Meet Lindsay Lucas-Bartlett from Essex who moved to LA 13 years ago to pursue acting.
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
You know I was just tagging along with a friend. We both were finishing drama school together and she told me she was moving to LA to study some more and asked if I wanted to come along, that was in 2008. I was meant to be here for eight weeks and stayed for five months then traveled and went home to do my visa. The rest is history.
What do you miss most from home?
So many things; friends, family, walking around London and going on adventures to Europe, which at the time was so easy to do. I do also really miss just being able to walk through Hyde Park and pop into Harrods or Fortnum and Mason’s. Oh and of course…Cath Kidston…my obsession.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
As soon as I got out of LAX I saw the palm trees and blue sky and I was in love. It was instant and I wake up every day with gratitude.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus Essex?
I mean they are completely different, Essex is countryside with horses and cows and here there seems to be not a lot of that. It’s hard to describe but it’s definitely just different.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
I do have a couple, yes. I think people may already know about it but Eaton Canyon and the waterfall is such a beautiful hike and even if you can’t get to the waterfall the walk surrounding it is stunning. I also love getting matcha lattes from Coffee and Plants in Pasadena, this darling little coffee shop owned by another Brit I believe and one last one…for all my British goods I go to Kitty O’Shea’s in Eagle Rock, it is a treasure trove and I cannot get enough.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
Do it! I would highly recommend coming to visit as many times as you can before fully committing just to see if it’s a place you want to live or a place you just like visiting and also look into all the fab areas there are and see which one you would like to live in. But essentially at the end of the day, when you know, you know and in that case…do it, don’t second guess it.
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
I would just say that there are a lot of negative nellies out there but if you want something, just do it and don’t be afraid of asking others for help. Building authentic connections with people has been a blessing.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment?
You can find me at lindsaylucasbartlett.com and on Twitter and Instagram @duchesslindsay. I am currently working on my one woman show, Trust Me, I’m From Essex, that workshopped at the Hollywood Fringe Festival last year and was in Solofest in January of this year. I will be headed back to Hollywood Fringe this year with five shows and I am hoping to take the show to others parts of the US as well as Edinburgh Fringe next year as well. If you are around in June for Fringe then please come along and support the show and stay and say hi afterwards. If you’re from England you’ll get a big kick out of it and if you’re not from England you’ll leave with some new English knowledge.
I also have a podcast where I interview a lot of fellow Brits about moving over, feel free to reach out if you would like to be a guest. Always love hearing others’ stories. Podcast: Tea Time with Lindz can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
