Beauty remains.

After an early morning of getting work done, I thought I would reward myself with a run. I tied my Pumas, strapped on my Ipod, secured my cell phone and began to run. Being new to the city, I ran to the only place I knew how to get; the LA Live district. The sun was blaring, I was sweating, and the entire run was intense. Flying past the workers of corporate America, something hit me. What hit me was something pretty simple, but prolific too. This big city, full of buildings and hectic movement, is a beautiful place. Of course, it is beautiful with its architecture and flashy billboards, but something more stood out. All over the city were little oasis like landmarks. Whether it were a reflection in a window, a plant growing strong by the 101 (a frequented freeway in LA), or specific placements of different items.

As I approached the LA Live district it hit me that I didn't want to stop. I wanted this journey to continue on, so I did just that...I continued on. I ran and ran until all I saw were parking lots and shattered buildings. I chose at that time to turn around. My body was ready to run, but my mind wanted me to slow down. I took this as my chance to explore this fascinating place. I created an activity for myself. I would walk to every block; at every block, I would look around and find something that stood out and that I appreciated; I would snap a photo of my findings. I did this with excitement and a huge smile on my face. Although I got strange stairs from the men and woman who looked fancy in their business suits, I didn't care. I was getting something out of this city more than a salary. I was understanding that in the craziness of this world beauty still remains.

As I share my journey from West 3rd to Venice Blvd, keep that in mind. No matter how the world changes, no matter how many things come and go- one thing is true and that is beauty remains. A true mark of intellect is seeing something for what it isn't displayed as. In other words, look in a city, over-loaded with buildings and find what isn't easy to see. Enjoy your first run through Downtown Los Angeles.