Part 4: USA

Whether it’s in movies, TV, magazines, and more, the USA is often a place of dreams.

Anything, whether a spontaneous trip to the theatre, a late night picnic, or an exploration of where dreams are made, is possible. No matter the time, the USA has always felt like a land of possibility, available for the taking. When big skies, vast views and the sweeping landscapes come at you, there’s a reason for the attraction. In the freshness in the air, there’s a feeling of new memories to be made.

Perhaps it’s the familiarity. With the laid back vibe and endless sunshine, stepping off the plane in Los Angeles feels like entering a larger version of Queensland (it helps that it’s also full of Australians!). It’s like a big lolly jar - I don’t know which one to take first, but I want to eat them all. I feel happy and relaxed, taking in the beach, the views, the energy in the streets, where cultures collide. Walking down Abbott Kinney, my favourite street in the city, I’m reminded of West End and other parts of home … the cool independent specialty stores, the organic cafes where people work. But there is an otherworldliness, small reminders just outside your hotel room that you’re in a city built on dreams, that has been immortalised countless times on the screen to the point of fantasy. Malibu is exactly like you’d imagine something out of Baywatch, with its beach, trendy cafes and shops. Looking out of my window to Sunset Boulevard, walking to the gym, wandering the streets of the mansions of WeHo, roving around Paramount studios in a buggy, watching the sunset over the hills from Griffith Park and seeing the city lights come alive, it’s more often than not that I feel myself slipping into imagination, wondering about a life in one of those houses in the hills.

It’s a country where anything goes. In the American way, everything is available at any time - whether it’s cupcakes, dispensed from a pastel-coloured vending machine; or world-class stand-up comedy at a hidden club. It also means the country is open to the taking, able to explore on a whim at any time. Without much thought, I hired the biggest car (the only one left in LA one Saturday morning) to drive to Las Vegas for the weekend. Vegas is a city for those that are ready to play, that exists on another planet, one where night and day disappear into a haze of bright lights, bling, and bold characters. The lights never turn off, and the action never stops - the gaming floors still fill, the champagne flows in the restaurants, the singers continue making music. When hours of the day no longer exist, how do you know when to leave?

But eventually, it’s time to move onto the next destination. New York is known as the city that never stops for rest, and it’s a name it lives up to. While time ceases to exist in Vegas, in New York the hours of the day still tick by, but pose no limit - everything is open all hours, so you can do whatever you like. It’s the city of dreams, ones that can be achieved in your lifetime. While world class theatre - The Lion King and Jersey Boys, mainstays for decades, were my favourites - and music at landmark venues like the Blue Note jazz club are on tap at any time, sometimes the best pleasures of New York are the simplest. Having a junk food picnic on your lap in the theatre, after running to see The Lion King, complete with red wine in plastic cups from the show, is one of the unique pleasures being spontaneous in the city brings. But sitting in Bryant Park, breakfasting on avocado toast and coffee after a class at Soul Cycle, chatting with my friend, I was able to get a sense of the city for those who live in it day-to-day, who go to work in this vast metropolis. 

But still, even daily life in New York is exceptional, a city where plans aren’t necessary. Wandering before and after meetings is a source of wonder - window shopping and people watching, before casually taking in some theatre, thinking of what has brought every person to these fabled streets. It’s as immortalised as the city where countless newcomers have flocked for a better life, a promise that’s especially palpable on every street corner, where a different community thrives, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and seeing all those going downtown or heading home, or on a ferry looking at the Statue of Liberty - after all, the latter was the first sight for so many new arrivals from decades ago. 

What a gift … the freedom to explore, to just feel wholeheartedly myself.

The USA makes me feel like having a go, to think big, and have some fun along the way. I feel the skateboarder’s passion, it draws a crowd. I feel light-heartedness creeping in. Like that green statue that towers over the New York skyline, a symbol of hope to so many, I feel liberty - uninhibited by expectations of home. I could land on any street, and be satisfied that I gave it a go. Anything goes … for the USA has everything, for those willing to know.