The Allure of Newsstands.

One of the first things I fell in love with when I moved to California was the many newsstands that are scattered throughout the city. The first one I encountered was in Hollywood on Cahuenga. It reminded me so much of New York. I am an avid reader of everything and anything that I can get my hands on. There are not any newsstands in my hometown of Savannah, Ga. , at least not any more. There was one in the downtown area, but I don't remember them carrying any of the international magazines. It was located on Drayton Street right off of Broughton Street, but it is long gone now.

The newsstand shown above is in San Fernando Valley on the corner of Van Nuys Blvd. and Ventura Blvd. It is one that I go to quite often even though Borders Books is right down the street in the same block. Often times the newsstand will have the newest magazines before the bookstore. However, I go to both quite often. I order my books from Amazon because I get a better price, even with the coupons offered by Borders. I love just browsing the shelves and seeing what is new out there.
There is now an electronic newsstand, which is good if you are looking for a particular periodical that you can't find anywhere. Nothing beats going to your neighborhood newsstand, seeing the proprietor often and he knows your name.

When I am in a city and I find newsstands their inventory usually gives me some idea of the diversity of that city. Even more so about the neighborhood of which it is located. At the newsstand above you will find your array of national newspapers and a great deal of latin magazines. There are also many  magazines on Yoga and holistic health. Ventura Boulevard is lines with Vegan Restaurants, Yoga Studios, Acupuncturist, etc.

 The newsstand on the corner of  Cahuenga and Hollywood Blvd.,  there is a large section of magazines on film, photography, videography, also a large selection of international newspapers in many languages. It is quite interesting.
 You will be in another area and find a great deal of Russian or Asian newspapers and magazines.
It is amazing what gives you insight to the demographics of an area.

 These are the things that really draw me to large cities such as Los Angeles and New York. The different ethnic groups,experiencing  their culture and food in such an authentic way. Often times I feel like a stranger in these neighborhoods and wonder how I would feel  if I were visiting these cultures abroad.