Here’s How America Ferrera Discovered A New Los Angeles

One of the greatest criticisms of Los Angeles is that it’s a city without a center. Since the cable cars saw their tracks ripped out to accommodate the new-money Westside set in the first half of the 20th century, the wealth and power of Los Angeles has been more diffuse than almost any city on earth. Sure, you might point to Calabasas, but then Bel Air, Hancock Park, and even some holdout pockets of Pasadena would raise their hands. The city’s lack of center means that there is no one Los Angeles, and it also means that one can live their whole life in the city without seeing its glitzier side. America Ferrera, who hails from Honduras but grew up in the Valley, told American Airlines magazine Nexos how she’s rediscovering the city as she films her show Superstore. She credits her mother’s hard work raising her and her siblings on a single income with her work ethic. “It was definitely a struggle,” Ferrera tells Nexos. “My mother had a really decent job working at a Hilton hotel where she was the director of the housekeeping department. So she had an executive position where she made a decent salary, but she had a single income and was raising six children.” Ferrera continues that she’s seen a new side of the city since moving back from New York. “My husband and I took a camping trip to Catalina Island for a weekend,” she tells Nexos. “Catalina is so close and pretty accessible, but it’s not something I ever did in my 23 years of growing up in Los Angeles. I think it’s really fun to be able to go for a hike in the hills and then go to the beach.” Ferrera’s life is literally the Los Angeleno dream. Growing up in the Valley, moving to New York, and returning a star. It sounds like a Raymond Chandler novel but with less murder and more star turns in NBC sitcoms. Check out the rest of the interview, including her restaurant recommendations, here.