We’re adding new songs to our California soundtrack

One of my favorite things about writing this newsletter is hearing from readers.

Nearly 40 million people live in California, and each of us has our own story about how we got here and what this place means to us. The diversity of those experiences, across regions and decades, is reflected in our California Soundtrack, a collaborative project of this newsletter that aims to capture the entire Golden State in music.

Today, based on your recommendations, I’ve added 19 songs to our ever-changing playlist. Among the most requested this round were “Dani California” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006), “Hollywood Freaks” by Beck (1999) and “Carmel” by Joe Sample (1979).

You can view the full list here (the last additions are in bold) or listen.

As always, the California Soundtrack is a work in progress. Email your own song recommendation and a few lines why you think it should be included to CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your name and the city where you live.

Here’s some of what you shared about your picks, slightly edited:

“Love Street” by the Doors (1968)

“As explained in a Historic marker of the city of Los Angeles, ‘Love Street’ was written about Rothdell Trail and the surrounding area in Laurel Canyon where lead singer Jim Morrison lived. The text ‘There is a shop where the creatures meet’ refers to the Canyon Country store in Laurel Canyon that still exists.” — Dino Ladki, West Hollywood

“Best Kept Secret” by case/lang/veirs (2016)

“It’s a beautiful, clear song about someone feeling down, calling out their love in Silver Lake and being lifted up. This song never ceases to brighten my day. — Lesley Golkin, San Francisco

“Grant Avenue” by Pat Suzuki, from “Flower Drum Song” (1958)

“California’s own Pat Suzuki, who was interned with her family during World War II, starred in the original Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Flower Drum Song’ (1958), set in San Francisco. One of the songs is “Grant Avenue,” a boisterous dance number celebrating one of the oldest streets in the city’s Chinatown district. Dated, yes, but still an interesting remnant of its time.” — Dan Humiston, McKinleyville

“Artesia” by Chris Gaffney (1992)

“Reminiscent of teenagers cruising through a then-rural part of Southeast Los Angeles County, this song features the fantastic line, ‘Because now the wind blows from Artesia, you can’t smell 1965’ — a reference to the cows that used to be around the area to live in.” — Greg Johnson, Irvine

“405” by RAC (2014)

“This song is so poppy and light – and it touches on so many aspects of LA: the ubiquitous car culture/driving, the famous/infamous boulevards, the beach sunsets colored by smog.” — Andrea Lynch, Beaverton

“California” by OAR (2019)

“In the summer of 2020, I was living outside of Philly. But in a world where the only thing keeping me sane was spending time outside with my friends, the idea of a frigid “Covid winter” in the Northeast was terrifying.

My family had an apartment in Encinitas, and I had a few close college friends who lived in San Diego County, but most of them lived in the Northeast. I was approaching 30, had lived in the Northeast since grade school, and had a job that would *eventually* require me to return to the area. Still, I wanted to flee to San Diego, but it seemed so scary!

I’ve put together a list of pros and cons, but still no decision has been made. I took a shower and thought about it. I put on Counting Crows Pandora and the very first song was OAR’s “California.” The chorus posed the exact question I was thinking of, “Who said you can’t go where you want, California” and replies, “Hey son, go to California.” Dance with the angels, dress as you like.’ The timing was so perfect – and the words so powerful and direct – it seemed foolish to ignore them.

In the end I did what I wanted. I packed my bags and moved to California. Now I love my life in Pacific Beach, and I’m never going back East! It’s a life-changing song for me.” — Dan Montgomery, San Diego

Where we travel

Today’s tip comes from Senya Lubisich, who lives in San Gabriel in Los Angeles County. Senya recommends La Laguna de San Gabriel playground:

Tucked away in the back of a city park, La Laguna de San Gabriel offers visitors a concrete wonderland of sea creatures. These whimsical structures are the work of famed Mexican concrete artist Benjamin Dominguez and have been a treasure in the city of San Gabriel since 1965. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, they’re a lovely place to have a picnic, ride off the back of a dragon, and clamber onto an octopus. Of course, you can forgo the picnic and enjoy the great Chinese food in town or grab a pizza at the equally historic Petrillo’s pizza!

Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We will share more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

What we recommend

Today at 10 a.m. Christian Cooper and Amy Tan will discuss their shared love of birds in a free live virtual event as part of The New York Times’ Summer Birding Project. Look here.

Tell us

We are almost half way through 2023! What are the best things that have happened to you this year so far? What have your victories been? Or your unexpected joys, big or small?

Let me know at CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live.

And before you go, good news

Shirley Raines, 55, provides food, hygiene services and unconditional support to those without homes through her Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization, Beauty 2nd Streetz. To her, they are all “kings” and “queens.”

Beauty 2 the Streetz, which became a registered nonprofit in 2019, feeds about 1,000 people a week, mostly on Skid Row. Raines also captures moments that she uploads to her social media accounts in hopes she can change the homelessness narrative — and show others that, as she sees it, these are just people dealt a bad hand.

“Homelessness is one of those very visual problems,” said Ben Henwood, director of the Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research at the University of Southern California. “We see it everywhere, but seeing people for who they are, the human part, we often miss. These kinds of efforts that allow people to connect and be seen on a very individual level, I think, are hugely important for self-esteem.