Los Angeles
We’re here in LA for a few days while Jen prepares to head off to Burning Man; Mimi and I are going to do a bunch of touristy things including, especially for me, going to the beach to swim in the ocean and especially for her, Disneyland.
Less than 24 hours here and I’m already overwhelmed. LA is certainly the fullest expression American culture taken to the extreme (narrowly beating out Las Vegas) and I marvel at the excess and abundance, alternately hungering for it and being entirely repelled.
We drove through Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, and Beverly Hills yesterday; in many ways, it looks just like it did when I lived here in the early 80’s; there are a few more Starbucks and some of the more crumbling buildings have been replaced by strip malls, but other than that, Sunset Boulevard still exudes its timeless tawdry charms. I didn’t see nearly as many hookers, though, as there were before the 1984 Olympics when Peter Uberoth had them cleaned up, but I suppose that’s what the Internet is for.
The sheer mass of humanity is what gets me the most; sometimes I think Seattle is a big city; I’ll bet, though, that there are more people—and certainly more different kinds of people—in the five mile radius around our friend Beth’s house in Silverlake than in all of King County.
Being here is a bit of a trip down memory lane; and I’m experiencing that strange sense of déjà vu that happens when you’re in a place where you spent lots of time: streets and buildings look almost familiar; I keep thinking I’ve been here or there, (and in many cases, I probably have), although the details of the occasion escape me completely.
I hope to get a bike ride in tonight, but the traffic here has me a bit spooked. I do see bike lines and people riding; so if locals can do it, so can I.
Less than 24 hours here and I’m already overwhelmed. LA is certainly the fullest expression American culture taken to the extreme (narrowly beating out Las Vegas) and I marvel at the excess and abundance, alternately hungering for it and being entirely repelled.
We drove through Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, and Beverly Hills yesterday; in many ways, it looks just like it did when I lived here in the early 80’s; there are a few more Starbucks and some of the more crumbling buildings have been replaced by strip malls, but other than that, Sunset Boulevard still exudes its timeless tawdry charms. I didn’t see nearly as many hookers, though, as there were before the 1984 Olympics when Peter Uberoth had them cleaned up, but I suppose that’s what the Internet is for.
The sheer mass of humanity is what gets me the most; sometimes I think Seattle is a big city; I’ll bet, though, that there are more people—and certainly more different kinds of people—in the five mile radius around our friend Beth’s house in Silverlake than in all of King County.
Being here is a bit of a trip down memory lane; and I’m experiencing that strange sense of déjà vu that happens when you’re in a place where you spent lots of time: streets and buildings look almost familiar; I keep thinking I’ve been here or there, (and in many cases, I probably have), although the details of the occasion escape me completely.
I hope to get a bike ride in tonight, but the traffic here has me a bit spooked. I do see bike lines and people riding; so if locals can do it, so can I.
posted by Professor Dave at 8:54 AM
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