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.

Walking in the way of cars

Red Line - Western Ave

Tomorrow, from 10 am - 5pm, Wilshire Blvd will be closed.



Okay, so it's only the small section of Wilshire (0.3 miles) that calls itself the "Wilshire Center". But it is in honor of Earth Day, one of LA's few officially declared car free days (not to be confused with world car free day on September 22nd).

So ditch the car. Ditch work. And come find me in the crowd*.

There's a bike raffle, live music, free reusable grocery bags, and the whole event kicks off the start of the Wilshire Cool District Program created by the Wilshire Center Business Improvement Corporation. The Wilshire Cool District is a commitment to reduce the area's carbon footprint by 2% a year for 40 years.

* I may or may not be there, depending on how quickly I get out of Jury Duty. More on that later.

HOWS Market: The new Hughes Market

Metro Red Line – North Hollywood Station

If you lived in LA from the sixties to the nineties, you probably shopped at a Hughes.

Hughes was somewhere between Trader Joes, a Whole Foods, and Ralphs. Before Trader Joe’s sold fresh (not frozen or preserved) produce, and before Whole Foods and Farmer’s Markets were in every neighborhood, Hughes was where you went for variety and fresh vegetables (I hear their meat was pretty good too). All of that, and I think one of the things I remember best about Hughes was that, unlike most other stores, they had a large clock which you could see from almost anywhere in the store. It was very convenient.

The chain was sold in 1997, and disappeared not too long after that.

And now they’re back.

HOWS market in North Hollywood is across the street from the last stop on the Red Line (or Orange Line, if you're coming from the valley), comfortably surrounded by coffee, ice cream, and food.

The trick is knowing how to enter. After exiting the subway, walk Southeast on Lankershim (just go forward). Cross the street, walking toward the white window-wall, which looks like a mis-placed leftover from the Beetlejuice set, and take a left. You’ll pass a few stores, and head right into HOWS.

Once inside, it almost looks like any other supermarket. Except the ambiance is a little bit calmer. The lights don’t seem so harsh. You can sit and eat on the patio outside, or inside in a small deli/dining area. Or visit the wine bar, located inside the separate alcohol corner.

Prices are the same or cheaper than the nearby Ralphs, and if you’re traveling on the train, or just a bit farther than the average local, they’ll give you special bags to take home your frozen foods, or you can buy reusable hot/cold insulated bags.

I’m just happy to have my childhood Hughes market back.

"The last of America's great rail stations"

Metro Red Line – Union Station

If you are going to travel through downtown Los Angeles without a car, you will inevitably end up at Union Station. The MTA Red/Purple Line and Gold Line converge here, sandwiched between Amtrak and Amtrak’s Metrolink trains, and topped with a connection to almost every major bus line in the Los Angeles area.

It is all covered by a beautiful, Dutch Colonial Revival Style/Streamline Moderne/Mission Revival style station (translation: Danish Steampunk Pueblo), also known as the last of America's great rail stations. The building screams Welcome to LA from the bottom of its terra cotta tile to the tips of its towering palm trees.

Built in 1939, Union Station has seen its way through the heyday of the Santa Fe Railroad, and managed to survive the advent of the freeways, when many Los Angeles rail lines and public transportation resources were paved over to make way for the automobile. But when the Red Line came, passengers began to outnumber pigeons once again.

As a traveler, there are two very good things to know when you arrive:

1. When you come, give yourself some extra time. While smaller than its fellow Union Stations, Los Angeles Union Station is still quite daunting, with lots to see, inside and out.


2. The trains here really do leave on time. To help you remember this, the entrance provides your choice of timepiece: Sundial or Clocktower.

When waiting for your ride, you can take shelter in the large waiting room, or walk outside to one of the two enclosed garden patios. The building is beautiful, but the atmosphere is often subdued once you leave the platforms. Venture outside and across the street, and you can even enjoy Olvera Street’s shopping, history and culture.

At Union Station you can ride:

Trains:

Amtrak
Metrolink, Pacific Surfliner, Coast Starlight, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle…and connections to other lines (via bus) on Amtrak’s Thruway Motorcoach Service

Metrolink
91 Line, Orange County Line, Riverside Line, San Bernardino Line, Antelope Valley Line, Ventura County Line

MTA
Red Line (subway), Purple Line (subway), Gold Line (light rail)

Buses:

Gateway Transit Center (Patsaouras Transit Plaza)
FlyAway Bus (direct route to LAX!), Metro Local: 33, 333, Metro Express: 439, 442, 444, 445, 446, 447, Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 740, 745, 940, Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785, City of Santa Clarita Transit: 794, LADOT DASH: D (Weekdays Only), Bunker Hill Shuttle, LADOT Commuter Express: 430, 534, Orange County Transportation Authority: 701, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10, Torrance Transit: 1, 2, Metro Local: 40, 42, 68, 70, 71, 78, 79, 92, 94, 378, Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 770, 794, LADOT DASH: Lincoln Heights / Chinatown, LADOT DASH: B (Weekdays Only), DD (Weekends Only)

El Monte Busway
Foothill Transit: 481, 493, 497, 498, 499, 699, Silver Streak, Metro Express: 484, 485, 487, 489, 490

It is a bit complicated. There are many reasons for these separate transportation resources, but the biggest and best reason is: Los Angeles is large and, largely, flat. Different counties, cities, and jurisdictions often have different bus lines and transportation interests. The land of freeways is fragmented, even when it comes to our public transportation.

TOFUZILLA! (Tofu meets its perfect match)

Metro Red Line - Pershing Square

[Oh! My Goodness! You shall never win while TOFUZILLA stands!]

[He grows! Taller, more powerful, as we speak!]

[Never fear! We shall fight the mighty tofu! All powerful forks! And chopsticks!]

[You are brave, little one. Go forth! Fight the mighty firm TOFUZILLA!]

[Without victory, I shall not return!]

Welcome to the LA Tofu Festival. There may indeed be 101 Things to do with Tofu within these two blocks of Little Tokyo.

Once a year, those who love the soy bean in all its cubist glory gather here to shop, eat, and be sunburned together.

To enjoy such soylebrations as Soy Wax and TofuBots.

Somehow the people here know how to make the squishy white blocks sound naturally kinky.

They also know how to have exhibits and tables dedicated to things you never imagined existed.

This guy to your right (standing behind me) belongs to the Dongguk Royal University.

He is advertising a "Gift of Health to Our Community" consisting of one free tongue acupuncture. Unfortunately, I can't take advantage of this offer. Sadly, my teeth get in the way.

Beneath the giveaways and merchandise are the people at the Little Tokyo Service Center. Their focus on local development, housing, and social services creates a strong neighborhood network, where the volunteers are proud to work with families as they grow through the generations and enhance the surrounding community.

The tofu festival is one of their many community events, and is a highlight of the Nisei Week Celebration in Little Tokyo. You can meet friends here, whether hanging out in the beer garden, or stopping by the fat rabbit farm.

And, of course, you can enjoy Tofu. From noodles to margaritas, pizza to BBQ, the combinations are plentiful (though not necessarily vegetarian).

Just be ready to wait in line.

[TOFUZILLA met his match, certainly!]

[He is eaten! We must all rejoice!]

Dia de los Muertos

Red Line - Union Station

Welcome.

It's the day of the dead.

There will be music and light. Dancing and food. Confetti and cheap souvenirs.

I'm like most Los Angelinos. There are certain areas of the city which I grew up visiting before I was old enough to appreciate them. Certain places where the annual field trips became so routine in elementary school that it no longer seemed an adventure to travel there.

Olvera Street is one of those places.

So I went back to re-discover it on the day of re-discovery and remembrance.

The outside courtyards were more beautiful than I remembered.

(This was probably at least partially due to the contribution of an abnormally warm and clear November day.)

And the streets were more of an adventure.

Between the pueblo and the bricks the temperature dropped about ten degrees. If you ignore the touristas stumbling through their Spanish, you could pick up on the Spanish in the air - store talk and singing, complaints and directions.

Trees and grapevines shade the street. One row of stalls smells of leather. One row smells of jalapenos. Everywhere are hand-written signs advertising: Mexican Jumping Beans, Candy Skulls, Piggy Banks, Leather Purses.

Plus there was a donkey and plenty of colorful sombreros. It's like Tijuana, but cleaner, with no traffic or chickens in the road.

Behind the shopping and haggling, the colors and crepe paper, the history of this area, the history of L.A., waits for you to notice.

This is still an educational field trip in disguise.

The original bell from the Los Angeles Mission.

A shrine honoring the life of Christine Sterling, the founder of Olvera Street.

Listen. Her bones are dancing down the street.

Engine Co. No. 28

Metro Red Line - 7th Street/Metro Center

Welcome to the old firehouse.

Although it might be fairly common in New York or London, it isn't every day that you get to knock back a few in a building that's nearly a century old. Between earthquakes, expansion, and a vague feeling that history is well...old, L.A. doesn't keep many buildings for more than a few decades.

The Engine Co. No. 28 building has been around since 1912.

It's just half a block from the train (good news if you're drinking!), across the street from the Wilshire Grand, and in the part of L.A. that is Downtown L.A. (south of Crenshaw, north of skid row, and parking is impossible so be ready to tip your valet).

One part historic landmark
Two thirds restaurant
One third bar
Substitute plate glass for two fire doors
Add a dash of freshly made potato chips
And top shelf alcohol
Mix with a few burnt-out coworkers and friendly bartenders

Serve chilled, over ice.

Oh and, watch it - the drinks will wet your thirst and start a fire in your belly.



(These are two of my co-workers. Our bartender felt obligated to forbid us from talking religion or politics while inside the building. We did anyway, but only while he wasn't looking. Both are mild-mannered by day. Honest.)