What's that smell? Readers share the scents that remind them of L.A.

Of our 5 senses, odor mightiness beryllium the astir ignored. And yet the relation it plays successful our lives is inescapable. Smell activates galore parts of our brain, including our limbic system, which plays a cardinal relation successful representation recall. That’s wherefore the aroma of baking breadstuff mightiness bring you backmost to your grandma’s room oregon a whiff of freshly cleaned apparel mightiness punctual you of agelong nights astatine the laundromat erstwhile you were younger.

The Times asked readers to stock the scents they see synonymous with Los Angeles, and their responses painted a vivid olfactory representation of the city. We’re sharing respective of them here. Some memories were truthful powerful, we could astir odor them ourselves.

Magnificent magnolias and wistful wisteria

I locomotion a batch — each implicit the city. Smells are a precise important constituent of that experience. My thoroughfare has magnolias connected it; erstwhile they bloom, it takes maine backmost to the magnolias connected the thoroughfare successful North Hollywood I lived connected erstwhile I was a kid. One of my favourite flowers is wisteria. When it is blooming successful the spring, I volition locomotion routes that instrumentality maine past houses with garlands of it. The liniment odor of eucalyptus trees besides reminds maine of my backyard erstwhile I was a kid. Citrus trees are besides lovely, and besides mock oranges.

In the winter, erstwhile radical pain wood successful their fireplaces, determination is thing astir that odor and consciousness of the aerial that makes maine deliberation of the play and of a enactment from a Buffalo Springfield song: “A fume ringing time erstwhile the upwind blows.” I besides emotion locust blooms, but I cognize of lone 1 location adjacent maine that has locust trees. I sojourn determination a lot. Even the steer manure that radical enactment connected their lawns successful December: I person a gag with my woman wherever I accidental each year, “It’s opening to odor a batch similar Christmas.”
— Jack Mearns, Wilshire Vista West

Eau de pitchy fuel

Airplane pitchy substance and exhaust. This whitethorn dependable unpleasant astatine archetypal but I place it with truthful galore fantastic things that this metropolis has to offer. I emotion surviving by LAX, proceeding the roaring engines, seeing the power operation from my room model and getting that whiff of pitchy fuel, particularly connected blistery summertime days. So fewer cities person airports wrong metropolis limits similar we bash here, and LAX and its substance smell, mixed with the water air, punctual maine of places traveled, renewed friendships, household reconnections, bittersweet goodbyes and loves travel and gone.
— Jennifer Kao, Westchester

Being bombarded with thoroughfare nutrient aft an event

The bacon-wrapped blistery dogs with grilled onions and peppers extracurricular large events. I don’t devour reddish meat, and I hatred onions and greenish peppers, but this is the odor I look guardant to erstwhile leaving the Hollywood Bowl, the Pantages, downtown sporting events, etc. The Rose Garden astatine Expo Park besides has the blistery canine vendors, truthful it’s roses and grilled blistery dogs. Probably the astir L.A. happening ever, but if they person that successful different parts of the country, I’m gladsome they tin acquisition it.
— Angel Zobel-Rodriguez, San Fernando

Street dogs with grilled onions connected the sidewalk erstwhile the doors unfastened aft a performance oregon sporting event. Elote connected the sidewalk. That is precise L.A.
— Jen Johnson, Silver Lake

I’ve lived present my full life, and thing says L.A. similar the odor of enigma meats being grilled by thoroughfare vendors connected Highland arsenic you’re warring the crowds leaving the Hollywood Bowl.
— Craig Woolson, Mid-City

The nutrient fog that comes from a truly bully taco basal is magical.
— Andrea Lucan, Eagle Rock

Wafting cocoa from the See’s Candies factory

The See’s Candies mill connected La Cienega. I don’t attraction however atrocious the postulation is: Driving down La Cienega erstwhile they’re cooking — oh, my God.
— Carole Smith, South Bay

Whenever I odor chocolate, it reminds maine of the times I would thrust to enactment astatine the Inglewood Sears erstwhile I archetypal moved to L.A. Every Thursday, the odor of cocoa would emanate from the See’s Candies mill connected La Cienega Boulevard arsenic the workers were making candy.
— William Barnes, Sunnyvale

The aroma of In-N-Out

I americium 28 and I person lived successful Los Angeles my full life. Funny enough, the archetypal things I thought of portion speechmaking this nonfiction were nutrient places — In-N-Out being 1 of them. There are In-N-Outs each implicit L.A., and you tin odor the nutrient from miles distant portion driving adjacent one. The beauteous odor of hamburgers and fries volition ne'er get old. Aside from In-N-Out, we are known for our thoroughfare food, including taco stands. You tin find aggregate taco stands successful conscionable astir each country of L.A., and the smells are amazing.
— Michelle Garcia, North Hollywood

Inhaling the smells of the beach

The beach. Smelling salty oversea h2o and dried-out seaweed makes maine consciousness similar I’m surviving a beingness worthy living. Sunscreen, blistery dogs, fried foods, weed smoke, burning sage and nag champa incense. (OK, I conjecture I’m imagining the Venice Beach boardwalk specifically.)
— Monica Cereseto, Los Feliz

Any benignant of coconut scent takes maine backmost to ’70s summers connected the beach, crashing waves, bikinis and immoderate SPF zero tanning lipid we were slathering connected ourselves successful bid to get arsenic bronzed arsenic possible.
— Mary Alice McLoughlin, Lakewood

The cool, humid, misty, foggy aboriginal greeting marine furniture successful Santa Monica. The bold damp smells experienced portion walking nether the Santa Monica Pier. The Santa Monica farmers markets: caller foods, caller fruits and baked goods.
— Andrew Liberman, Santa Monica

Fresh, salty water breeze with sunscreen.
— Brianna Sun, Boston

On the scent of autochthonal plants successful the SoCal mountains

I emotion the sagey, citrusy, cedary affluent scent of autochthonal plants and wildflowers. Any travel up into the foothills oregon canyons and I americium instantly brought backmost to my puerility spent traipsing astir the San Gabriel Mountains. Now, arsenic an adult, I effort to re-create those environments successful my beforehand yard, and I emotion the aroma gathering maine arsenic I permission the location successful the greeting successful outpouring done mid-summer.
— Hillary Larsen, North Hollywood

The earthy sage connected our hiking trails is my favourite smell. When I travel backmost from traveling, it’s ever the archetypal happening I notice.
— Kate Peeler, San Fernando Valley

The arroyo successful Pasadena. It’s some chaotic and metropolis truthful determination is simply a operation of affluent chaparral, dirt, oak and sage combined with the factual and freshwater raging successful the wintertime aft rain.
— Pamela Strugar, Pasadena

I emotion the odor of the chaparral. Lovely connected a blistery summertime day. Even amended conscionable aft the archetypal rain. My favourite spot is immoderate way up successful the San Gabriel Mountains. Above the canyons but inactive beneath the precocious forests, connected the confederate slopes. These places are wherever you are immersed successful the chaparral scents.
— Mary Anne Steinberger, Tujunga

The Rose Parade and different floral redolence

Growing up successful Pasadena, location of the Rose Parade, I subordinate the archetypal of January with 1 of my all-time favourite scents: roses. I fondly callback walking down to Colorado Boulevard to ticker the Rose Parade and being enthralled with the odor of the roses and assorted flowers and plants utilized connected the floats. A apical scent representation for sure.
— Olga Espinoza, Pasadena

Night-blooming jasmine. Reminds maine of erstwhile I archetypal moved backmost to my autochthonal L.A. successful my aboriginal 20s to instrumentality a occupation with the L.A. Times’ Glendale section. No substance wherever successful the satellite I americium erstwhile I odor that fantastic scent, it takes maine consecutive backmost to Los Angeles and a large clip successful my life.
— Stephanie O’Neill, West Sonoma County

Jasmine perfuming the outpouring aerial astatine night. Farmers marketplace flowers. My neighborhood, successful the hills of Laurel Canyon — determination is simply a ample assortment of trees and they each bloom astatine antithetic times truthful determination is ever thing that smells great.
— Ashley Davis, Studio City

The scent of jasmine blooms connected a lukewarm evening, the odor of caller baked pandesal astatine the section Filipino bakery and the affluent idris of halvah and spices astatine the Armenian country store.
— Michelle Bednash, Santa Barbara

Angel trumpets, night-blooming jasmine, forbidden passionateness effect from a neighbor’s yard, water aerial mixed with cedar chips and mulch.
— Aram Atamian, Mid-City

From Franklin to North Hollywood is 1 of the large angiosperm odor centers of Los Angeles, and since we are blessed with an aboriginal spring, and my day is successful February, the feeling of rebirth coming retired of wintertime is overmuch much expedient acknowledgment to some blossoms and their corresponding scents. Makes maine consciousness for immoderate crushed similar I’m successful a noir. But a happier one.
— Robert Biegler, Hollywood

One would person to beryllium freshly chopped writer connected the play people astatine the Rose Bowl. Going to Bruin games successful my younker — that odor signified the commencement of the autumn season. Another would beryllium freshly chopped Christmas trees coming successful from Oregon astatine the aged railroad tracks adjacent the wholesale effect market. They are gone present but the odor of the freshly chopped trees mixed with thoroughfare tacos, powdered cocoa beverage and thoroughfare dogs is thing that tin ne'er beryllium replicated.
— Michael Adame, Tucson

(Mark Boster / For The Times)

Eucalyptus successful the air

That small whiff of eucalyptus connected the air, aboriginal successful the greeting successful Pasadena, with the agleam sun, chill air, chirping birds and mountains successful the inheritance made the full time caller and exciting. To this day, erstwhile I onshore astatine LAX and get a whiff of eucalyptus riding supra the pitchy substance and car exhaust, I conscionable think, “Man, it’s bully to beryllium home.”
— Stefan McDonough, Boston

Eucalyptus, portion walking to people astatine UCLA successful the ’70s.
— Phil Hermanson, Lincoln, Calif.

Eucalyptus trees astatine Occidental College.
— Betsy Reifsnider, Sacramento

Perfumes and weed

Walking past perfumed women connected Rodeo Drive.
— Kenneth Lahn, New York City

Everyone successful L.A. wears the aforesaid fragrance and shares the aforesaid vice, making the unofficial scent of L.A. Le Labo’s Santal 33 and cannabis smoke.
— Kelly Gerner, Altadena

Tacos (any thoroughfare vendors really), night-blooming jasmine/citrus histrion blooms, weed — erstwhile I exit BUR [Hollywood Burbank] Airport it is often the archetypal happening I tin odor and cognize I americium “home” — and the ocean.
— Delaine Ureno, Alhambra

Cracking unfastened a publication astatine the olfactory library

The tsunami of agreeable aroma that I bask surfing the astir is the Los Angeles Central Library downtown. The bouquet of bookbinding and pulpy insubstantial makes for a astir intoxicating inhale. In summation to the swoon-worthy odor of aged books, you tin besides observe a hint of burning filament from the 3D printers perennially whirring distant astatine the Octavia Butler Lab that provides entree to a wealthiness of state-of-the-art design, fabrication and storytelling technologies. It’s STEM successful a sniff. Snuffle and fto that consciousness of curiosity and find waft pleasingly implicit your proboscis.
— Tommy Bui, Pacoima

Prehistoric perfume astatine the Tar Pits

I lived successful Santa Monica until I was 8, and I loved the odor of the La Brea Tar Pits. The crisp tang of the tar and the musty, earthy odor of the reflection pits meant a time of play and exploration. I person large memories of rolling down the greenish hills surrounding the depository and watching the scientists brushwood disconnected recently discovered fossils.
— Alexis Weaver, Santa Barbara

A bouquet of yeasty delights

Walking into Phoenix Bakery and smelling its saccharine pastries is ever a treat.
— Monica Delgadillo, Whittier

The Budweiser brewery disconnected the 5 freeway smells great. And I don’t adjacent similar beer.
— Laurel Thurston, San Fernando Valley