L.A. Affairs: 14 people who made big moves for love. But the risks didn’t always pay off
Yadi Liu / For The Times
It’s Valentine’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than to read some heartfelt tales of people who threw caution to the wind to pursue a love affair in Los Angeles?
Be forewarned: Not all of the 14 L.A. Affairs here have a happy Hollywood ending. (It wouldn’t be L.A. Affairs without a few cautionary tales!)
To make sure you get your fill of love stories today (or any day for that matter), we’ve included an essay about a couple who met as teenagers before their love story was revived decades later in Southern California. Also in the mix is a story by a writer who traveled more than 7,200 miles to meet a man in L.A. and an essay by a software engineer who left the East Coast to romance an L.A. food critic.
And how could we forget to mention the story of a woman who met her Aquaman — no, not Jason Momoa — after leaving Venice for a new life in Hawaii? (Spoiler alert: Don’t worry. She returned to SoCal with more than her luggage.)
Just remember that L.A. is many things to many people, and sometimes it’s the perfect starting point when it comes to love.
- 1
A software engineer happily dating a Los Angeles food critic in the media realm realizes that means he has to share their time with her bustling career.
- 2
He planned a wonderful first date at Exposition Park. Then I noticed he didn’t eat the cookies I had brought him.
- 3
We shared a passionate kiss in Santa Monica, and I later proposed. In her mind, our relationship was just a pandemic affair, but I wanted more.
- 4
Over the years, I wondered if we’d ever end up back in each other’s lives — romantically. Our biggest roadblock was always timing.
- 5
Dating in small-town Colorado didn’t prepare me to look for love in L.A.
- 6
Being alone in the desert wasn’t the salve I thought it would be after our breakup.
- 7
I searched for a way to say ‘I love you’ to my angel while participating in the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile walk from the French border to Spain. She wanted to break up.
- 8
I moved to Los Angeles as a foreign student from Germany. I was studying acting and wanted a green card so I could stay. I found the perfect guy to help me.
- 9
I was into a man 16 years my senior who often lived in a different ZIP Code for the years that we dated. I lived in Hollywood, and most of our conversations happened over Gmail.
- 10
Ruben and I spoke by phone daily, and our relationship only deepened. I planned to visit him in Mexico whenever I could, and we’d enjoy whatever time we could spend together. Then came COVID-19.
- 11
I wanted a life with Chad in L.A., but Nashville pulled him away. Would choosing our passions mean losing each other?
- 12
Adventure and the potential for love were happening to me at once. I knew it was time to make my move in Maui.
- 13
Aunt Sandy appointed herself matchmaking commander-in-chief after my mom died. She would prefer that I find love and happiness in Los Angeles instead of the Bay Area.
- 14
When I was in my 30s and working as a fashion editor in Hong Kong, a friend in Los Angeles called. He said, ‘I’ve met your soul mate. I’ve met the man you’re going to marry.’
