So a few days ago I went on a trip to San Diego. By far one of the most #iwoldmovetheretomorrow citys ive been to in a while. (Housing costs reflect that as well haha).
I was my fairly social self after a rollercoaster a week and change in LA I was ready to meet chill west coast. Hype west coast.. was awesome.
Fast forward a few libations and a couple awesome bad decisions later (more on that.. maybe.. one day..) me, a new friend from Turkey and another from Vancouver meet a two locals and we decide to hang out.. learn to skate and talk about where were from.
At this point in life, encounters and conversations like this no longer surprise me, and I almost look forward to them. They give a better perspective to the way things are in the rest of the word, and the way your world looks from the outside. But this took me by surprise.
Were walking across the street at about 1am and I notice the guys from Turkey and Vancouver beeline to all the cross walks, and diligently wait on the pedestrian lights to indicate their turn to cross. So I make the joke guys.. its 1am.. the streets are empty, its ok to cross. The guy from Turkey asks me if im crazy! Bruv.. the cops in America will get you.. you dont see them now, but the moment you cross the street on that red light They will pull up, grab you and beat the living shit out of you.
This is what they think our (American) reality has now become. Note: im the only black guy there everybody else is white, asian and middle eastern.
I was embarrassed for my new found country and hoped like hell that they did not experience this on their first trip to the United States.
The night went on, and they told me all the stuff theyve seen on facebook, the news, heard from their friends the list goes on.
We climbed over a short gate into the convention center, hung out with the security guard, learned to skateboard a bit, took some videos and even bought a pizza pie with the locals while we sat and smoked.. umm.. cigars? 
with the security guard of the convention center.
The mood changed, the guy from Turkey (yes I remember his name, no im not posting it) exclaimed.. this is the America I heard about.. but I thought everything changed.. how cool is it that these grown ass men are skateboarding and doing exactly what they like without criticism from others. I was happy to hear that.
Four strangers became friends at a hostel, went drinking, met San Diego locals who taught us how to skate, and then went for pizza by the dock while we watched the sun rise and shared a blunt.
Yeah.. thats the America I like. I hope it never changes.
