2009-06-09T22:12:00.001-07:00

My sister is totally right. I'm doing a horrible job posting to this
blog. It's not that I don't have anything interesting to write, it's
that I don't like logging into my blog account to post. I've been
doing a real good job posting to my teaching blog, but that'd because
I can send text messages to that blog to post from school or the train
fast and easy when a thought occurs. Unfortunately I can only have one
text posting link at a time. I just discovered, however that I can
email posts. And I can use my phone to so that too! Problem solved.
More frequent posts to come.

How did we ever love without smart phones? What savage times those were.

P.S. The metro is great. I ride about 4 times a week, drive once.
Except last week, but that was because I was sick, I think as a result
of riding public transportation. Lesson learned: wash hands more
frequently.

Top 5 Things I Will Miss About LA

2009-05-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

I intended to create this blog weeks ago to chronicle my transition from a long time Angeleno to freshly minted Long Beach resident (a Long Beacher? What do you call someone from Long Beach?).

So although I had the best intentions of starting a while ago, as James would say, moving takes a lot longer than you think it would. Sadly the blogs are the first to suffer in the moving process, and I didn't have time to write. I did, however, have time to think about what I would have written, if I had the chance. And that is the subject of this first post.

The Top 5 Things I Will Miss About Los Angeles
Note: I thought of this list before moving, so it could be different than what I actually DO miss about Los Angeles.

1. Using the 10 Freeway everyday
You could start in Santa Monica on the 10 Freeway and take it all the way to the Florida and dead end in the Atlantic Ocean. I don't know why you'd possible want to take it past the 5 Freeway though (unless you are going to Las Vegas).

Traffic can be bad on the 10 during rush hour, but I never had to deal with that since I was always going the opposite direction as everyone else, and I was coming and going much earlier than most people given my profession.

The 10 Freeway is Los Angeles' Main Street. It cuts through the center of everything. I suppose you could eek out an existence in your on little neighborhood in Los Feliz, or West Hollywood, or Culver City, or Venice Beach, but who would want to? Los Angeles is huge (some would snidely say "sprawling"); you're supposed to drive all over town to take advantage of all those favorite spots you have all over the city. While more often than not, you'll take surface streets, the 10 cuts through the middle of anything. As long as you can find your way back to the 10, you're never lost. You can get anywhere on that beautiful cement artery.

2. Driving by USC on my way to work
I'm a teacher. I work in a school. I went into teaching right out of college through Teach for America, so education has been part of my daily life for the past 17 years of my life. I strongly believe in the importance of education

USC was the pinnacle of my formal education and in my mind is the paragon of what higher learning should be. My four years walking Trousdale, working on the fourth floor of the Student Union, and running around Figueroa, Adams, Hoover, and Jefferson are perhaps the most formative years of my life. USC has everything. The work, learning, service, and exposure to culture, history, athletics, and spirit at the University more than prepared me for life after college.

I only wish all my students could have that. It's very inspiring to have a daily remainder of my experience at USC everyday on my drive to work as I see the globe on top of VKC from the 10, and the developments along the Figueroa (including the current construction on the University Gateway) from the 110. USC was a constant reminder of why I teach.

I hope I don't become too bitter without it.

3. My neighbors
Once in a while you'll come across a snotty suburbanite who's eager to dispense their big box store wisdom, and will tell you that the reason there is so much crime in cities is because people don't know their neighbors. Well, that's not true on a couple levels. 1.) I was never a victim of crime in Los Angeles (except I had a couple bikes stolen at USC, but that was probably my fault). 2.) Although I didn't know my neighbors at all when I lived in Culver City, I knew many of them when I lived in Mid-City. The ones I'll miss most of all:

-- The chatty older white couple with three or four dogs that lived one street over who always remembered my name and Wrigley's, but I never remembered theirs.

-- The super chatty black man who used to drive a bus in my school's neighborhood and who always called me "chief". He always walked around the neighborhood in rain boots, I think because he was always watering and raking his yard. He has great rose bushes and liked it when you commented on them.

-- The very angry looking Japanese woman next door who at first I thought was tattling on me and my roommates to our landlord, but who over time I won over with my charm and manners, She would always smile and wave at me and seemed genuinely disappointed when she saw we were moving out -- or at least that I was moving out (I think she still scowled at my roommates).

I had good neighbors, and while I didn't know their names, we happily shared our block in Los Angeles. My students always ask me if I live in Beverly Hills or a "white neighborhood." I was always proud to say no. I live in Los Angeles, and I have white, brown, black, and Asian neighbors. Racial harmony and equality always seems like a far off dream in Los Angeles, but on my block diversity felt like a non issue, like a simple reality of life.

4. My walking route with Wrigley
I was probably outside more often than most people because I have a dog and dogs need to pee on trees; it's what they do. I enjoy taking walks with Wrigley in my old neighborhood, in part because of my neighbors, but also because of the views it provided.

On a clear day, you could look straight up Cochran, my old street, and see the Hollywood sign off in the distance. If you walked up to Olympic, or down to 12th Street, you could look east and see the skyline of Downtown Los Angeles. If you looked west on Olympic, you could see Century City. Los Angeles is a beautiful city. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

5. Proximity to the Grove
I am including the Grove on this list, partly because I like the way "Top 5" sounds opposed to "Top 4". Everyone has an opinion of the Grove on 3rd Street, and most pompous jerks will tell you it's an immoral, consumer wasteland. I've come to love the Grove and can appreciate it for what it is. It's a mall, but it's a great mall. The Farmer's Market takes the idea of a mall food court and shoves it head in the toilet it gives it a culinary swirly. I'll miss Sushi Go Go, the crepe place, and the place with the frozen bananas. I'll even miss Pinkberry and especially the Chipotle.

I didn't do much shopping at the Grove, but it was great for people watching and spotting dog with yamakas. Plus it freakin' snows there at Christmas, while the rest of LA is a balmy 65! I'm sorry, in America we call that progress.

It was nice to be able to get to the Grove in 5 minutes when plenty of people are willing to drive an hour or more to get there.

From LA, To LB

Top 5 Things I Will Miss About LA