remnants of a bygone era could only be witnessed in the aged fruit trees that feature in a front yard. Orange trees, figs, plums and pomegranates appear to thrive in the consecutive days of 35c+ heat.

*A shaded path on our morning walk (left). A pleasant surprise to find this street with its mature trees, shading the path and road along with its cleanliness and spaciousness.

On my walks with my new best buddy, a long-haired Dachshund, the Hispanic and Latino feel was evident in some building facades, unique work vehicles and garden ornamentals. More front yards than not have signage to remind dog walkers to pick up the poo and keep the neighbourhood clean – it's such a regular occurrence to see these signs that it makes me wonder if it used to be such a big problem. Regardless, I still observed the odd poo left to decay in the sun.

Throughout the day and into the night planes flew low directly above and in line with the street where I ‘sat’… were they taking off or landing? I couldn’t tell, as one side is the Van Nuys Airport and the other is Hollywood Burbank Airport!

Beneath the neighbourhood surface, I felt a buzz box of misshapen operatives entangled with a different source. And while there was disused furniture, mattresses and the like outside some apartment buildings, surveillance warning signs spiked into the front yard next to the path that led to the front door of a home or fences to ward off an intruder, and many vehicles parked in the streets had a lock on their steering wheel, were dented, scratched up, faded and uncared for, I didn’t encounter or witness any violence.

Some say Van Nuys is another downtown LA, the difference being the spaciousness and single-story homes. The energy feels not dissimilar to a suburb anywhere in the world where once 48,000 acres of farming land became a suburb and grew and grew until it changed with gentrification.

Van Nuys is said to be known for the Valley's satellite Los Angeles municipal civic center where the 1932 Art Deco Valley Municipal Building (Van Nuys City Hall) is situated – it’s a visual landmark and Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument that heralds the present-day Government Center complex of government service buildings.

At the local supermarket, a 13-minute walk from where I ‘sat’ most people - customers and staff alike - spoke Spanish. When I heard ‘Hola’ and ‘Buenos Dais’ part of me felt at home with their language and friendly and accommodating customary ways. At this location there were fewer organic food choices, yet more variety of fruits, vegetables and meats, as well as sugary options. Of course, it depends on what you’re looking for. It was the sale of cacti and aloe vera pieces that struck me as sacrilege.

It is a family-run business and I could feel their pride. At the checkout, notes handed to the cashier were scrutinised for their authenticity… every customer was treated the same. Mind you, the beautiful Spanish woman took one look at me and knew straight away that the 20-dollar bill I handed her was fresh from the mint, and didn’t take her long to stuff it in the cash register drawer. While money from others who had gone before me was scrutinised much more thoroughly, to the point of exaggeration—whether as a sign of control or to enforce customers to do the right thing—they sure do their job thoroughly.

If you’re curious about energy and are aware of deepening your connection to what IS, I’d love you to share - in one or more words - what your neighbourhood ‘feels’ like to you. To hear more about Van Nuys this video offers a short overview of its history.

Thanks for journeying with me. It is such a gift to appreciate yet another perspective of the greater LA landscape and its time-space coordinates.

Love’s Harmony,

Leanda Michelle ✍🏻📚