Part 2: NBA Hype, GTA Streets, and the Chaos of Los Angeles

After everything I experienced before, I had one clear realization:

I wasn’t just visiting Los Angeles.

I was living inside a GTA server.

The randomness. The chaos. The beauty. The danger. The side quests popping up every five minutes.

So I decided — if I’m here, I’m going all in.

Lakers vs. Nuggets — Welcome to the Main Server

I saw there was an NBA playoff game: Lakers vs. Nuggets.

Without overthinking it, I went straight to the arena — Crypto.com Arena — and bought a ticket.

At first, I thought, “Yeah, cool, just a basketball game.”

Then it hit me.

LeBron James plays here.
Nikola Jokić plays here.

This isn’t just basketball. This is the NBA.

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Coming from Lithuania, basketball is basically religion. EuroLeague games, packed arenas, passionate fans. I wanted to see the difference.

And I saw it immediately.

In EuroLeague, music plays during breaks. Timeouts. Between quarters.

In the NBA?

They play music during the game.

LeBron starts attacking the rim — and suddenly some Matrix-type soundtrack starts blasting in the background. Dramatic. Cinematic. Like he’s about to save the world.

The whole arena rises with the music.

And when he scores?
The place explodes.

But when they hype the attack with movie-level soundtrack and then he misses?

That’s the funniest shit ever.

Still — the production value is insane. It feels bigger. More theatrical. More entertainment-driven.

It’s not just sport.

It’s a show.

10 Meters Outside: Instant Side Quest

Game ends.

I walk maybe 10–20 meters from the arena.

Suddenly: chaos.

Street vendors banging metal tongs on carts yelling about hot dogs. Crowds forming out of nowhere. Energy still buzzing.

Then I see it.

Some random dude runs toward a kid and does a full backflip over him.

No warning. No setup. Just… America.

I stood there thinking:

“This is the most American thing I’ve ever seen.”

The “Impossible” Bank Account

Earlier that same day, I decided to try something people told me was impossible.

Opening a U.S. bank account.

Everyone said:
“You need residency.”
“You need a Social Security number.”
“It’s impossible.”

I thought — okay. Let’s test it.

I walked into Bank of America, explained my situation honestly…

And they opened the account.

No drama. No problem.

And I walked out thinking about one word:

Impossible.

Most of the time, people don’t actually know if something is impossible. They just repeat what they’ve heard.

Worst case? They tell you to get the fuck out.

Best case? You walk out with a bank account.

Maybe 99 out of 100 times it doesn’t work.

But you only need one.

Jet Skis and Floating Debris

Another day, I went to Long Beach to ride jet skis.

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The experience itself? Fun. Cool. Fast.

But what stayed with me wasn’t the speed.

It was seeing random things floating in the ocean. A boot. A can. Just… objects.

Even the water felt like part of the GTA server.

Nothing shocking. Just slightly off.

Public Bus Chronicles

I decided to take the public bus to Long Beach.

Because Uber is easy.

But the bus? That’s the real experience.

And oh my god.

First, a homeless guy with five dogs.

Five.

How do you not have a home but you have five dogs? That’s a side quest I still don’t understand.

Then a woman gets on with a stroller. She’s extremely nervous.

“Can you watch it? Can you watch it?” she keeps asking the bus driver.

Inside the stroller?

No kid.

Just a book.

She gets off two stops later.

Leaves the stroller on the bus.

And I’m sitting there thinking:

What the fuck is happening?

When you see drunk people or drug addicts, at least you understand the logic.

But this?

This was just random code.

The Fentanyl Zombies

This part wasn’t funny.

This was dangerous.

One time, I was waiting for the metro and I heard literal zombie noises behind me.

I turn around.

A guy is coming down the escalator holding a damaged metal bat. Hoodie up. I can only see his mouth. His body moving like a broken NPC.

Security tries flashing a lighter at him to distract him.

At some point, he moves toward me.

Another evening, near my hotel, I lock eyes with another guy.

No glasses on. Direct eye contact.

He freezes.

Then stands up like a robot activating.

“Hey man. Hey man. What’s good?”

And he starts walking toward me.

I didn’t wait to see what was good.

I moved.

That’s when it stops being funny.

That’s when the GTA server feels real.

Exploring Everything

In 10 days, I tried to explore as much as possible.

Little Tokyo.
Chinatown.
Celebrity houses. Rich neighborhoods. Skid row areas.

You can’t see everything in 10 days.

But you can feel the contrasts.

Extreme wealth. Extreme poverty. Beauty. Madness. Creativity. Decay.

All in one city.

The Main Server

Los Angeles taught me something bigger.

America feels like the main server.

Everything is amplified.

Opportunities are bigger. Risks are bigger. Money is bigger. Chaos is bigger.

But inner peace?

I’m not sure.

If you want inner peace, you need structure. Predictability. Stability.

Los Angeles doesn’t give you that.

It gives you intensity.

And maybe that’s the real question:

What is your goal?

Are you here to make money?
Or are you here to find peace?

Because those are two very different games.

And Los Angeles?

It’s definitely not on easy mode.