THE SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS (ADJACENT)

There was a movie made many years back called the 'Slums of Beverly Hills', I don't really remember it but there actually is an area that exists in Beverly Hills that offers you the luxury of a Beverly Hills zipcode without being an heiress. It's not pretty, it's run down and has a lot of very bad boxy architecture and it's all apartments that practically touch. I suppose it would be considered cool now. It's a version of mid-century modern but created in the 70's, so maybe not so cool.  What could be worse than the Slums of Beverly Hills?  Well, I am glad you asked.  That would be my 'hood, The Slums of Beverly Hills adjacent.  I'm an alley away from a Beverly Hills zipcode and the world never seems to let me forget. We once called a cab which had a flat rate to the airport from Beverly Hills for $40, we got to the airport and paid $70.  Why?  We didn't meet the cab driver in the alley.  Live and learn. I went  on my search for iconic images today in my neighborhood, sure there were palm trees, bougainvillea and swimming pools, but everything was down and out (in Beverly Hills).  It seems the zipcode my neighbors so covet make it difficult to maintain your property. The palm trees were anemic, the bougainvillea brown and swimming pools flat, sunshine-free, shadowed by a building so close that you could have a conversation with your neighbor in the next building from your shower. It was a little depressing and amusing. There's cute original Spanish bungalows next to McMansions.  Oh, poor Slums of Beverly Hills,  you try so hard, but just miss the mark, maybe they should have just stayed on my side of Beverly Hills (adjacent) and called it day.