MillyMaggy: Amongst The Hustle And Bustle Of Downtown L.A

Today's post is about my recent trip to Downtown Los Angeles.

I hadn't been right to the centre of L.A yet as it was another very daunting concept for me. However, I feel so different now compared to when I first arrived here back in June. With feeling a little more confident in myself I've decided that before I head back to the UK, l I'd like to make sure I do a few of the things I've wanted to do, but haven't yet done due to feeling too anxious and nervous.

Of course there's only so much I can fit in and manage; the last thing I want is to overwhelm myself with a tonne of trips out and for them to cause a negative affect on my confidence. So, my plan is to just do a couple of final trips out, by doing so I am facing up to challenges I never thought I'd manage to conquer, which will hopefully help me grow stronger within.

So, with Downtown L.A being the next place I wanted to explore, I made sure to do lots of research and planning, to help me feel more comfortable with where I'd be going. As well as to know which buses to take, where the best sites were, where to grab lunch and a cup of tea and so on. By doing so I felt a lot more confident and happy with the idea...I felt organised and ready!

Having my plan in place I felt this week was the right time to take my trip; the bus was simple to catch and took me straight from Santa Monica to the area I wanted to be in Downtown L.A.

Once I arrived I headed straight towards MOCA (Museum Of Contemporary Art) and the Walt Disney Concert Hall which were both fantastic, the Concert Hall is a very impressive building - the architecture and design are just incredible - so unique and vey modern! MOCA was also lovely, I didn't spend too long there but I did manage to see some of the wonderful contemporary art, from sculptures to paintings.

After that, I made my way to the Jewellery, Flower and Fashion District...here was...urrrr...crazy! I won't lie, I felt very anxious whilst there. It was very crowded, with loud music and noise...filled with stall after stall...some of the sellers even tried to shove items in my face. I also felt a bit disorientated as the streets and alley ways were all very compact...here reminded me a lot like the souks in Marrakesh; very busy and crazy!!

Even so, I don't at all regret going; it was very eye opening and an experience, that's for sure! I only stayed in that particular area for a very short time, which was definitely the right thing to do as I feel if I was to stay any longer it would've been too much!

After that craziness I headed back towards where I'd be catching the bus back, passing some gorgeous little parks and extraordinary buildings on my way. I think this wander was probably my favourite part of my day; the parks are each like a little oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of L.A.

Those working, studying and living in Downtown L.A are able to use these parks as a place to find peace, calm and tranquility...three words; three feelings that are so special to us all. We live in such a fast paced society which makes it sometimes feel impossible to find our place of calm; of peace; of tranquility.

I felt so much better after my blissful stroll, and was ready to head back to Santa Monica. So I found my bus stop and headed straight back home.

I feel I have now conquered another challenge and am so happy I bit the bullet and just went for it!

With that said, it wasn't all plain sailing and was a challenging day. But now looking back I feel the outcome of it is very positive and I feel chuffed with what I was able to achieve! I can now tick it off my list with a big grin on my face!

To end this post I'd like to share with you something I remind myself when I feel a little down, or am going through a tough day.

Getting through the bad times, will inevitably help you grow stronger, so long as you don't dwell on such times. So don't dwell and stay positive. Just remember non of us are perfect, we're only human and with that we will have ups and downs. The main this is to accept the downs and instead of dwelling, look past and beyond them; once conquered, down times, difficult experiences and so on will help build on your inner strength. So keep faith and believe you can!

I will now share a few photos I managed to take whilst out - I hope you like them!