Postcard LA

The Los Angeles Central Library is a treasure in the heart of LA.  Not only is it a beautiful building flanked by the charming Maguire Gardens, it also puts on great programs and exhibits.  While in downtown this morning, I stopped by the Annenberg Gallery, and found a "Hollywood" themed exhibit of pieces from their special collections.  Among the maps,movie posters, and citrus labels, was a grouping of old postcards depicting the homes of celebrities in LA.  Seeing them got me thinking about how much postcards and media images craft our expectations of LA's landscape as a paradise on earth.  For non-residents and residents alike, these images of glamorous LA spoke of economic empowerment and a verdant paradise, leading people to move west and craft an LA much in this image.  And, looking at them today, they still feel quintessentially LA.  They still remain an image of something people aspire to in the land of dreams.  But, as we face serious water supply issues and the realities of sustainability in Southern California's Megapolis, isn't it time for a new image of LA?