These days, I am older and childless for a week so I took the exciting new adventure of enjoying the simple things life has to offer. Just a couple of bucks, water, time and ye ol' faithful phone camera.
I started little by little and a tad anxious about getting lost. I have absolutely no sense of direction ( I think it's a women thing) so knowing which way the metro would take me where I wanted to go was already a challenge, but one can manage by asking other people that do this daily.
It is already a trip to watch people waiting for the train at the station. So many ethnicities, languages, people totally lost in their own thoughts, like sleeping awake. I was one of them too.
First stop was safe Hollywood Blvd.
I have to say that I may be one of the few people that live in LA and is fascinated by Hollywood Blvd.
It has such a noir vibe, despite the crazy people, the beggars, the traffic and all the cheesiness. Perhaps these details are the frame that makes H so dark and interesting to me, like I can almost feel the era of the 30's clubs, the wannabe pinups and the old movie theaters.
Hollywood blvd could be the only place you get to see michael jackson, spiderman, jason from halloween, jack sparrow, elvis and marilyn, just to name a few, engaging in a happy conversation about the weather ...
I decided to do downtown LA on a separate day which I did today. I feel exhausted but it was so much fun.
I am sort of a loner, so I enjoy doing things by myself. Not that I don't enjoy the company of people, but for stuff like this, I like to be by myself and not get distracted with conversation and just look and breath deep if I want to. Walk at my own pace, eat whenever I feel hungry, stop whenever I feel tired and keep going when I want to, so downtown it is an awesome experience to absorb by yourself.
I got off Pershing Square and started walking aimlessly without knowing where to go. It was a surprise to find lonely and abandoned streets in such a huge city, which is exactly where I got lost.
It was scary, and I even got a little forehead/upper lip sweat when "courted" by a few cholo friendos, but I figured, no offense, that it works the same as it works with dogs and human adrenaline. If you let them know you are scared, then they attack. When you put on your best tough really mad don't f with me face, they actually stay out of your way.
The scent of the city it is something to talk about. Urine, tacos, chinese and indian food, besides the smog from all the traffic make an interesting blend that you kinda get used to as you walk thru the streets.
It is never enjoyable though.
I sat in the sunlight which was kind of a treat since it was cold and a bit windy. I ate my apple and watched the homeless actually laugh and joke among them which was kinda funny and sad at the same time. They were hating the people feeding the birds. I agree with the homeless brothers.
I kept walking cautiously til I found the Angels flight, which is sort of a teleferic that takes you up to the civic center, actually where I really wanted to go later and thought of as such a complication. Life makes things easier when you less expect, even with small details.
This thing did not look safe at all. I was afraid for the people riding up, but hey, looked a lot like the ones in Valparaiso ( Chile) so I went for it.
Basically for .25 you skip the stairs and get a partial view of the city, but you are too worried the train is unsafe so you don't really look much, ha. I felt like a dog in a kayak.
The view from there was spectacular and from where I was coming, the historic part of the town, the upper part seemed like another world. People walking fast in their work suits and briefcases, power lunches at elegant restaurants seemed very contrasting to the shrimp taco kiosks plus a coke ( a combination I would not dare to try for my guts sake but works for a lot of angelenos) from down under.
Unexpectedly, I found MOCA ( Museum of Contemporary Arts) which was the highlight of my city findings.
I've been there before, but as i said, i enjoyed the whole experience more this time by seeing the museum by myself at my own pace. I like to walk to the beat of my own drum.
After MOCA, I walk several blocks more, not even noticing, perhaps by the hypnotizing playlist in my ipod and all the visual input, that it was getting really cold and dark, so I headed back to the train to come back home.
Lost again, I had the pleasure to meet the sweetest and nicest old man.He gave me directions to get where i needed to and started telling me his story He had come from Tennesse to try fortune as a singer. He even sang for me right there in the metro, which made me blush and smile at the same time.
He had a voice as amazing as Otis Redding as he sang 'Sitting on a dock on the bay', which made me tear up a little bit.Life is not fair, but it is what it is.
Not everyday you get a sweet man to sing a song for you.
Not everyday you get a sweet man to sing a song for you.
He starts telling me about how he never made it, not being able to afford a place to live or even food as a singer. It instantly reminded me about Ted Williams, the homeless man with a golden voice. Hopefully, for this man from Tennesse, that was kind enough to guide me on my way back, good fortune will smile at him someday, just like it did with Ted Williams. Bad things happen when you less expect it, but good things happen with the same odds.
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