I've spent the last 4 days in Los Angeles for the Adobe MAX conference in downtown LA. When I presented my request to my employer to attend knowing we're currently in the midst of a budget crunch, I made sure to do so with the cheapest options I could find. I opted for a cheap motel (at more than half the cost of the big nice hotels working in partnership with Adobe) and walked the mile and half distance each way to the conference every day. The walk was not scenic but it was beautiful. And it was sad. It was through some extremely poor/low-income areas and I lost count of the many mattresses and makeshift sidewalk homes I'd pass on my way each day, the piles of garbage, the struggling mothers all hurrying their kids to school down the block. And the contrast of such surroundings with the people I'd encounter only minutes later sitting in beautiful conference halls, working on their MacBooks, answering emails on their tablets and having conversations on their smartphones was jarring at the very least. The growing divide between the haves and have-nots is staggering. I was happy with my choices on this trip as they reminded me to be grateful each day, just for what I have, just for being there, just for the incredible opportunity. I never intend to lose proper perspective. Thank you, Los Angeles, for your hospitality.
AdobeMAX /
Homelessness