Meet Cristian David: Realtor, Writer, Bon Vivant

By CRISTIAN DAVID | Special to the Palisadian-Post

It is so nice to finally meet you!

When I moved to Los Angeles in the winter of 2011, I knew very little about Pacific Palisades. I knew nothing about its history or points of interests. It wasn’t until later I became aware of its transcendent beauty as I drove my car through the picturesque coastal hills spreading their gentle highlands into the Pacific Ocean. It was quite breathtaking.

As the vice president and brokerage manager of the local branch of the Sotheby’s International Realty, I am the official “envoy” appointed to this office to specially strengthen the relationships between Sotheby’s and the Pacific Palisades and its esteemed residents. It is quite an honor to be able to represent an institution whose brand heritage dates all the way back to 1744, centuries before the Palisades was born.

What would Pacific Palisades want to know about me? I grew up in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and, to the surprise of many, the language spoken in Romania is not Russian. Romania, a small country in the center of Eastern Europe, has its own very beautiful language. Romania is unique in that it is the only Eastern-Block country that speaks a Romance language. Historians trace the origin of Romania back 2,000 years, when it was occupied by a civilization known as the Dacians (pronounced “dachyanz”).

During the seventh century and throughout the ninth century, the Slavs came to the Dacia area. Their language greatly influenced the Romanians. This is an important point, because not only did the Dacians adopt Slavonisms, but the Slavs learned Latin. In the first half of the 19th century, however, there began an “Enlightenment,” and books from the west by authors such as Racine, Moliere and Lamartine were translated into Romanian.

Romanian language continues to change, even now. As all languages do, it borrows many words from other languages, especially French. Since its Communist Revolution in 1989, Romania has been opened to a whole world that they only could have imagined before. They are now (as most European countries are) influenced greatly by American English. On any given Friday, a Romanian could wish you a “week-end bun” meaning, “good weekend.”

As a young man in the pursuit of happiness, I left Romania in 1994 to explore new opportunities in the land of the free. My first stop was the snowy cold city of Buffalo, where winter comes and stays for over eight months of the year. Then I was accepted into the Theatre Management MBA program at CUNY. I didn’t blink twice before packing my bags to move to New York City. I was getting closer to achieving my dream of becoming a theater producer. My life in the “City That Never Sleeps” was all about the long-hour management/producing work on and off Broadway shows and the massive university curriculum.

Upon graduation, I moved to Philadelphia, which was my home for over 13 years. The history of this magnificent city was quite remarkable. A lot of significant life-changing experiences happened while I lived in Philly. One was my career change from serving the community as a fundraiser and marketer for various nonprofit art organizations, including one of the largest and oldest theater companies in the world, to devoting myself to the eccentric world of real estate. It was in Philadelphia that I learned something tremendously important about myself: the importance of being strongly tied to a community.

This is something that I learned very early on about Pacific Palisades. The community here is strongly connected. This may be due to its earliest residents, the intellectual and artist expatriates who were leaving Nazi Germany. They settled here because there was a community called the “Weimar by the Sea” that allowed them to be themselves. I am positive that the climate may have had something to do with it as well.

It is the air of Pacific Palisades that attracts so many families who wish to raise their children in this pleasant and safe environment. It is no surprise that many of the country’s millionaires—and some of the world’s billionaires—settle here. The breath-taking ocean views from the top of the majestic hills are highly regarded factors in purchasing or selling homes in the Palisades.

Now that you know a little more about me, I look forward to immersing myself in the Palisades’ culture and community. I plan on getting to know many of the residents and readers of the Palisadian-Post through your stories and values. Although, I may have come from a place far from you, Pacific Palisades, I feel strongly that we have a lot in common, don’t you?

To reach Cristian David, email cristian.david@sothebyshomes.com.