Whenever I had to do work in Los Angeles in my prior job, I often elected to drive (from Northern California) instead of booking a flight and flying into LAX.
My rationale was by the time I drove to the airport, parked, shuttled, waited, flew, picked up a rental car, I am really only gaining 1 1/2 to 2 hours of travel time. I didn’t mind the easy drive, and liked the alone time and being in my own space.
Downtown L.A. buildings visible from this shot…
On the way to see my sisters in the East Coast last fall, my flight had a layover in LAX and I took these photos.
The view from above gave me a good perspective of the size of the greater Los Angeles area, and an appreciation for why it was easy to feel disoriented in such a big city.
Higher up, L.A.’s downtown high rises blend into the wider landscape
Population wise, L.A. is the second largest metropolitan area in the U.S., after New York.
With over 13 million people, Los Angeles has the distinction of being the most populous city in California. The Greater Los Angeles area has over 18 million people, making it the most populous county in the United States.
Cities similar in size to Los Angeles are London, Buenos Aires, and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
Leaving LAX – Southern California coastline
Post for the weekly WordPress Photo Challenge theme from Michelle W, “On the Way”:
For this week’s photo challenge, stop and photograph the metaphorical roses (or the literal tulips). Share a shot of something you saw, did, or experienced on the way: a photo not of your destination, but of an interesting thing along the way. Show us something stunning others might have missed, or find some unexpected beauty in a mundane moment. Maybe we can all start looking at the in-betweens a bit differently!
So while my destination was the East Coast, I appreciated seeing Los Angeles. this time…from above.