Meet Peter Granger-Taylor from London, who moved to LA 5 years ago…
What were your first impressions of LA?
The bright sunshine – it knocked me back, and the palm trees… I thought I’d gone to heaven!
The ‘Can-Do’ attitude and people’s sense that anything is possible.
What do you miss most from home?
1) Dusty second hand, Charing Cross Road bookshops.
2) The deer in Richmond Park
3) A good Chicken Tikka Masala with Poppadoms and a really tasty Nan bread! YUM!
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus London?
Here it’s normal to have a big dream and to go for it. It’s culturally acceptable to declare your dream to everyone and just let yourself fly! And people will cheer you on AND here you can leave a convertible open at night and there won’t be a kebab in it in the morning!
Do you have any hidden gems in LA that you want to share with us?
The Last Bookstore – Downtown LA. It’s the largest used bookstore in California and their motto is “What are you waiting for? We won’t be here forever.” Ha! It’s been described as “a mix of Victorian drawing room, sci-fi spectacle and artist loft bohemianism”. It’s basically a paradise for book lovers!
A lot of people have misconceptions about LA – did you?
No, not really. Because I realized all the people I knew in London who were judging LA in advance and telling me how fake it was… had never been there!
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
Just do it. Either you’ll love it or you won’t, and at least you’ll have tried it. And make sure you join Brits in LA. It’s crucial to start off with a community. Craig, Eileen and all of us Brits-in-LAers – we really do care about each other and we help each other out. It’s like a family.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m a Peak Performance Coach for Creatives. In the same way a personal trainer works with people to get accelerated results for their bodies, I work with creative people to help them get the results they want in their careers and their lives – more quickly and more effectively than they could do on their own. And because I have a creative background myself, I understand the special pressures and challenges that people in the creative industries face.
If your life was a TV show what would be the theme tune and why?
Monty Python’s “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life”.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you?
