tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18670048198386320532024-03-05T03:45:11.550-08:00Los Angeles: The East Side StoryAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-92122663755236275422019-05-19T23:57:00.003-07:002019-05-20T23:15:41.771-07:00Travels with Meus in Search of California<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Day 1, Saturday: A literally literary ending to my stay in the City of Literature</b><br />
<b><br /></b>I was robbed on my last night in Seattle, my car windows smashed. It was also broken into on my first. Poetry sucks. The last time around, all that was taken was a worn-out wallet with credit cards and a driver's license, all about to expire in a few weeks, my laptop and passport left behind. The thieves were even kind enough to relock the car and hide the keys, pilfered from my gym locker, underneath the vehicle where they couldn't be seen except by a desperate owner searching the ground in the hopes that they had been dropped somewhere.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOyJGc_-qjz28wCBIJzwF8PKavZnwYoCJBW4t25r3q-6cV2J1V18bY1uEfHOpJdFj7pqv0ZoSi_hhLWYe8Zdm1E7Js9DrWOWPd6eB0usM5qxfVqhLA1YsAOdj-1kpQctMyrbwSSoBmCA/s1600/IMG_20190504_090549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOyJGc_-qjz28wCBIJzwF8PKavZnwYoCJBW4t25r3q-6cV2J1V18bY1uEfHOpJdFj7pqv0ZoSi_hhLWYe8Zdm1E7Js9DrWOWPd6eB0usM5qxfVqhLA1YsAOdj-1kpQctMyrbwSSoBmCA/s320/IMG_20190504_090549.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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I believe, I think, that they didn't want to hurt me personally in any way. I could easily cancel the credit cards. Reprogramming car keys would have cost upward of $400 and require me to tow the vehicle, had I not had spare keys, or uber around until I could find them.<br />
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The second time around, the perpetrators weren't quite as magnanimous. Fortunately, I found a glass shop that was able to fix it that day because <i>this trip would not be stopped</i>. They told me had I called any later, they would have been fully booked. I left the Seattle that afternoon barely an hour later than planned, with the sun still high in the sky.<br />
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Curiously, the thieves stole only a suitcase full of clothing, a blender, and a bag of glass tupperware, as far as I can tell (the rest I'll see when I unpack the Meus in Los Angeles). Perhaps they were scared off, or only in desperate need. In any case, it could have been far worse. I hope they needed those things more than I did. Whether these thieves also had the intent to do no personal harm to me, I don't mind cleaning out the closet and starting fresh with this move. In the words of my old friend Rod, "This is God saying we need a new look."<br />
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<b>Day 2, Sunday: Coasting down Oregon</b><br />
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Sunday was for driving down the Oregon coast. Some travelers argue this is actually the best sliver of the Pacific Coast Highway. Compared to Washington and California, the land is less built up, and you won't find Bear Flag style piers and neon lights spoiling the geography. The road hugs the coast for pretty much the entirety of the state. I started my day at the Tillamook dairy factory, wondering to myself why eating ice cream for breakfast didn't feel unfamiliar. It was the best ice cream I had had since moving to the Pacific Northwest, since it wasn't lavender or basil flavored. Vive la chocolate chip.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQMAmBW0peTkBENc8dz2IyqkvCAiaOFh5nUUQK8ktuzmoE0e59XUoGt2GIYASmmhIT9viYLO7NHwKkHMfhbMyeHWXlnqlNUJKQ96s2rQde6vNs2bif3BSanXiLLsG1NpjtR7PbELnHmI/s1600/IMG_20190505_101018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQMAmBW0peTkBENc8dz2IyqkvCAiaOFh5nUUQK8ktuzmoE0e59XUoGt2GIYASmmhIT9viYLO7NHwKkHMfhbMyeHWXlnqlNUJKQ96s2rQde6vNs2bif3BSanXiLLsG1NpjtR7PbELnHmI/s320/IMG_20190505_101018.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I overshot the landing at Cannon Beach the night prior, with the sun long gone over the horizon. The fault was mine entirely, half a dozen too many sudden stops at the side of the road for a vista, the second common theme of the trip. The first, come to find, was the cows, who became my most enduring companions. The sound of the ocean was nice, however, and the beach was dotted with hearty visitors huddled around fires. This gave me a chance to test the night mode on my phone, having revived a 3-year-old Samsung S7 with the Google Camera APK to force it to hold out until 5G arrived.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoiled Sea Lions</td></tr>
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I packed everything I had into my car. I was fortunate enough that I happened to have lived in a furnished apartment with two friends from graduate school, and on an 8 month lease that ended right as I received the offer to move. Meus has been with me through four states, five if you are willing to count my return to California. He came to me by chance. The Volvo, a wonderful wagon with built in booster seats and a rear-facing trunk seat, was nearing the end of its affordable life. I found a Prius that was almost exactly the specification I sought, and decided to test drive it on the way to a meeting north of Houston. On my way, a sheet of metal in the road caught a gust of wind off a large sixteen wheeler, and came careening into my car. I took it as a sign, and bought the Prius on the spot.<br />
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I couldn't have asked for a sunnier drive, and the six hours passed by more quickly than most 30 minute drives in less stunning locales. Perhaps because I could scarcely go thirty minutes without stopping to see what new rock formation I was passing. The most notable stop was America's largest sea cave, where visitors can actually take an elevator down to the cave to gaze upon sea lions for whom that studio aparment just wasn't cutting it. And yes, they installed the elevator during the migratory season when the sea lions weren't present.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Cows</td></tr>
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<b>Day 3, Monday: I haven't seen trees this gigantic since I was little</b><br />
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I actually arrived to the Jedediah Smith grove around sunset on Sunday. "Proceed about one mile to your destination," the voice inside my head unit said. Any cellular signal had long ago slipped through the grasp of my phone. I stared down what appeared to be a dead end dirt road, past three homes inhabited by what I assume are very independently minded folks. I gave the Samsung another try. <i>Are you there, Google? It's me, Aaron. </i>But, almost nonchalantly, eight hundred years of old growth suddenly appeared. It was beginning to get dark, but a schedule is a schedule, so onward I went. In case you're wondering, an old growth forest is a magical place to be alone at sunset (when you have plenty of gas).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rt1opRLfQDswYjoJWE0lniWfsfUgaqFYTw3n1PAiA7yoaDzRSUCqBIykFyPzk6rI_zma3QtGe3F27qmmIsV5rKl5ekJyjOIMgvjWQmZ2WzWkiynRN9Jq62nTfDXQVxAm1ifkCVe3IfM/s1600/IMG_20190505_195956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rt1opRLfQDswYjoJWE0lniWfsfUgaqFYTw3n1PAiA7yoaDzRSUCqBIykFyPzk6rI_zma3QtGe3F27qmmIsV5rKl5ekJyjOIMgvjWQmZ2WzWkiynRN9Jq62nTfDXQVxAm1ifkCVe3IfM/s320/IMG_20190505_195956.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
Monday I reached Crescent City in northern California. Ask a true Californian and they'll tell you that San Francisco is <i>not</i> northern California, it's the Bay Area. Eventually I would arrive in Southern California, because <i>have Meus, will travel. </i>I had been to the Sequoias in the central valley many times, but never to the famous redwoods in the upper reaches of the state. I find that these trees share a similarity in that they are not seen as much as they are <i>felt</i>. Go too long between visits, and the trees will diminish in your memories. It's only immersed in a sea of them that you will be reminded of how incredible they truly are.<br />
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I started Monday morning at the Foothill Trail, a pathway so flat I fear trail may be a misnomer. After directing me to the trailhead, a park employee looked around, paused, and told me to leave my car in the thirty minute parking space where it was. "It's Monday, you won't see many people here today."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LA Paul Bunyon</td></tr>
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The foothill trail winds through a lush, wet part of the redwoods, and culminates in the Big Tree. As much as the three-hundred-foot-tall trees pulled my gaze skyward, I kept coming back down to the thriving ecosystems that had taken over the prime real estate of the fallen. When I returned from the hike, I found a Stellar's Jay posing on a blue handicapped parking sign, begging me to take a photo. Somehow he must've known I got the shot, because immediately after, he departed.<br />
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The next stop was the Lady Bird trail, higher into the mountains and partly shrouded in clouds. I have little to say because nothing could capture the beauty of these giants. They simply are something felt more than seen. My fellow hikers were mostly retirees. I assume this was because it was a Monday; It'd be a shame to wait an entire lifetime to see something like this. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jan/26/giant-trees-dying">We may not even be able to. </a> A few struck up conversation, but mostly we communicated via a morse code of smiles and gasps.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead and alive</td></tr>
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Before heading southward, I considered Fern Canyon for my next stop. The same guide took a look at the Meus. "You're going to want to come back in a few months, unless that thing floats." So I headed onward. I had made it about three hundred feet when the vehicles ahead of me suddenly began pulling off the road. Elk Grove was true to its name, and a herd lay crouched in the grass while another stood guard.<br />
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From the Lady Bird Trail, I drove south another hour, stopping in Eureka for a quick plate of salmon and oysters at Humboldt Bay Provisions. Humboldt Bay is famous for its oyster harvest, and I will say that the oysters were that sort of meal against which all future oysters will be measured. I spent the night in Ferndale, a small Victorian town based, yes, on the dairy industry. I stayed at the Gingerbread Hotel, an ornate Victorian mansion that had been converted from a hospital and now served as a bed and breakfast. Only three rooms were occupied, so the innkeeper told me to feel free to explore the other rooms. The aesthetic could have been Steinbeck's inspiration for the Ames Brothel in East of Eden. Because I needed to sleep that night, I decided not to ask whether the inn had any <i>lingering</i> guests. "But Aaron," you say, "The innkeeper died years ago, and the inn has been abandoned ever since!" Which would explain how such a sumptuous breakfast had no affect on me whatsoever.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, yes, inside a tree</td></tr>
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<b>Day 4: Not all who wander are Lost Coast</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1FMiYF-ZIxKECpQXObVheyDjsA2qdqRi_K8hC5EjnBAkcpa6RLMN9czo9G2gMKVhl3hYTaU-NDlnMKjxDo-4g9uJLkFOewoBKobU9t4rr2r-UdOZviSPHT19XMcbFyd3xVn8E6c0-KQ/s1600/IMG_20190507_111416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1FMiYF-ZIxKECpQXObVheyDjsA2qdqRi_K8hC5EjnBAkcpa6RLMN9czo9G2gMKVhl3hYTaU-NDlnMKjxDo-4g9uJLkFOewoBKobU9t4rr2r-UdOZviSPHT19XMcbFyd3xVn8E6c0-KQ/s320/IMG_20190507_111416.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><br /></b>Follow the Pacific Coast Highway from Olympic National Park to San Diego, and you'll go from rainforests, to beaches, to strip malls. What you won't see is an 25-mile stretch of land where the PCH cuts inward, avoiding a particularly rugged area now served only by a rough one-land surface road. Ferndale is often considered a jumping off point for this region, and after the aforementioned breakfast, I set off to see if the coast could be found.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlvZex4WU8Z4xsU7Z6H0Twd-Qh7IWmUbiaYKP3wAYaiQNY1QSpS3MfpnUHK9ggyocmIKZr8kGWBYfU0KPB6IbV0u8sDxiSuFr6165ElmH9cfUcQdgG0oIY8rQfs38rTdW2703Ajx2a40/s1600/IMG_20190507_113858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlvZex4WU8Z4xsU7Z6H0Twd-Qh7IWmUbiaYKP3wAYaiQNY1QSpS3MfpnUHK9ggyocmIKZr8kGWBYfU0KPB6IbV0u8sDxiSuFr6165ElmH9cfUcQdgG0oIY8rQfs38rTdW2703Ajx2a40/s320/IMG_20190507_113858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There's something wonderful in having the ability to stand in the middle of a coastal road in California and have no fear of being mowed down by other tourists. In fact, along the Lost Coast you may go miles without seeing anyone. Pull off at Black Sands Beach, clamber over the rocks, and you'll find yourself out of sight of the road, hidden amongst a small crevice. I did that, and wondered how long I could stay there before someone would come by. If you ever try it, let me know. And if you decide to hike, be warned that parts of the trail disappear at high tide, so time your path accordingly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78hhmsMUx-T9a_pVBMn5fRrjkIL6pHkdDeJHkxkW8J8IuMARJtkJgSj7_raUGxAY7hXi278YMQIEEbuEaxHNyawQ1GQhDl5WNpeA6xWZOXdgBuGa_VtbnYGb7fTHPu6q6UjqoN110gfo/s1600/IMG_20190507_114901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78hhmsMUx-T9a_pVBMn5fRrjkIL6pHkdDeJHkxkW8J8IuMARJtkJgSj7_raUGxAY7hXi278YMQIEEbuEaxHNyawQ1GQhDl5WNpeA6xWZOXdgBuGa_VtbnYGb7fTHPu6q6UjqoN110gfo/s320/IMG_20190507_114901.jpg" width="240" /></a>On my way out of the coast, I passed through Petrolia, a town so named for the industry that would eventually mean that Los Angeles is still the most oil-producing urban region in the country. I expected to speed my way through the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, but came to a clearing where all the cars ahead of me and behind me seemed to disappear, and pulled over because I found myself unable to do anything but stare upward. The burst of redwoods around me reminded me of the the annual Independence Day fireworks along the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, when the most stunning display comes right at the end, right after you thought the show was over.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-UOcP3dDXigkqcQjzblK4CtC2ZLe65nrDYR5ROif7eNyZg-yWdyAScImHauc9tdV4fyH3NU-S4xLFfcvbnvbeP1nFXP9UqhgRUZvcHDygj3qk46qpbKe5nALm6FO8ms3Tt3kkBa33Ng/s1600/IMG_20190507_124239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-UOcP3dDXigkqcQjzblK4CtC2ZLe65nrDYR5ROif7eNyZg-yWdyAScImHauc9tdV4fyH3NU-S4xLFfcvbnvbeP1nFXP9UqhgRUZvcHDygj3qk46qpbKe5nALm6FO8ms3Tt3kkBa33Ng/s320/IMG_20190507_124239.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQotXEVWAFDdM-61PTZS2q8OrYMUVh8Eeynr-1oWuOlNq51H26VvnsPuhVN7Wny-OMKlOEhQAutsencgGXNY5weYFQMR7wWdh3r-CZPQG87XknPiLr-ybIJXa0C-fzpRfyHFgm8GmieE/s1600/IMG_20190507_131007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQotXEVWAFDdM-61PTZS2q8OrYMUVh8Eeynr-1oWuOlNq51H26VvnsPuhVN7Wny-OMKlOEhQAutsencgGXNY5weYFQMR7wWdh3r-CZPQG87XknPiLr-ybIJXa0C-fzpRfyHFgm8GmieE/s320/IMG_20190507_131007.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4hicBII2K5GbqQtrxqlB1I2LM-Z06z2kbZtg46MBiZpe33FGd1JU62MQhi-zFMtr9tX9kart0dXe-e9i1MVFy7vmtPlfrj5giQdZpnr8FEb4QZXZtNH6-AW3fk_Q8wyCyGnmMU0jBjA/s1600/IMG_20190507_150331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4hicBII2K5GbqQtrxqlB1I2LM-Z06z2kbZtg46MBiZpe33FGd1JU62MQhi-zFMtr9tX9kart0dXe-e9i1MVFy7vmtPlfrj5giQdZpnr8FEb4QZXZtNH6-AW3fk_Q8wyCyGnmMU0jBjA/s320/IMG_20190507_150331.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuWENxXMLFlEhLbZnVSUBZa4zvGcOKnHgJVh_1beWVIyQibSaHgmaq1va2wkAWa1HVvN3fr6MfON_2Enf5iefUb-mTpQ7U7IWu4rOBj0djMAgnbgM1zsbgIiFbmz1v4tXt8ooxRQbC58/s1600/IMG_20190507_153154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuWENxXMLFlEhLbZnVSUBZa4zvGcOKnHgJVh_1beWVIyQibSaHgmaq1va2wkAWa1HVvN3fr6MfON_2Enf5iefUb-mTpQ7U7IWu4rOBj0djMAgnbgM1zsbgIiFbmz1v4tXt8ooxRQbC58/s320/IMG_20190507_153154.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl1jRmXYwkc8UWljlUUEpM1WFTLPFuiiXE6CAD5GBMI87a6NuZJJut8l_3BZKoxTcdRchzgvGC-tQ4bPScSMn4ceiqvEuw4GC15R8d1EUbaB8VU3dehtbcG_6X2VCod6-KuDDXoAXOzo/s1600/IMG_20190507_154602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl1jRmXYwkc8UWljlUUEpM1WFTLPFuiiXE6CAD5GBMI87a6NuZJJut8l_3BZKoxTcdRchzgvGC-tQ4bPScSMn4ceiqvEuw4GC15R8d1EUbaB8VU3dehtbcG_6X2VCod6-KuDDXoAXOzo/s320/IMG_20190507_154602.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oH-32Ty4qjHLf37uBD5QHsZIO1SjEOiDj_1tzWKw6yiL8EmHBoSqS3yJrg8yqROc2J7-hNrK9CNLvG4dFuQeISRNrb6aGJIE_1-S4cdo_SU9rfUtlEZFtO7qK7fz8bvR1KAklZhVeVM/s1600/IMG_20190507_130819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oH-32Ty4qjHLf37uBD5QHsZIO1SjEOiDj_1tzWKw6yiL8EmHBoSqS3yJrg8yqROc2J7-hNrK9CNLvG4dFuQeISRNrb6aGJIE_1-S4cdo_SU9rfUtlEZFtO7qK7fz8bvR1KAklZhVeVM/s320/IMG_20190507_130819.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">More cows in beautiful places</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9F-Zdjby9o2xVRyGLb_j68pCaeSOzIpBN8LghaNRqDBI1j9LTqfVndrG75cCKW6cnXFvR3gVIku_b4E6GOL6dqcSgHS5fTqO2x7xmNb_-6DcW-rzFguhDMkDMZUgqsDqkD6w5lrbL2vc/s1600/IMG_20190507_185303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9F-Zdjby9o2xVRyGLb_j68pCaeSOzIpBN8LghaNRqDBI1j9LTqfVndrG75cCKW6cnXFvR3gVIku_b4E6GOL6dqcSgHS5fTqO2x7xmNb_-6DcW-rzFguhDMkDMZUgqsDqkD6w5lrbL2vc/s320/IMG_20190507_185303.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>Days 5, 6, and 7: I met my heart in San Francisco</b><br />
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Wednesday, I drove south through Mendocino, and into the Bay. Ernest was flying in from San Antonio to meet me, and as luck would have it (for me, anyway), his flight was delayed. This gave me time to pull off the road for one requisite photo, and to clear the front seat. Thanks to the lightening of my load at the start of the trip, I now had enough space that my boyfriend could actually fit into the passenger seat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yTyP-OtqZt8xqRFBMb1UYlG5w8HZuLyzBdiVx93A_0rvUQIOUM_qR8DLYgIQSZhdfB_xXMx-CfcWyQqgIIbZfxUT9hROckoF06CXmb4O6RGxuHP6UMY994eVvkkb4yYdEjNPizm7_Y4/s1600/IMG_20190508_114546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yTyP-OtqZt8xqRFBMb1UYlG5w8HZuLyzBdiVx93A_0rvUQIOUM_qR8DLYgIQSZhdfB_xXMx-CfcWyQqgIIbZfxUT9hROckoF06CXmb4O6RGxuHP6UMY994eVvkkb4yYdEjNPizm7_Y4/s320/IMG_20190508_114546.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many times am I going to take this picture</td></tr>
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On Thursday, I brought Ernest to <strike>heaven</strike> the Jelly Belly factory. We had a momentary panic that we might not be allowed in without children, like at Chuck E Cheese. While the majority of the rest of the visitors were in fact groups of school children, we were allowed in, and after a handful of samples went on a self-guided tour. Apparently, Very Cherry is the world's favorite flavor. Apparently, the majority of the world has never had Juicy Pear. Fun Fact: the vomit flavor jelly bean was created by taking the (failed) attempt at a pepperoni pizza flavor and adding citric acid to give it that special kick.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYJOOhB-VcCO90WRK8NbVkaUo5PqsNpS0IEjGdM9nFgVhaJXoxgyVo_S3HVSiqFqNWt_i7EZS2gV-rVaK5mbDFeGaA_RttDKKr2UJb_uj2_OdkOrcuy4-YMToTUKsEXKOzJH_pDG9H-E/s1600/IMG_20190509_121424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYJOOhB-VcCO90WRK8NbVkaUo5PqsNpS0IEjGdM9nFgVhaJXoxgyVo_S3HVSiqFqNWt_i7EZS2gV-rVaK5mbDFeGaA_RttDKKr2UJb_uj2_OdkOrcuy4-YMToTUKsEXKOzJH_pDG9H-E/s320/IMG_20190509_121424.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did you know if you eat the beans one at a time, the calories don't count?</td></tr>
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To satisfy the one of us with the more adult palate, our next stop was Sonoma. The founder of the Buena Vista winery, which purports to be the first of its kind in California, and the de facto founder of the California viticulture, was apparently a lifelong bachelor who built a very deep friendship with a Chinese man. So it's not something in the water in the Castro-it's something in the wine. Edit: Apparently <a href="https://www.iwfs.org/americas/wine-food---friends-1/agoston-haraszthy--american-entrepreneur---founder-of-california-s-ol">Agoston married a woman and had six children</a>. Strange the vineyard wouldn't bother to highlight their existence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivT01EezAh1bDTq3FaoBJ3tAkZt4GBK_Bw1Pll4mSyeWrUfIp6jWweMm-LbVrvIpqK205bfiOH9wsu-w667OMkeZYHip1-y06bEEASwOAow6N0vqHLCDaMefXNMXa4PSgm-KLufcSERpA/s1600/IMG_20190509_125304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivT01EezAh1bDTq3FaoBJ3tAkZt4GBK_Bw1Pll4mSyeWrUfIp6jWweMm-LbVrvIpqK205bfiOH9wsu-w667OMkeZYHip1-y06bEEASwOAow6N0vqHLCDaMefXNMXa4PSgm-KLufcSERpA/s320/IMG_20190509_125304.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Beans waiting to be counted. Just kidding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOnHcqU4P7n2Y6jSIUMCFcHXogLjlfAljPuW4LyfCaEHzRVgZIYJsD1VhKkNRohe19q4j6v70AkfpUpmUaG_T8IuWyi40Xv8z-qDWtl_eLnUXVdh9dMS88VIQj-9cyJMgqnPUMB4rFhM/s1600/IMG_37051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOnHcqU4P7n2Y6jSIUMCFcHXogLjlfAljPuW4LyfCaEHzRVgZIYJsD1VhKkNRohe19q4j6v70AkfpUpmUaG_T8IuWyi40Xv8z-qDWtl_eLnUXVdh9dMS88VIQj-9cyJMgqnPUMB4rFhM/s320/IMG_37051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Ernest!</td></tr>
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If you want to feel as though you're in the wild, yet right next to one of the most beautiful structures in the world, try Battery Park East. It was there that Ernest and I realized it's almost unfair how a city can be as beautiful as San Francisco<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/chronicle_vault/article/An-ode-to-the-Embarcadero-Freeway-the-blight-by-11543621.php">reinventing itself in the wake of a devestating earthquake</a>. I'm also convinced that "streets lined with Victorian homes" should be a Key Performance Indicator in any city's Walk Score. I'm also reminded, when I'm in this city, how much I used to love photography, and will probably get back into it.<br />
. Climb up a few steps and you'll find yourself in a clearing where, due to the topography, you can't see the roads above or below you, but you can see the bridge. Of course, not every city has been blessed with the geography and climate of San Francisco (say what you will about the coldest winters and summers, but the fog rolling in over the bridge is among the most evocative sights I have ever seen). Still, San Francisco has played this card to its every aesthetic advantage, even <br />
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<b>Day 8: To Morro, to Morro, Los Angeles tomorrow</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatnma-GdrBb03Djfcr-RKF45bLDPZogFgfQr2_K_gXJ3UfNTi6TkndictiAtDmHyZQjowYYxylbCAT5XBpezTDIzQmytEEGTDsVVKFPNYtzwwWibAhc8ADTGpjQv5mkInGfEilmuYYK4/s1600/IMG_20190511_194420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatnma-GdrBb03Djfcr-RKF45bLDPZogFgfQr2_K_gXJ3UfNTi6TkndictiAtDmHyZQjowYYxylbCAT5XBpezTDIzQmytEEGTDsVVKFPNYtzwwWibAhc8ADTGpjQv5mkInGfEilmuYYK4/s320/IMG_20190511_194420.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Prius, Golden Hour, Golden Coast</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0luogfjLC1WOoyi1JJSP0iwfoViCNY_dEBq-bzHMIW_VAEUhVBKXVXGSd38HopID_D5_q_X9abP4ng1GJ4oh0gViferh_UiRPa-96QRy9BbvM9wYyZX1qmBBnSq2pgSj71YFa9BQVJko/s1600/IMG_20190511_184400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0luogfjLC1WOoyi1JJSP0iwfoViCNY_dEBq-bzHMIW_VAEUhVBKXVXGSd38HopID_D5_q_X9abP4ng1GJ4oh0gViferh_UiRPa-96QRy9BbvM9wYyZX1qmBBnSq2pgSj71YFa9BQVJko/s320/IMG_20190511_184400.jpg" width="320" /></a>On Saturday, Ernest flew out to San Antonio, and after dim sum with two friends from college and coffee with another one, I continued south down the coast, through Big Sur (no matter that I had seen it many times before, it had to be done), to Morro Bay, and then to San Luis Obispo. At this point, I realized that I felt as though I had already concluded the roadtrip when I hit San Francisco, probably because of the frequency with which I have visited the city while living in Los Angeles. Still, it was this time driving down that I found myself pulling off the road to photograph the vineyards that line the freeway.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA60Dj5-V9mfnVNsUcC2dtzA7hqhhcS3Qm2teR2AUHzk-YVQu4c1IwMKmm7qcEVhEM2Q2QmoyZilQfptglWq_xVLoMKn4kykTlOdlCono2NMtsSBconeZJq1nyuCWaP8WdjPWQFDbeffs/s1600/IMG_20190511_193136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA60Dj5-V9mfnVNsUcC2dtzA7hqhhcS3Qm2teR2AUHzk-YVQu4c1IwMKmm7qcEVhEM2Q2QmoyZilQfptglWq_xVLoMKn4kykTlOdlCono2NMtsSBconeZJq1nyuCWaP8WdjPWQFDbeffs/s320/IMG_20190511_193136.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Sur. That waterfall has been going forever</td></tr>
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San Luis Obispo is probably best known for its beautiful beaches and <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/san-luis-obispo-the-new-napa_n_9551388">vineyards</a>, as well as the agriculture a bit more inland. What it is less known for is that SLO is another oil producing region of California. In fact, you'll catch reference to it in <i>There Will Be Blood. </i>As I write this, I realize I am making my way through the industries of California-oil, aerospace, tech, and entertainment.<br />
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<b>Day 9: Pacific Coast my way</b><br />
<b><br /></b>On Sunday, I arrived. Monday, I start work. For Los Angeles, I refer you to <a href="http://www.eastsidestoryla.com/2016/05/from-land-where-sun-rises-to-land-where.html">this post</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScGIab7UeW45ZHgg3XGLVfKUIlrWVkYHYoH1yj_qpuLty24OrrlnUHSENOxKoj676wNHyO_Iry0VgFAqqz1tUuGiTz5odQt4flG1KbvxBAl3cUYVIel5qgU8i6Km5MVhMCKVzGGXtZ_c/s1600/IMG_20190512_100358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScGIab7UeW45ZHgg3XGLVfKUIlrWVkYHYoH1yj_qpuLty24OrrlnUHSENOxKoj676wNHyO_Iry0VgFAqqz1tUuGiTz5odQt4flG1KbvxBAl3cUYVIel5qgU8i6Km5MVhMCKVzGGXtZ_c/s320/IMG_20190512_100358.jpg" width="320" /></a>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-56360534532564468882018-01-18T13:55:00.001-08:002018-01-18T13:55:47.765-08:00Review: Exit West
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30688435" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477324680m/30688435.jpg" border="0" alt="Exit West" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30688435">Exit West</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16902">Mohsin Hamid</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2263267693">3 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I had somewhat high expectations for this book and the "doors" device it utilizes. I had heard good things and considering it's among the most noted books of its year, I thought it might offer something new or inventive to the situation it depicts. Ultimately though, I was a bit disappointed. It's a short book, about half the length of most, and it comes of largely as a summary. I never felt immersed in the story, more I felt perhaps like someone was recounting an experience to me over a coffee or dinner. <br /><br />I thought the device of the "doors" was underutilized, as it simply allowed more movement to more places, rather than perhaps spending more time in one destination. This allows Hamid to sidestep some of the conflict that could tie down the characters, and potentially bog down the story in a refugees-at-the-border situation, and at first I found this compelling, but ultimately unfulfilling. I don't think the device even came into play until halfway through the novel. Because Exit West is so short, and they move around so much, again I felt it was largely a summary. Still, what narrative is provided is eloquent and well written.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2263267693">View all my reviews</a>
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-46559790793168623362017-12-04T20:33:00.001-08:002017-12-04T20:33:42.996-08:00Review: East of Eden
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4406" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441547516m/4406.jpg" border="0" alt="East of Eden" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4406">East of Eden</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/585">John Steinbeck</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2204334955">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I've reread this book every couple of years, and each time it adds back a little bit of that color to life that I didn't realize was starting to drain. Steinbeck writes in a way that clearly cuts against our contemporary novels, so often grounded in realism to the point of banality in trying to be "truthful." Steinbeck writes with enough richness that his characters can be analysed on end, yes, because they are symbols. They are more than human, but not just superficially so. Steinbeck elevates symbolism and aesthetic to a higher level. I don't read his stories so much as wrap myself up in them, immersing myself in his world. I remember the first time I went to California after reading a Steinbeck novel, and the hillsides seemed to whisper to me in a way they never before had. <br /><br />Like the bible from which it draws so much, the interpretation of this novel will change over time. I for one found Cathy to be one of the most compelling characters of the novel. She ostensibly lacked depth, because that is how her creator (Steinbeck) viewed her and made her. It was only natural that she was cynical, because Steinbeck seemed to create her in a sense of cynicism. But with a more modern interpretation, she was a strong-willed, independent character who didn't want to obey society's rules, and was willing to experiment with the suppressed desires of people, most obviously sex. She was the perfect foil to Adam-he saw things as he wanted to see them, and she saw things as they are. <br /><br />As an Asian American, I won't go into my love of the character Lee in too much detail. Suffice to say, his comments to the effect of "sometimes to make people listen, you have to tell them what they want to hear" resonated with me the first time I read this, and each time after. Nothing is what it appears on the surface in a Steinbeck novel. Every detail in this lengthy story is important, and in a sense the novel is that realistic in that we come to make certain assumptions about the characters and the story that are ultimately turned on their head. In the end, though, all the pieces in the narrative just fit together. The novel may as well be called "Life."
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2204334955">View all my reviews</a>
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-51361472853673770472017-11-25T10:59:00.001-08:002017-11-25T10:59:29.900-08:00Review: Little Fires Everywhere
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34273236" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1490351351m/34273236.jpg" border="0" alt="Little Fires Everywhere" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34273236">Little Fires Everywhere</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/164692">Celeste Ng</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2194678591">4 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
This book is an excellent weekend or vacation read. Beautifully written, and emotionally compelling while I was listening to it. I found myself rooting for some characters, hoping certain things would or wouldn't happen, and pulled in all the directions that I would want to be (even if I didn't *want* to be) to keep me going to the end. The challenge here is that, I had a sense that I had heard this story before. The most intriguing character of the story, Mia, the starving artist and single parent, is also the most opaque. Some readers here seem to argue that Ng writes to much in Mia's favor, but I actually read it more as somewhat of a hesitancy to commit to a full analysis of Mia, for better or for worse. <br /><br />Ultimately, as beautifully as the writing is, I don't see this as a story that will linger in my thoughts long after it has ended. The characters trode very familiar territory. The exception to this might be the case involving a child's adoption. Here I felt quite strongly that there was more debate that could have been explored, but was not, in order to keep the Shaker families squarely in the roles that were created for them. I did not seem to feel the sympathy for (being opaque to avoid spoilers) some characters in the trial that the author did, particularly given the past choices of the character, and how easily that should have come up in the trial as a source of skepticism of the plaintiff.<br /><br />Still, because the story was so artfully crafted, I leaned toward four stars. Definitely worth a read.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2194678591">View all my reviews</a>
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-3274086246773805882017-11-18T11:54:00.001-08:002017-11-18T11:54:41.022-08:00Review: Call Me by Your Name
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98687" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1283737003m/98687.jpg" border="0" alt="Call Me by Your Name" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98687">Call Me by Your Name</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2922229">André Aciman</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2188120462">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I hated it. Every moment.<br /><br />But the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference.<br /><br />I hated the author's unwavering commitment to love as art. I hated his ability to make these two characters into impossible, yet fully believable and realized characters. Like magic, literature only works if you believe in it, I suppose. I hated those little things that made me pause the audiobook from time to time to whisper, "For goodness sake, get over it, Elio." I hated how the author found ways to avoid melodrama, yet kept me listening to the very end. I hated how Armie Hammer read the novel like he was telling me about his own life, and grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me in to whisper into my ear.<br /><br />At times I wondered if the 17-year-old Elio was really a credible character. But then I realized he reminded me of all those friends of mine of whom I was once so dismissive, back in high school. The ones who would talk to me about Proust while I was trying to do derivatives. I wondered, as I read this, do straight people feel as pandered to when they read Jane Eyre as I do right now reading Call Me By Your Name?<br /><br />I couldn't put it down until I finished it, and like a past romance that on the surface I wish had never happened, I wouldn't change a thing.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2188120462">View all my reviews</a>
Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-25115812581223008542016-05-29T19:19:00.000-07:002017-07-27T20:53:21.075-07:00From the land where the sun rises to the land where the sun sets<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHej6sYs-pwPwWr0m1-HL0PET2yOziBYUIx2C3ZmbqGW31IeBcjXXFLFNrzs_a2aSjHKPV3VljEQdluqutTwkvW11JHOjyQP-MoIoT8wD35aGWdbZ2j60yh2avc2tkG387an4Wta84MIk/s1600/20160520_122241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHej6sYs-pwPwWr0m1-HL0PET2yOziBYUIx2C3ZmbqGW31IeBcjXXFLFNrzs_a2aSjHKPV3VljEQdluqutTwkvW11JHOjyQP-MoIoT8wD35aGWdbZ2j60yh2avc2tkG387an4Wta84MIk/s320/20160520_122241.jpg" title="Los Angeles' brand new Expo line Phase 2 extension to Santa Monica opened on May 20." width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Los Angeles' Phase 2 of the Expo line to Santa Monica opened May 20.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Los Angeles. The City of Angels. The city where dreams are
made, and where they’re broken that will chew you up and spit you out like the
next fad diet. The city of gangs and sprawl and Rodney King, a melting pot and
a patchwork quilt. The most racially integrated large city in the United
States. A relatively young American city that smells like the ocean and urine
and mountains and smog and bulgogi and pupusas and Spider Man will help you to
some Mary Jane. A city of Beverly Hills and Skid Row. A city that is Googie-fantastic
and noir and booming and just friendly enough for you to get comfortable. A
city that drilled for oil and found movie reels. Where lalaland always be reel.
A city where the first question on Saturday morning is “surf or ski or work on
a movie?” A city where “old town” means “looks like New England.” A city where
anything goes, except during rush hour on the 10, but that’s changing because
it’s building rail faster than any other American city because rail is hip
again. A city that knows how to party like it’s 1984 in 2024. A city of trends
that’s still too cool to care. A city where sometimes you’re better off if you
speak Korean or Spanish than if you speak English. A city with all the culinary
trappings of New York but we rock up in sand-covered flip-flops because
bourgeois intellectualism is like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">totally
</i>banal man. A city where the streets aren't paved with gold, but the crosswalks are painted with rainbows. A city where who the fuck cares because the sun is shining and
there’s wind in your hair. It’s Little Tokyo and Koreatown and Little Osaka and
Beverly Hills and Little Thai Town and Historic Filipinotown and Chinatown and
Little El Salvador and Compton and Watts and cakes melting in the rain that so
rarely comes. A city of East and West. A city that gives new meaning to blight
and flight and light and might. A city that will inspire you enough to write naïve
and possibly oblivious paeans to all of nothing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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From the land where the sun rises to the land where the sun
sets, <o:p></o:p></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
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You are fantastic.<br />
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Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-58140377323776235352015-03-31T20:15:00.001-07:002015-03-31T20:15:49.428-07:00The Hitchhiker's guide to the sharing economyI remember the first time I found eBay. My parents were incredulous. But I didn't care where it was coming from. I just had to have my Britannia Beanie Baby. So, after a bit of wrangling, I convinced by parents to let me create an account in their name. To this day my father is known to his sellers only as Bubbleflueff, someone whose transactional history somehow spans Furbie to boxing gloves. Nearly two decades later, we've crossed into Web 2.0 (I think that's how we refer to it? Or 3.0?), that takes this person to person transaction to a whole new level.<br />
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AirBnB. Lyft (Fine. And Uber). Fiverr. Thanks to these services my roommates and I have played host to Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis, Koreans, Frenchmen, Germans, Swiss, Belgians, Swedes, and Americans. In fact, the only repeat country we've had is two or three American guests. Traveling abroad, AirBnB has enabled me to get urban design-centric tours of Tokyo, and an exclusive visit into<a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1305889"> this building</a> (my host owned one of these so I got the chance to stop by, otherwise closed to tourists). I've been able to rescue myself when I stepped off at the wrong bus stop heading for Newark, and I've been able to locate someone to help me build a smartphone application in much shorter time than it would have taken me to do myself.<br />
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It goes without saying at this point, but if you haven't tried these tools, you should. Hint: if you preload your route on Google Maps while on wifi, you can still use GPS data free to locate yourself on the map, all while avoiding international roaming charges. Oh-one other benefit. There's also the built in filter that you are bound to meet people who are tech-savvy and forward-thinking.<br />
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Yes, it is clear the sharing economy does reflect on a generation of individuals who fell on hard economic times. But necessity is the mother of invention, and these fruits of the recession are having a significantly positive impact on both local and foreign cultural exchange.<br />
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Large institutions arose for a reason. They fulfilled a gap in the market in the desire for safe, stable operations. Reliability and consistency trumped identity and gave rise to the leviathan of then hotel industry. Taxis replaced hitchhiking. But thanks to the mobile technology revolution, information is now realtime in location too, and an ecosystem of connected services is allowing for the revival of what I would argue is actually the more traditional way of doing business-but with greater accountability.<br />
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AirBnB, and other sharing economy services, are not without flaws and controversy. Yes, I have found a strange-looking stain on the sheets. Your neighbors may dislike the sudden uptick in strangers passing by their homes. Rents may be on the rise because individuals are willing to pay more assuming they can rent spare space on AirBnB. And independent operators are not going to have the experience or preparation to respond in the event of emergency situations (do you have a plan in place for tending to a guest who has come down with a bout of food poisoning, or who is having an allergic reaction to shrimp?). In these situations, things tend to go perfectly until they go horribly wrong.<br />
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But taken in the grand scheme of things, those wrinkles are likely to iron themselves out. Once again, regulators find themselves caught in a situation where they cannot keep pace with technology, and are playing catch-up. Just as their forebears did with the boomtimes of yore, many of these companies are flouting regulations that arose in order to protect unsuspecting citizens who might otherwise buy that snake oil. The question is where the balance lies.<br />
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It's incredibly exciting to see some of the changes that are taking place, and completely reinventing the way we buy, sell, engage, and travel. I can only wonder what tradition will next use technology to make a comeback.<br />
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Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-9853668311720987822015-03-29T13:05:00.003-07:002015-03-29T15:53:45.869-07:00Bringing Broadway Back<br />
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I'm not sure when I decided this, but Los Angeles is the most intriguing place in which I've ever lived. Perhaps it was when I realized that the <a href="http://laist.com/2015/01/08/legendary_park_plaza_hotel_roosevel.php">Park Plaza Hotel</a> is not actually an operating hotel, or that the city is actually building rail transit at a faster clip than any other American city. But somewhere along the line I realized that this home of Hollywood was in the midst of another makeover. Here's a place that came of age straddling the advent of the automobile, torn between an incredible urban core and sprawl that has caused it be nominated as the <a href="http://www.ucityguides.com/cities/10-ugliest-cities-in-the-world.html">ugliest city</a> in the world (behind, I will add, somewhere else I have lived). And it's gritty. Like New York in the 70s gritty. But there's hope.<br />
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It's no secret that millennials as a whole have started returning to the dense urban cores that their parents fled for the suburbs. It's already happened in New York and Boston, and finally Los Angeles is catching on. At the core of this makeover is the Bringing Back Broadway initiative. I joined this group a few months after hopping off the plane at LAX in a cream colored cardigan, and found myself on a planning team for <a href="http://nightonbroadway.la/events/">Night on Broadway</a>. On January 31st, 20,000 Angelenos descended on DTLA for a night of free theatre performances, street food, art, and music to celebrate the revival of a part of town that had long been a dead zone after sunset.<br />
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Other initiatives this group has going include incentivizing businesses to rehabilitate some of the vast stock of incredible historic architecture and develop the DTLA streetcar. <br />
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I'm glad that this type of development is getting <a href="http://www.gq.com/life/travel/201401/downtown-los-angeles-restaurants-food-art">recognition</a>. And getting involved was as easy as showing up to a meeting of like-minded individuals. Having only been a kid at the time when New York and Boston gave their cores a good microderm, it's incredibly gratifying to witness the changes in Los Angeles as the vestiges of Los Angeles' past start to resurface from its worn art deco facades. Standing on the steps of the Los Angeles Theatre that night, I overheard one man in hipster glasses turn to his friend and yell, "This is the coolest night I've had in LA." Who knows-maybe one day the east side will steal back some of that interest that has for so long gone west.<br />
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Regardless of what happens, Los Angeles probably won't become New York anytime soon. And I like that. I finally called up that doctor in Beverly Hills (you know the one), and during my annual physical he told me I need to start eating exclusively organic and add chia seeds to my diet. Where else am I going to get that sort of medical advice?<br />
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<br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-27473441042144169472015-01-18T18:38:00.002-08:002015-01-18T19:01:01.758-08:00Angeles' Ashes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgCVvfLEKce5mPwNoYw2u5nHlgvcireUlXBRYv8242gRqSThWsIdok5qYd2d34ON9wRnE7wVgthXYVK7a17_9hktYZq4J5WY0AA1QHUR4Fzdz-AjGfIlHCWQDiADmzw-Q_YiLAb2ZZyE/s1600/20150118_111446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgCVvfLEKce5mPwNoYw2u5nHlgvcireUlXBRYv8242gRqSThWsIdok5qYd2d34ON9wRnE7wVgthXYVK7a17_9hktYZq4J5WY0AA1QHUR4Fzdz-AjGfIlHCWQDiADmzw-Q_YiLAb2ZZyE/s1600/20150118_111446.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>An intersection at 6th Street and Commonwealth.</i><br />
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Exit La Fayette Park Place and take a right past South Baylo University on 6th Street. Walk past the charter school and the quaint Mediterranean Revival public library, past the courthouse and the First Congregational Church cum high school. <br />
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Arrive at the intersection of 6th and Commonwealth, and you'll notice a line drawn in the poorly maintained roads. Beneath the layers of asphalt, vestiges of what was formerly the world's <a href="http://www.bringingbackbroadway.com/Initiatives/STREETCAR/LASHISTORICSTREETCARSYSTEM/index.htm">most elaborate</a> streetcar system have slowly started to fight their way to the surface. <br />
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Having lived in Houston, and now living in Los Angeles, it isn't too hard to see how the pair are two sides of the same coin, or perhaps just two data points along the same narrative. More bluntly, Los Angeles fifty years ago is what Houston is today. Los Angeles existed before the advent of the automobile, and faced an awkward transition into the age of the automobile, something for which it continues to <a href="http://www.ucityguides.com/cities/10-ugliest-cities-in-the-world.html">pay dearly</a>. It is now entering that junction in its development where it can follow the status quo, or accept the investments that would be required to serve a generation whose lives <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/10/14/the-many-reasons-millennials-are-shunning-cars/">don't revolve</a> around the car. Houston has only really existed in its current scale with the automobile, and really won't exist in any other form for the foreseeable future.<br />
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Given the setup of Los Angeles is not <a href="http://www.humantransit.org/2009/07/how-paris-is-like-los-angeles.html">dissimilar from Paris</a>, a comprehensive rail system (or something of the sort if you are of the opinion that rail is too expensive) would function relatively well. The interesting reality is that the city is using preexisting right of ways from the historic Pacific Electric cars to build the new light rail, and is doing so <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3037848/why-a-subway-building-binge-will-transform-how-los-angeles-works">faster than anywhere</a> else in the country. Thus, it sounds like within the next decade or two (eek), this type of system might come back to place. <br />
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It's not the most beautiful city in the world. In fact, those individuals stepping off the plane from Asia into this gateway city may think they've gone back in time. Too much stucco and too little street cleaning, streets that are too wide and give deference to cars rather than bicyclists and pedestrians. You can tell that the concepts are new to a lot of Angelenos, in the way that they honk at pedestrians who have the right of way, or don't know to watch out for bicyclists before taking a turn or opening the car door. Still, sufficient historic buildings and a gridded layout exist to serve as the backbone for an incredible future, especially in what is actually the densest metropolitan region in the country. It seems the proper steps are already <a href="http://www.metro.net/projects/progress_tracker/bytype/expansion/">being taken</a>. But is it really impossible for <a href="http://www.citylab.com/commute/2011/10/why-tokyos-privately-owned-rail-systems-work-so-well/389/">privately owned rail </a>to succeed in the US?<br />
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The weather is about perfect 300 days of the year, so it isn't hard to envision a much different future for the basin, and perhaps one that can take a cue from <a href="http://www.monorails.org/tmspages/la1963.html">the past</a>. I'm pretty optimistic.<br />
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<br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-58657984067516718872015-01-06T21:37:00.000-08:002015-01-06T21:37:43.026-08:00The One that Melted in the Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2DjrMxn2zW0rXhksTo4Li62gSBNNYfiG_d4kQMAM6stwvAGF1-EFx0XnYT4yep_NoeVpA9GUXJ7Sp4-sCHS5ZI4bqNpiizHAKtj1DeI5J5MECO8qPlTy3fryKCj7kOd60Qtj2tlSpmQ/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2DjrMxn2zW0rXhksTo4Li62gSBNNYfiG_d4kQMAM6stwvAGF1-EFx0XnYT4yep_NoeVpA9GUXJ7Sp4-sCHS5ZI4bqNpiizHAKtj1DeI5J5MECO8qPlTy3fryKCj7kOd60Qtj2tlSpmQ/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Take a stroll just five blocks east from my condo and you'll find yourself staring at one of the most beautiful urban parks in Los Angeles. Formerly a drinking water reservoir, Westlake (and the MacArthur Park neighborhood in particular) were billed as LA's <a href="http://remainla.com/?p=104">answer </a>to the Champs-Elysées some time in the middle of the century. Sitting in the famous Langer's Deli looking out onto the park, one can see the past logic that the neighborhood just outside of downtown would have been designed as a pleasantly residential area for families to live just a short streetcar ride from work. <br />
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Fast forward a few decades later, and the park would find itself the center of unfortunate crime and urban blight. As with the rest of Westlake and Koreatown, one can see the vestiges of a bygone era in the ornate façades, in the asphalt that is peeling back to reveal the tell-tale streetcar tracks that betray what was once the world's most elaborate streetcar system.<br />
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In the past decade or two, significant strides have been made in revitalizing the park, repurposing such beautiful (but unoccupied) historic structures as the Park Plaza Hotel as an event venue (Lance Bass had his wedding there a few weeks ago). Correction-it's actually called "<a href="http://parkplazala.com/">The Legendary Park Plaza</a>," perhaps because it isn't actually a functioning hotel anymore, and thus to call it a hotel would be false advertisement. Though the park is still the place of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H0BD2eWIww">Donna Summer fame</a>, a place to go if you need a fake ID, the area has been a case where "revitalization" was not merely a euphemism for the displacement of the local population. <br />
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Halloween saw thousands of families taking to the streets for Trick-or-treating. More importantly, the Mexican consulate's MacArthur Park-facing office has seen multiple demonstrations in solidarity with the <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/11/20/mexico-protest-strike.html">Missing 43</a>, including the one pictured above that temporarily shut down 6th St. The demonstration took place entirely in Spanish, which I suppose is only surprising in that it surprises me. The park is vibrant: never have I seen it during the weekend without a large crowd gathered for a game of soccer, with others playing frisbee or just laying on the grass. Maybe someday the boathouse will reopen to allow for paddle boats once more.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-61335921251718215282015-01-05T18:39:00.000-08:002015-01-06T19:22:08.217-08:00The One with the Geography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Koreatown. Recently <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-koreatown-immigration-architecture-20141130s-story.html#page=1">described by the Los Angeles Times</a> as the neighborhood to reflect what most of Los Angeles will become (more dense, higher rail transit, walkable), the neighborhood sits at a nexus of some of the most vivacious neighborhoods in the city. Downtown is two stops away on the Metro. Greater Wilshire and Central LA are just to the west. And clockwise going north are West Hollywood, Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park, and Chinatown. It's really a question of which arrow on the compass inspires for the day. Smaller neighborhoods of Olvera Street and Little Tokyo round out the loop. Oh yes, and Skid Row. <br />
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I should start by saying that Koreatown isn't technically even east Los Angeles-but on the broader scale, the "West Side" comprises the beach towns along the 405: Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, Redondo, Hermosa, etc. The east side traces the 110 freeway (and includes all those neighborhoods mentioned above, as well as Boyle Heights, Alhambra, and Monterrey Park), and South Central is the neighborhoods of Florence Graham (a street near home is named Bonnie Brae, I really can't complain about local nomenclature), Watts, and Compton.<br />
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Known to be the center of Korean culture and business for Los Angeles, Koreatown is actually over 50% Hispanic. The neighborhood is home to a eclectic mix of mid-century classic architecture and a host of ultra-modern developments popping up left and right, including the recently completed Vermont Towers. It's the home of the best $10 bibimbap I've ever had, as well as some of the best flautas. In fact, we've come to realize that the best food to be had in the two mile radius around us comes from restaurants where the only language missing on the sign out front is English.<br />
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Often criticized for its lack of parking and somewhat hostile (for LA) environment for cars, the area plays host to two subway lines-the red and purple. Yes, one can get all the way from our place to Universal Studios without ever changing lines on the train, or get to Orange County with one switch at Union Station, the most beautiful building in Los Angeles (more on that later). Los Angeles is actually building rail faster than any other city in the country (come on Boston, pick up the pace if you want to be ready for 2024).<br />
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Center of the world? Maybe not. Center of everything in Los Angeles that is more than the beach? Perhaps.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867004819838632053.post-76240158770439736032015-01-04T22:11:00.004-08:002015-01-06T19:21:55.213-08:00The One With the Backstory<br />
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"You're moving to California."<br />
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My heart stopped. Three years had passed since I had locked the door to my San Francisco apartment for the last time. I quelled my voice to maintain my professionalism to my manager.<br />
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"I appreciate the opportunity, this is really exciting! I'll look forward to discussing the logistics with HR."<br />
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I put down the phone. I picked it up. <i>Hey, Rod, um, I'm moving to California. </i>Rod was my landlord and closest friend in Houston. For a year I had been renting the first floor of his beautiful town home. Moments later my phone rang and all that I could hear was "Why God?!" blasting through the earpiece, in his characteristic why-are-other-people-getting-what-I-want humor.<br />
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For the next month, I spent my evenings and weekends on Trulia and Curbed LA, trying to find the neighborhood in which I would live. After life in Texas, I was ready to get back to a dense urban setting, and knew that the densest part of Los Angeles was the part that I wanted to call home. Any neighborhood with "Beach" in its name was out for price reasons. I consulted with a colleague who had lived in Hermosa Beach after growing up in New York. He knew I hail Boston and that my sensibilities are accordingly calibrated. "You'll like Koreatown," he advised. <br />
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And he was right.<br />
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I found a place right on the border between the Koreatown and Westlake neighborhoods, near the infamous MacArthur Park. Soon after moving in, I had my first taste of LA living. A friend of mine moved to town as an aspiring actor and became my roommate. While Nick eventually found himself a spot in West Hollywood, I managed to convince one of my closest friends from college to move here following her graduation from Princeton's school of architecture. And in August, she became my new roommate. This blog is the story of our experience in the second largest city in the United States, a city of dreams, of immigrants and perfect weather. A city that is actually an amalgamation of dozens of neighborhoods. A city that has seen social and economic rise and fall. A city where everyone is just one big break away from immortality, but also one small break away from bankruptcy. A city that has reinvented itself multiple times over the course of its history. A city of nearly 4 million people (and a county of over 10 million). With luck there's room for 3 more.<br />
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Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193745479839745722noreply@blogger.com0