Don't get me wrong- I love my convertible. There's nothing like cruising down Pacific Coast Highway on a quiet weekday morning, watching the sun bounce off the breathtakingly blue waves and getting whipped in the eye with my own hair.

After years of schlepping up down the narrow rank stairs of the NYC subway and waiting exasperating stretches of time for the DC metro, I never thought I'd speak these words but here goes...

I miss public transportation. Or rather, I miss the walking that goes hand in hand with public transportation systems. I miss knowing my neighborhood. Knowing my neighbors. This weekend, strolling down the same street in Hollywood that I drive up and down every day, I encountered a whole new world! I uncovered an awesome deli, the best Thai iced tea in LA, and the most adorable completely organic flower shop. It made me wonder...just how many utter gems are we Angelinos zooming past every day?

In this city of transplants and self transportation, how do we reach outside of our steel and glass bubbles and connect? Is it possible to fight the isolation of a city so vast- probable that we can ever really take advantage of a city so loaded with options? Who knows. But we can try.

Let's get out of our cars, people. Just for a minute. Just to see what we're missing.

By: Alyssa Lloyd