> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A Thanksgiving thought: Life in LA pretty good - URL: https://www.smdp.com/a-thanksgiving-thought-life-in-la-pretty-good/ - Published: 2004-11-23T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T01:16:50.000Z - Author: David Pisarra - Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import *WHAT’S THE POINT?* Thanksgiving is here again. It is a timely reminder that life is short, glory is fleeting and time marches on. It seems like just yesterday that I was driving to Utah to pick up the mother-and father-in-law, so that we could then drive to Idaho for the big family Thanksgiving dinner. This year it will be a smaller party at our home. Just a few friends to give thanks for all that we have. We live in a magical place, an almost surreal existence compared to what the rest of the country, let alone the world, experiences. On any given day, I can drive to the beach, see an amazing sunset, eat in some of the finest restaurants, and try cuisines from around the world. Our multi-cultural polyglot city is located in a county that is as large as some nation-states. We have access to a cultural database that is rivaled perhaps only by New York, Hong Kong or Sydney. In mere minutes on a freeway we can experience the wonders of a Chinese market. Smelling the same smells as the markets in Shanghai. Tasting dim sum like in Canton. If you can, take a child down to Chinatown to see the wonder in their eyes as a whole other world opens up, and you’ll be thankful. We have access to the amazing spectacle that is Korean barbecue, usually located in a strip mall somewhere between here and downtown. If you want to know more about the Middle East, and how those cultures have differences and similarities, just take a stroll down Westwood Boulevard or Fairfax, where you’ll also run into an amazing array of African influence. We have at our doorstep the world of design and taste. West Hollywood is the source for new furniture, clothing, hip fashion and celebrity nightlife. There are regional hot spots of culture from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Thailand, India, Korea, China, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, and God only knows how many others. We can travel the world and never leave home. Our recreational opportunities are just as abundant. In one day you can be at the beach, in the mountains hiking, skiing, in the desert for dinner and star gazing, and home by sunrise. Not a bad life. Our cultural access allows us live theater in the form of many little equity waiver playhouses, regular union shops, and world renowned venues. From the smallest 99-seat theater where you are likely to see some celebrity, either on the stage or in the seat next to you, to the Mark Taper, we have access to a world that others only dream of. Musically we have the Hollywood Bowl, the John Anson Ford Amphitheater, and the Disney Hall. Our movie life is beyond compare. What other city has the theaters, the studios and the events that we have on a regular basis? We are the city that was envisioned when those fateful words were written, “give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free.” We are the culmination of all that is good in the world. Brought right to our doorstep, ours for the asking. We have much to be thankful for this year. We have a city with more than abundant food and clean water, electricity and freedom — which is more than most of the world has. Take a moment this Thanksgiving, in between the football games and yelling at the kids, to reflect on where we live, on who we are, and how we have more than many, even the least of us has access to more. Yes, we can all look to the Ferrari in the driveway next door, or the guy with the new plasma screen T.V., and feel inadequate. But this Thanksgiving, let’s look at what we have. We live in a multi-cultural, artistic paradise, and we should not forget it. (David Pisarra is a business development lawyer in the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He or (310) 664-9969.) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 23, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/112304.pdf?ref=smdp.com)