2020
A year where so much happened, yet our days were filled with endless nothingness.
Somehow we’ve made it to the end. And that in itself is an accomplishment. While we may not be going anywhere anytime soon, a new year still makes for a socially constructed opportunity for a mindset reset.
But for now, a look back:
Moments of good in a year of general bad
Even in a very grey year, there were moments that moved me to tears, in a good way, and established a sense of hope in humanity.
Essential workers stepping up. From healthcare workers coming in to the frontlines when NYC was the epicenter of the pandemic. To the grocery store cashiers, delivery people and USPS ensuring the rest of us could stay safe at home.
BLM: The fact that people were so desperate that they risked their lives to protest amid a pandemic. Change is never comfortable. And it’s incredibly humbling to see culture and society pushed to the point where even multinational corporations were pressured to post #BlackLivesMatter and make Juneteenth a paid holiday. It’s a small step in the right direction.
The moment Biden won. I hope for the sake of all of us, that was the longest election of our lives. But the moment when they finally called it for Biden, that was a euphoria that almost healed the trauma from election night in 2016.
Honestly f**k COVID for killing some of my favorite places. And even the ones who have managed to survive all these months… who knows whether they’ll be able to weather a winter. In memory of some of my favorites:
Cafe Vita | You were my reliable working cafe in Silver Lake. Also such a perfect corner spot. I have a feeling it’ll house another coffee shop soon.
Beverly Soon | UGH this one hits hard. The first soondubu place in LA. A legacy K-town spot. Mom and pop. Immigrant owned. Even within my time in LA it went from being a Koreans only place to having people of all colors lined up in the mini parking lot. You will be dearly missed.
The Wallace | Culver City is now one less a reliable brunch, drinks, dinner spot. And even though downtown Culver changes like the weather, it’s still sad to see one of the original gems gone for good.
Ma’am Sir | Literally right around the corner from my former apartment… except you opened the month after I moved to the west side. I was looking forward to brunching there someday. But I guess we were never meant to be.
I spent 80% of 2020 in front of the TV. And in a year where everything was canceled, tgod for production studios stepping up. The true winners of the streaming wars are really us couch potatoes.
thank you, Netflix
thank you, HBO
thank you, DISNEY
thank you, HULU
Oh and special shout out to Tiktok for filling in the hours where we didn’t have the energy to put something on the big(ger) screen.