Uncle Traveling Matt: Postcard

July 1, 2005

Postcard

Well it's been a while since I've updated this, and I've been up to all kinds of stuff in the interim. There's a whole stack of photos for this post, so be sure to check out the photos link at the bottom of this entry.

Last week I headed downtown and checked out L.A.'s historic buildings and some of the other sights. At the end of the Red Subway Line is Union Station, built in 1939 it is an art-deco style complex considered by many to be the last vestige of rail's golden-era in the United States. It really is just like walking through a time-portal back to the 1930's and you semi-expect to see steam trains to come chugging into the station, just like the ones in the Harry Potter movies.

Also in the same area I checked out the Los Angeles City Hall, which is said to have starred in more movies and television series than most Hollywood actors, including Superman and Hill Street Blues. Just down the road is the Los Angeles Times building, the Los Angeles Supreme Court and Walt Disney Concert Hall. I was intending to visit MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) however it was closed till after 4th of July weekend, so that'll be coming in another instalment. I also visited Chinatown; one stop south of Union Station on the Yellow line. It was quite disappointing really, nothing like the one in San Francisco, the best part of was the entrance.

Later in the week I did the obligatory walk of the Hollywood walk of fame—there was a lot of names on there I didn't recognise, lol! And also checked out Capital Records, which is just off Hollywood Boulevard. As they say, "Being there is everything", thanks Air New Zealand, lol, except I didn't fly ya cos' you were too expensive, ha!

I've met some of the most interesting and diverse people on the trains here in L.A. On the way back from downtown the other day I was on packed subway train, all the seats were taken and there were lots of people standing holding the roof rails... all the seats except one. In seat beside the available one was sitting a rather menacing looking African-American man wearing sunglasses and a bandanna, who appeared to be sleeping or dosing at the very least. No-one else on the train it appeared was willing to risk sitting there, myself included, until I thought "Screw this, I've got 40 minutes on this train!". So I pointed at the seat, looked straight at the guy and said "Cool?". He looked up, and was all "oh, yeah yeah sweat bro" and he turned out to be really nice guy called Anthony that works at Universal Studios and was on the way home to see Game 7 of the NBA finals. Fortunately, while I don't follow the NBA, I'd seen enough PTI thanks to my flatmate that was able to recall enough team and player names to hold an intelligent conversation!! :)

This week apart from fitting in work and some client meetings, I headed down to Long Beach for a look around and a bit of a skate. The skating there is excellent, as you can see from the photos—smooth, long and lots of chicks in bikini's, lol. The Aquarium of the Pacific, which hosts the Shark Petting Zoo, is there also. I'm heading back down to Long Beach on Tuesday to see how many fingers I can lose, lol. I wanted to play with the sharks last year, but ran out of time.

During the train trip back, the LA Sheriffs arrived on the train. Unlike the buses where you have to either pay or show your pass to get on, the trains have no such checks and you're free to get on and off as you please. However, you're meant to have valid ticket for passage, and this what they were here to check—no ticket is a $250 instant fine and one guy actually got arrested.

Sitting just in front off me was a well-dressed doting Africa-American couple, they're looked like very nice people and very happy together. However, when the Sheriffs got to us, half the people around me didn't have the usual credit-card sized Metro pass, but full sized sheets of paper—which I thought was odd? It turns out these were their prison release papers, which gives you get one day's free passage on the Metro!

Just before the Sheriffs got to me I'd taken off my headphones, so I could now hear the conversations going on around me... of particular interest was the one of the doting couple. He too had been just released from prison, and was telling his girlfriend of how they were kicking and stabbing this guy and they didn't realise the nearby ATM was videoing the whole thing! OMG I thought, was my initial impression wrong, then later on she was telling him how she was pregnant and the baby was his—Crazy shit I tell ya!

I should point out that this train does go though Compton and the heart of South-Central. I've even had McDonald's in Compton—think the movie Training Day with Denzel Washington, and you'd been on the right track. Ok, to be honest, it's not that bad there and I've met some really nice people from that area, but shit does go down there. Mind you shit goes down everywhere in this city, there was a shooting (in the middle of day) just down the road from where I'm staying in the Valley and this is reasonably nice area. My bus when past shortly after it happened. Hey, they don't call L.A. "the home of the body-bag" for no reason!

On a side note, I'd like to say the Santa Monica Pier officially has the "Worst toilet in Scotland". The thick yellow scum around the urinals and the smell makes me want to vomit everytime I go in there. However, it's the only toilet in the area you don't have to pay to use, so I tuck my shoe laces into my shoes and grin and bear it, yuk!

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Posted by Matt at July 1, 2005 10:33 AM