Dirty Chips and Plastic Bananas.

Metro Rapid Bus 754 - Vermont/Melrose

If you have a pitcher of sangria, a view of Elvis and the Virgin Mary, and healthy helping of black beans, you might just be inside the Original Cha Cha Cha.

Inside the pink exterior are two dining rooms where the Chiquita Banana would feel right at home. It is one of those rare wonderful places that thrive in Silverlake or Venice beach, where good food and a friendly atmosphere blend perfectly with the eclectic decor.

Every time I go, the Dirty Chips with Guacamole are the first things ordered. Before 2pm you can enjoy breakfast dishes with sides of plantains (which are my personal favorite here). After 2 pm, make sure you make it to happy hour: 4-7pm Monday - Thursday for $10 Sangria pitchers.

The side dishes are always a hit, and I hear the Jamacian Jerk Chicken is amazing, although I can't say I've tried it myself. Best of all, everything comes with fresh, warm bread, perfect for dipping in black beans.

You'll leave a little happier, a little warmer, and feeling a little bit more like a part of the family that has kept Cha Cha Cha standing (out) on the corner for the last 22 years.

Tap That Pass

Only slightly thicker than a credit card, the TAP is the daily, monthly and weekly pass - Los Angeles' RFID answer to NYC's Metro Card.

What they do:

• Give you a satisfying beep every time you board a bus or train (note: it makes the same noise in the train station, but not on the busses, whether or not you have a balance on your card)


• Pay your fare without taking your card out. Just wave your wallet or purse over the TAP station - like magic!


• Stand up to the wear and tear of daily (ab)use, month after month (mine is over a year old)


• Save you from paying for transfers within MTA (because, well, you have to buy an unlimited pass)


• Let you reload your pass online

What they don't do:

• Give you the chance to buy or reload a pass from your bus driver -- train stations are the easiest place to buy passes


• Let you load up the cards with a set amount; you get unlimited passes only good for the day/week/month


• Make life easier for Grammar Girl (people have a tendency to say "TAP Pass" just like "ATM Machine")


• Give you your TAP card for free ($2 please)


• Convince people to pay their subway fare


• Keep monthly riders from getting citations

It is better than the paper passes in many ways. It makes more sense, and is easier to access. But it is unnerving that MTA requires tapping the card, even for in-station train transfers, and threatens citations if you do not. It is faster than swiping a card the way they do in New York City, but slower than flashing a paper pass.

Wine Wine Wine

Rapid Bus 704 - Santa Monica / Lincoln

Like any decent LA happy hour spot, Bodega is a subtle presence.

Announcing itself with naught but a little sign, Bodega Winebar looks quite red from the outside (in fact, the red windows are its most distinctive feature), but is easy to pass by if you don't know it's there.

Inside, red is still the prevailing color, and their red wines seem to be their star players. At happy hour you can sample some fun wines (the Petit Syrah was the group favorite tonight), and nice appetizers to share with friends in a very low-key environment.

If you're looking for a place to sit - the back tables have brighter lighting and seem a bit more private (as in, you'll have trouble finding your friends if they're sitting there). The raised window seats are very fun, but you might get a bit warm if you're sitting there before sunset. In the center of it all are long tables with stools where you can socialize with larger groups or make new friends. All in all, it is a nice mix of seen or not-seen, mingle or alone.

Since Bodega is located around the corner from Lincoln, just a quick block from Santa Monica Blvd, it is easy to grab a bus and head home when you're done, and it saves you a buck or two on valet parking.

Earth Day Goodness

Metro Rapid Bus 720 - Wilshire / Western

Today I survived jury duty and made my way up to the Wilshire Center's Earth Day Celebration.

There were lines of booths with information on planting trees, meditation, and organic everything. People walking and people making friends while riding by (Guys - take note: Flagging down a girl walking by while alongside her on a bike is far more successful than whistling and cat-calling while driving by in a car, just based on what I saw today).


Perhaps the best part was the main stage area, where you could sit on the grass and marvel at how different the area looked with so many people gathered and relaxing. It was a lot different than watching people get upset while stuck in traffic.


A few solar panels on one side of Wilshire supplied the electricity for everything except the main stage. Which included the two side stages, as well as a movie/presentation tent.


There were lots of petitions to sign, causes to join, and people to listen to. Just as the range of causes varied from chanting meditations to collecting signatures for biofuel, the range of enthusiasm ran from bored to passionate.

And I must admit, I found something to be passionate about.

The ability to travel from Los Angeles to Sacramento or San Francisco in less than three hours. Without leaving the ground.

The proposed high speed rail system for California may one day receive its funding. It wouldn't be a complete solution to traffic or pollution, but it would be an appealing alternative to driving. (The big downfall here is that they're talking about running rail through the central valley without talking about freight rail - anyone who has driven I-5 through California knows that the great bulk of the traffic comes from truckers.)


Safer, faster, and greener than driving or flying, a high speed train would also be a huge benefit to tourism, and to economies in the central valley.

It would also be the first step toward a larger focus on rail travel throughout the state and the nation. And I'm all for that.

Nat’l Park

Metro Rapid 704 – Bundy Drive

So, you ask me, how does it feel to be a national hero, to have your home transformed into a National Park and people worshipping the sidewalks you walk down?

Good, I say. It feels pretty darn good.

That’s right. My home, or at least the adjacent traffic triangle, has been declared an official Islands of LA Nat’l Park.

But, you might ask, what is an Islands of LA Nat’l Park?

Well, according to the art project, Islands of LA, little traffic islands have been declared National Parks as "a symbol of the treasure of everyday urbanism in our unique democracy". Their artistic antics are designed to, like most urban art, provide the inspiration for discussion and an examination of how we use the materials – or, in this case, public spaces – and encourage interaction. The Islands of LA designation was announced with the placement of commemorative signs, such as the one gracing my park, at 200 different traffic islands across LA.

Alongside their Islands of LA project, they have also participated in Newtown’s Hugely Tiny Festival with a little traffic island float, placed signs encouraging art and passed out mini-postcards of Traffic Island.

The oddities surrounding my little park (fenced in to keep out you pesky humans!) have been the subject of other public art stunts in the past, including Heavy Trash’s Stair to Park project.

I’m just glad to finally get the recognition I so clearly deserve.

Next stop, commemorative coins.

The price of being a Trojan in Bruin Territory

Rapid 761 - Westwood/Lindbrook

'Twas the night Bruin beat Trojan, and all through Westwood
Massive parties were brewing, tonight's bash would be good.

Pennants and flags hung from balconies with care
from beach to Coliseum, to our teams we swear.

So the parties commenced, students drinking 'till two
And then heading home, with more liquor to consume.

And I'm sure that the ten was a colorful sight;
Overfilled cars pulled over by black-and-whites.

On the eve of AIDs Day, with the Philippines stuck,
Our educated in LA were busy running amuck.

(Look on the bright side, one of my friends stated:
Their cheers were clever, and condom related.)

Apropos

Metro Rapid 720 – Wilshire/Western

Every music venue has its own personality.

The Wiltern’s is a wry sense of humor and strong grasp of the obvious.

By taking its name from its own intersection (and keeping it, even after corporate sponsorship), the Wiltern provides plenty of “deep thoughts” moments. It also provides endless amusement when someone doesn’t know how to get there.

And it often hosts concerts like this one. Evanescence on Halloween weekend.

I didn’t get to go.

It’s just as well, since the crowd camped out in front (all gothed out and camped out) was giving me weird looks.

Which was disconcerting, to say the least.

Wilshire - Fairfax: Consider This

When you ride the bus, you can do crazy things, like crash an art party on the spur of the moment, without having to worry about the high cost of parking and car thieves. Which is, of course, exactly what I did.

LACMA West...well, I have no real idea what LACMA West is. I know that it is West of the actual LACMA building, which is easily identifiable by the grandiose architecture and river-lake-fountains leading up to and surrounding it. Or, by the giant signs reading LACMA > in front of the construction/gaping hole which will one day be a new LACMA (middle?). The only information I could find on LACMA West in my extensive five second search for information is that it used to be a May Company and was purchased by LACMA in 1991-2.¹

Side Note: Amazingly, LACMAwest.org does not exist. I suggest
that someone purchase that domain immediately and begin ruthlessly dismantling the exhibits hosted at LACMA West. Because really, what fun is art if you can't criticize it?

Oh, yeah, we were supposed to be considering it.

LACMA West is also better-known as the building which once housed the King Tut exhibit, which did not contain King Tut at all (and therefore should be submitted to questions about truth in advertising).

Right now it appears to house an exhibit dedicated to the futility of modern art. Or a workshop designed to expand the average white, privileged mind as other white, liberal privileged minds believe it should be expanded. One of those two.

The exhibit is tentatively titled "Consider This..." although the punctuation varies according to publication. I attended it in the midst of what was, apparently, a very private birthday party. Luckily, as with most parties, there was no one there who knew everyone else, so I was allowed to explore uninhibited.

So, let's consider:

Important questions......facilitate factitious replies...
...without sufficient answers...

...which lead to...

...and an over-use of elipses.

Also known as "art".

Apparently.

Those of you looking for real artists, click here.

Those of you searching for real answers need not apply.

¹ General Information > About LACMA (www.lacma.org)

Let's Ride

I must be nuts not to own a working car in the city infamous for its Freeways and interchanges, Gas(tronomical) prices and SUVs.

You know, the city where nobody walks.

At least, that's what everyone tells me.

I can't say that I mind so much. I live just outside the "City" of Santa Monica, which is entirely indistinguishable from every other "City" within the urban sprawl known as Los Angeles. I work, sorting nuts, in an office that's a bit west of Downtown, a bit North of Koreatown, and doesn't exactly have a "town" to call its own.

I pay a whopping $2 $12 a month for my transportation. All of it. My boss pays for the rest of the $52 $62 monthly pass.

I love LA.

Update: The monthly fare is now $62, as of May 2007