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How it feels depends on a lot of factors including magnitude, distance from the epicenter, soil type, building, etc. I've been in a lot of them. For this one I was on the 4th (top) floor of a new office building in Playa del Rey. Being built on what was/is essentially a swamp, it isn't rock solid. This one, being large but a long ways away was a long roller, where the building swayed back and forth, with the intensity varying over time. Went on for at least 20 seconds.
In the '94 Sylmar quake, I was in a single story house in Pasadena, and it felt like someone picked up the house and dropped it 10'. Then the building shook, furniture swayed, things fell off shelves, and things skittered across the floor.
Rather surreal experience, as you have no control over what is happening. Kinda like being on a boat, though it can be more sharp jolts. But at least with a boat you understand how/why you're moving. When you're on solid ground, a little more disconcerting.
Worst for me was an aftershock of the '88 Whitter Narrows quake. I was in a 2nd floor apartment building in Pasadena, and the aftershock hit at like 2am. Pitch black, building is shaking side to side and up and down. I'm in bed watching my clock dance across the chest of drawers. Getting woken up by one in darkness is not fun...
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