09.07.19
Living in LA
Three years ago, Darby climbed into a car and headed west to start a new life in Los Angeles. It was a place very unlike her hometown of Louisville, packed with people and bursting with possibilities, both scary and exciting. Darby had just signed a management contract with The ESI Network, who would guide her path into the melee of the entertainment industry. She started taking a variety of acting classes and moved into her apartment in West Hollywood, on her own for the first time.
When Darby isn’t in class or on a job, she is navigating her way through one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. Commuting is a long, tedious experience which always requires well-thought planning in order to arrive anywhere on schedule. Lyft has been a reliable mode of transportation for most destinations too far to walk, and the Metro Rail is an affordable option for farther distances. Many locals utilize the increasing number of electric scooters, although they are not Darby’s mode of choice.
Los Angeles is quite an expensive place to live. On average, a one-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood rents for more that $2000 per month. That may or may not include wall or window unit air conditioning, which is much-needed most of the year. The Los Angeles sales tax is a whopping 9.5%. Commodities, including food, cost more than the national average, and bottled liquids are subject to a 5 or 10 cent deposit per the California Bottle Bill.
Los Angeles is the entertainment capital the world, so there is always something to do there. There are numerous live entertainment venues, such as theatre and comedy clubs, as well as (of course) cinemas. Tourist attractions include Hollywood Boulevard (the TCL Chinese Theatre, Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Madame Tussaud’s, among other fun places), studio tours (Warner Brothers, Paramount and Sony), amusement parks (Universal Studios and – farther south in Anaheim – Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm), the Griffith Observatory and the La Brea Tar Pits.
While Darby has taken the opportunity to experience some of the many things LA has to offer, she generally spends her energy on classes and work. She lives with Gilligan, her adorable toy poodle, in an expensive apartment. She is grateful for the on-site laundry facility and off-street parking, and for a terrific building manager. Darby’s recently added a scene study class at Zak Barnett Studios and completed intermediate improv at the Groundlings Theatre and School.