the city 1
june 05, 2002
there's no mistaking the city as opposed to the suburbs. and after living and staying in the suburbs far too long, you tend to forget that there's this other side of LA. i used to go out to downtown quite often since the other half used to work out there. during a time when the metrolink was newly inaugurated, i often times rode out there, imagining myself in nyc, hk, japan, san francisco and the like looking at all the graffiti strewn concrete we pass along the way. i'm one of those who don't get enough of public transportation and sometimes, really despise the personal automobile. but on those days when i'm riding the subway out to downtown, i imagine myself to be elsewhere in the heart of some other bustling metropolitan city. but once you set foot onto street level, you are reminded of the reality that this is a very un-public transportation-friendly city -- the lack of people on foot gives way to the reality of it all.
i was out in the city recently, briefly walking around prior to the end of the banker's hour and basking in the radiant sunshine of california. and although there were familiar downtown sounds, downtown sights and downtown smells =:o it still wasn't what i truly envision as the core of a metropolis. perhaps i like the hustle and bustle of the big city and the newspaper stands, flower stands and food stands littering the streets. or perhaps i like the complexity of being lost in a crowd, swallowed up by an ocean of people and disappearing in to the sea of heads.
a good part of downtown LA does indeed look the part, it's just that i don't see very much it and can't experience a lot of it when i'm zipping by in my car from the comfort of my driver's seat.
what i wouldn't give to ride a subway from time to time and to be able to really experience a city as it should be, on foot.
