A gritty suburban setting.

Palm trees couldn’t mask the differences.

No longer were we a footstep from the beach.

We were standing on the doorstep of the valley.

Stretching from one point of the horizon to the next.

In the middle, stood our home.

It wasn’t Alki. It wasn’t Seattle.

It was confidently North Hollywood.

On unsure footing, we made our stand.

Those first few weeks felt boundless.

Anything seemed possible.

If only. If only we would give ourselves to the experience.

Doors opened and closed.

Trials and tribulations were lost and won.

Some sacrifices were too grand to scale.

Burbank Blvd. lost a resident.

My relationship with the city changed in an instant.

This street came to define and hold me.

But not for long.

Soon, it was a doormat for a city I once loved.

Be good to each other,

Nathan