What if Los Angeles had city squares? Places where people (strangers) collected to think and interact and work. The beach acts in the opposite of a gathering place. People go there to get away and there’s a general annoyance with anyone who sits too close to anyone else’s personal beach space. The idea is to turn off and in no way be close enough to hear conversations or notice the unpleasant bodily details of strangers. Angelenos go to public areas, notably sidewalk brunch cafes, hiking trails in populated canyons, and farmer’s markets, for leisure. The result is that much serious thinking and productivity and general intellectual stimulation takes place privately. This might explain why people in LA are often perceived of as shallow or dense.