Los Angeles is one of the world’s most misunderstood cities. It’s easy to fall in love with the idea of this place, but once you’re here — as many friends who are transplants have told me — a different reality often sets in. The pace can occasionally underwhelm you, you lose a sense of time and space because of the lack of dramatic changes that come with each season, and amid the seemingly vast horizon, a sense of geographic vertigo can occur.

Maybe that’s why visitors and transplants hold on to the stereotypes of this city. When I was growing up in Southeast Los Angeles, I never knew about these misconceptions, that everyone works in Hollywood, there’s no “culture,” and it’s a city that lacks a rich history. To me, Hollywood seemed like it was a thousand miles away, I didn’t know where Hollywood Walk of Fame began or ended, or even where Runyon Canyon, one of the most popular tourist attractions, was located. The Los Angeles that travelers visit is not the one that I know, and many people who know the city feel the same way.