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My Favorite House in Los Angeles
Everyone needs a place that restores their faith. Not only in a religious sense -- a place that restores one's faith in humanity, in rightness and balance. A place that makes the unseen become momentarily visible. Some people find their place in church, nature, or fellowship. And some people's faith is restored when they stand in the presence of great art. There is something truly special when the place itself is art -- the art that grows from one pair of hands crafting a vision. Places like the Watt's Towers and Nitt Witt Ridge, where one person has painstakingly made their home a shrine, shard by broken shard.
Hidden away in Los Angeles lies one of the most beautifully detailed homes of its kind. The broken shards are arranged by shape, adding another dimension to the artistry. The use of florist's glass is unusual and makes the hillside sparkle in the sunshine. Some of the tiles bear sayings, tributes, and possibly memorials. One man has been working on this garden for fifteen years. He devotes one day a week to the work, and he says he will keep working on it forever.
Photography is not allowed. But when the artist saw how truly touched I was, he gave me his permission. I asked him if the photography ban was to keep the crowds away, and he nodded. I swore to him that I would never reveal his home's location. And I know that you won't either.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
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