To those who loved the old don't-ever-mention-anything-about-my-actual- day-to-day-life format, look away.
Ever see a movie that everyone had said was terrible, and then you actually watch it and it's not that terrible, or at least there were some things about it you really liked? Well, that seems like a good metaphor for the very place where that movie was probably made, Los Angeles.
Yes, there's smog and sprawl, and maybe at least a hint of superficiality and materialism and unfortunate economic disparity. And traffic. Oh my god, traffic. Seriously. Traffic traffic traffic. And you never know when; it seems to follow you around, like you must be going where everyone else is going, even if you can't for the life of you figure out why your destination would be so popular. Yet, there it is, car after car being passed by pedestrians (the few that there are in LA). And you look in the opposite lane and it's clear, but it doesn't matter if you're going into the city or out of it or at what time of day or on what day of the week. It's just cars, everywhere.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Despite all that, there have been some truly amazing things about this city. Do not underestimate the power of a place that has lodged itself permanently into your psyche from the time you could watch a screen. It is truly amazing how much here is oddly familiar; it's like revisiting a place for the first time.
Standing on Bugs Bunny's star on the Walk of Fame (where he, himself, probably once stood) was cool. Visiting The Dude's house (maybe), Walter's security building (well, we drove by it I think), the cafe where Walter tells The Dude he could get him a toe (by 3pm today, with nail polish). Eating pancakes at the very same place as the Nihilists (and yes, they were lingonberry).
And yes, watching that film in the city that made it.
Today I walked to the beach, five blocks from the apartment where we're staying. The sun was setting, but there was a large, concentrated crowd on the beach. My first thought was a beached whale, but it turned out to be a drum circle. It went on well into the night.
Yesterday we went to the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Wow. It is not to be missed (though also not to be described).
It's also amazing how you can just wander (assuming your car can move fast enough to call it 'wandering'; yes, I do really hate the traffic), and see cool, interesting, weird things.
If you're anything like me, you've heard some pretty bad things about LA. Well, it seems like most of them are true. But that's all part of the charm.
Oh, and by the way: all you MadTV fans out there should keep your eyes peeled; you might see someone you know in the audience of an upcoming episode. Because SNL is for losers.
Ever see a movie that everyone had said was terrible, and then you actually watch it and it's not that terrible, or at least there were some things about it you really liked? Well, that seems like a good metaphor for the very place where that movie was probably made, Los Angeles.
Yes, there's smog and sprawl, and maybe at least a hint of superficiality and materialism and unfortunate economic disparity. And traffic. Oh my god, traffic. Seriously. Traffic traffic traffic. And you never know when; it seems to follow you around, like you must be going where everyone else is going, even if you can't for the life of you figure out why your destination would be so popular. Yet, there it is, car after car being passed by pedestrians (the few that there are in LA). And you look in the opposite lane and it's clear, but it doesn't matter if you're going into the city or out of it or at what time of day or on what day of the week. It's just cars, everywhere.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Despite all that, there have been some truly amazing things about this city. Do not underestimate the power of a place that has lodged itself permanently into your psyche from the time you could watch a screen. It is truly amazing how much here is oddly familiar; it's like revisiting a place for the first time.
Standing on Bugs Bunny's star on the Walk of Fame (where he, himself, probably once stood) was cool. Visiting The Dude's house (maybe), Walter's security building (well, we drove by it I think), the cafe where Walter tells The Dude he could get him a toe (by 3pm today, with nail polish). Eating pancakes at the very same place as the Nihilists (and yes, they were lingonberry).
And yes, watching that film in the city that made it.
Today I walked to the beach, five blocks from the apartment where we're staying. The sun was setting, but there was a large, concentrated crowd on the beach. My first thought was a beached whale, but it turned out to be a drum circle. It went on well into the night.
Yesterday we went to the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Wow. It is not to be missed (though also not to be described).
It's also amazing how you can just wander (assuming your car can move fast enough to call it 'wandering'; yes, I do really hate the traffic), and see cool, interesting, weird things.
If you're anything like me, you've heard some pretty bad things about LA. Well, it seems like most of them are true. But that's all part of the charm.
Oh, and by the way: all you MadTV fans out there should keep your eyes peeled; you might see someone you know in the audience of an upcoming episode. Because SNL is for losers.
posted by lee at 8:38 AM
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