Time for another Good Idea, Bad Idea.

Good Idea: Reading a book on your way to work.

Bad Idea: Reading a book while driving to work.

Taking a book to read is perfect (if not essential) for the bus or train or even walking. But it can be tiresome to carry them around. Especially when you're a little squirrel.

Enter the e-book. A few years before the dot-com bust, e-books were supposed to put librarians and bookstores out of business. They were going to kill the paperback, the printed page. It turns out that electronic letters just don't do it for many readers.

For the most part, I'm one of them. It is still one of my favorite things to find a corner in a bookstore or library and sit down to read a new book.

But... I have to carry this little big phone with me at all times for work (you never know when you will encounter a nut emergency), and I like to travel light. So I gave the eBooks a try.

And I really like them. In fact, I have become addicted to ManyBooks.net (or, on your smart phone, mnybks.net). Little files with free Project Guttenberg, Creative Commons, and Public Domain books. No charge, no dead trees, as many books as you can read (up to 20,208) in handy formats to match your electronic gizmo of choice.

Things that are great about ebooks:

• You can read in the dark (backlighting, people)
• Fit in your pocket (or laptop, if you prefer)
• Tiny pages (finish a 4,000+ page book in a week)
• You look busy or important staring at your cellphone
• Finally read all of those classics you should have read in High School
• You don't inadvertently make eye contact with a crazy person on the bus
• Try out books you might never buy otherwise
• No trees were harmed in the making of these ebooks
• Did I mention they're free?

Rust and Lace

Big Blue Bus, Line 5 – 26th Street

Gallery hopping can be draining. Especially gallery hopping at Bergamot Station.

Once the final stop for the red line trolley (started in 1875 by the Pacific Electric Rail system), which ran from Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Pier, Bergamot Station is now an eight acre art gallery complex.

Although it appears the public transportation link will be reborn with an Expo Line station at or around Olympic and Cloverfield, the most striking feature of Bergamot Station is the parking lot. People walk around the complex, or to their cars, but they don’t walk here (yes, I realize I mentioned this earlier).

One by one, the thirty-odd galleries become a blur of large-scale abstracts and watercolor sketches; black and white photography and ceramic lavaflows.

But at the end of the line, one gallery stands out. The (now formerly known as) Patricia Faure Gallery is currently host to the eye-catching work of artist Cal Lane.

Steel lace. Delicate strength. Refined, rusted car parts are arranged in one room: a filigree car bombing. The crumpled remains appear frozen in time, reworked as fragile veils.

Further into the exhibit hang silent, nudging cartographies etched into oil drums. The etched maps recall the age of discoveries, medieval wars, ancient explorations. And always, the border of the oil drum itself, the spigot poised just over the North Pole.

Lane uses the pieces we throw away, carves them with plasma torches, and delivers them reborn as reminders of the consequences of what we use today.

Finally is the piece that can’t be bought or held. A delicate lace of dirt fills the final room.

The roped-off display feels almost sacred. The one creation more ephemeral than lace.

Go. Visit. Try to ignore the irony radiating from all of the Jaguars in the parking lot.

It is worth the trip.

Arbor Ardor

Big Blue Bus, Line 5 – 26th Street

Some people drive cars. Some people plant trees. Some people make art.

This car, formerly known as a Mercedes, is now decorating the entrance to the Santa Monica Museum of Art at Bergamot Station. It is one of four “Junker Garden” cars created by Farmlab, the thinktank/performance venue/art group which evolved out of the Not a Cornfield project.

The this junker garden was the center of today's Cause for Creativity: Arbor Ardor event.

Inspired by the 2006 eviction of the South Central Farmers from their community garden, the Junker Gardens evolved as a way to bring the garden back to the city. Farmlab realized that constructing mobile or container gardens would cost a fraction of the $16.3 million demanded (and, subsequently, refused) by Ralph Horowitz to repurchase the 14 acres in South Central that once constituted one of the nation’s largest urban gardens.

With a car, some space, some soil, and a few days, Farmlab explained how to build your own self-contained car garden. Although you can’t exactly drive it, it can still be towed, pushed, or dragged from place to place.

Volunteers from TreePeople were on hand, showing kids and parents the essentials of tree planting, but, unfortunately, not planting any actual trees.

Together they created art trees with colored scraps, potted two-by-fours, and staple guns. The colorful garden grew throughout the afternoon with the help of children's hands.

The objective was to expose the groups of children to art, the process of creation, and the idea of growth. The hope was to inspire the kids to look at nature, see what can be created, and plant the seeds of art and arbor ardor (too much alliteration?) in them.

While fun, I still prefer actual trees. It would have been exciting to gut, decorate and plant old toy cars with real plants that the kids could take home.

As a young squirrel, I once visited TreePeople and planted little pine tree seedlings in old milk cartons. That day I learned that even little me could create and be responsible for something living. Something that could very well out-live me.

TreePeople is still doing plantings like this at their Coldwater Canyon nursery. One day I will try to venture up the canyon to join them again (it’s a long walk).

At the end of the day, the City of Santa Monica Environmental Programs Division spread the word about the green living and business workshops they offer, and offered printed copies of the City of Santa Monica Environmental Directory for all attendees.

It was a sunny, colorful day filled with art and laughter and thoughts. Although I was the only one leaving Bergamot Station without a car.

Frank 'N Hank's

Metro Bus 207 - Western Ave/5th Street

Tucked away behind the classic Cocktails sign on Western Blvd. is a little dive bar where the drinks are cold, the people are friendly, and the lights are dark. Local watering holes should all be like this.

Cheap beer and drinks?
Check.

Kitschy drink glasses?
Check.

Christmas lights?
Check.

Red vinyl?
Check.

Regulars playing pool in the back?
Check.

Flashy dart board in the middle of the action?
Check

Jukebox with everything from Jimmy Buffet, to Abba¹, to No Doubt?
Check.

Bus stops nearby² so that you don't have to worry about parking or a DUI?
Check and check.

A big screen TV in the corner plays sports when there is a game on and Jeopardy when there is nothing else to watch. Frank 'n Hank's bartender, Snow, will remember your favorite drink (and pour it strong), help you find something to eat (no bar food here, not even peanuts), warn you about parking in the lot next door (not a problem when you take the bus), and walk out for a cigarette break with the rest of the regulars.

There isn’t a theme to the bar or the customers. Come in your work clothes or wearing jeans and a t-shirt. You can walk in with twenty bucks and walk out a few drinks and a few hours happier. There aren't many places in LA where you can do that.

¹If you select Dancing Queen, prepare to be teased mercilessly by the regulars.

²Local busses stop right at the corner, or walk a few blocks south to Wilshire/Western for the subway or the rapid 720

"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.

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.

Breaking News

We interrupt this post to bring you a special bulletin, direct from the offices of the Weekly World News:

WALKING SQUIRREL DISRUPTS SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM

LOS ANGELES, CA – In a stunning discovery, scientists have landed upon a beguiling squirrel with the power to make drastic leaps into the future once injured, amazingly speeding his recovery and resulting in virtually no experiential healing time!

“Don’t let his cute-but-inquisitive look fool you,” states Dr. Ken Kesey, from the Further Institute for Advancement. “This squirrel has an incredible grasp on how to manipulate time and matter in ways which have the Large Hadron Collider scientists seething with jealousy. But these leaps in time and space appear to have saved the little guy’s life.”

In late 2006, Bawdy the Squirrel (pictured above) took a life-threatening plunge from atop a precarious perch. The fall broke his back, legs, tail, and even one arm, although his favorite nut fortunately remained intact. During the painstaking hours of surgery required to reconstruct his body, and months of recovery, there was no sign of life from the Squirrel.

No sign, that is, until August 2007, when he briefly reappeared in what appears to be a dubbed Japanese movie about Tofu. After such an exertion he collapsed, and was once more unresponsive to attempts to revive him by trained EMTs.

“We thought we had lost the little guy until just this morning. Then he appeared before us, good as new, ready to take our pictures and get back to pounding the pavement,” his nurse Joey Skaggs said, trying to contain his emotion. “I’m - I'm just glad he’s back.”

In fact, Bawdy the Squirrel’s ability to heal himself through the manipulation of time has inspired remarkable scientific breakthroughs in the field of quantum time. The first practical results of these breakthroughs were seen today in the new Gmail Custom Time™ feature of Google’s popular Gmail service, and the algorithms used in place of traditional chronology in the new Google Weblogs.

Bawdy’s skills even managed to manipulate the fabric of time enough to replace his old, bulky camera with a brand-new refurbished Kodak EasyShare V1003, which will allow for even more strange and exciting pictures from the streets and bus stops of Los Angeles.

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!]

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.)

Nooner + Boss + Co-worker + Large Organ + Church = Classic

Metro Local 18 - 6th/Commonwealth

Every Thursday at noon the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles opens its doors for a free (can't beat that), non-denominational concert played on the largest church pipe organ in the world.

The concert lasts about 45 minutes, which is just enough time to waste your entire lunch break. I can't say I know many people who would voluntarily spend their lunch break at church. But this was worth it.

Today's concert was comprised of uplifting, patriotic tunes, played by the very animated (and limber) Organist-in-Residence, S. Wayne Foster. The pews shook. The tin trumpets blew. The air was wonderfully cool despite the ninety-degree weather outside.

All-in-all, it was a testament to the little wonders hidden within LA. A bit of culture. A bit of history. A bit of damage to our ear drums.

Candace, one of my co-workers, was the one who discovered this little trip away from ordinary. So that is how I came to have a nooner with the largest organ in the world while sitting next to my boss and co-worker in Church.

Needless to say, I was the youngest one in the room.

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.

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.

Boots!

Metro Local 304 – Santa Monica Blvd/Purdue

Boots are made for walking, not driving!

Well, except for the Quality Shoe Service boots. There are actually two driving boots (that I'm aware of).

This red one is a new phenomenon. They’re better known for their large black cowboy boot.

Although I’ve never seen either of them driving. They’re always parked.

Maybe it’s true. Maybe they can only walk!

Good Will

Metro Local 304 – Santa Monica Blvd/Barrington Ave

This is the best Goodwill ever.

No, really, I’m serious.

They have brand new, brand-name clothes. They have Ikea furniture. I have even seen real furs, runway clothes, and genuine Swarovski crystals.

Best of all, they have talking raccoons.

He says: Wendy – Please take me home. I love you. Feed me.

I even met Wendy (you can almost see her and her friend in the background of this picture).


It turns out she hates raccoons. They steal her cat’s food.

Go figure.

Moving Cargo

Metro Blue Line - Long Beach Transit Mall

They do things big down here. And I’m not just talking about the big rigs.

Big murals, big boats, big traffic.

People cargo moves around real nicely. The Blue Line light rail avoids the perils of driving the 110 (otherwise known as Frankenstein’s Freeway – anyone who has driven it will know why. Anyone who hasn’t…just take my word that you don’t want to), or of dodging trucks on the 710 (just imagine being the frog in Frogger).

Once you’re in downtown Long Beach, you can walk anywhere. Restaurants, hotels, the Queen Mary. Since I was down here on business, I didn’t get a chance to do much more than see the view from my hotel room. Still, it’s a nice view.

The real problem here is that the actual cargo, Long Beach’s bread and butter, moves around real slowly. The ebb and flow of containers depends primarily on Big Rigs.

Long Beach shares a problem with the Port of Los Angeles - insufficient freight train access. The ability of trains to reach the ports (Long Beach and Los Angeles) has improved drastically since the completion of the Alameda Corridor in 2002. The 710 is still a sea of diesel trucks.

What is it they say? Something about the smog and sunsets...

Crack is bad, mkay?

In the words of a furby I once encountered:

Ahh. Scared....

(sub)Urban Yard Watching

Walking means that you get to slow down, take the side streets, walk against traffic...

...hang out in strange places.



...meet someone new...



...see something that's not from around here...



...and realize that, even if you don't have to mow the lawn, you still have to rake the leaves.



(Yes, that is all fake grass. Have I mentioned lately that people are weird? They are. Quite.)

Weird things to drink that don't involve alcohol.

My Jamba Juice looks like split pea soup.




I'll skip the less pleasant analogies I could make here.

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.)

HOWL

Metro Green Line - Aviation/LAX Station

Getting to the airport is a special kind of hell in LA. LAX is one of the reasons that the 405 freeway is generally referred to as a parking lot. There are only so many times you can convince friends to drive you there before they stop returning your phone calls. So an industry thrives on providing a cornucopia of alternatives.

Alternatives which aren’t always appealing. A taxi ride can end up costing as much as the flight itself. Super Shuttles insist you need to be at the airport days before your flight is scheduled to arrive. And airport parking lots always seem to offer the minimum peace of mind at the maximum price.

And then there is public transportation.

The Green Line lands at Aviation Blvd.

A lot of major local bus lines converge at this station. It is as close to LAX as public transportation reaches (not counting the new Flyaway shuttle, which goes directly to LAX from Union Station, but also costs extra to ride). From here, you can take a shuttle to your terminal.

The station has the right ideas. Different bus lines to cater to practically every direction a rider needs to go.

Although the bus lines don’t accept each other’s passes.

A major lightrail station above the bus terminals.

Although the green line isn’t the easiest train to get to, it doesn’t travel through the best of neighborhoods, and the shuttle busses connecting to the airport could never carry even half a train full of people.

Large, well-lit areas, scattered with plenty of public seating.

Although the station is in an unpopulated area, with no shops, far from walking distance from anything, and is not staffed or patrolled on a 24 hour basis.

For the sake of traffic, sanity, and travelers, it would make more sense to have the station in or nearby LAX. Certainly there is a spare parking lot which could be used for this purpose.

But that might dent the profit margin for fleets of super shuttles and taxis.

“I saw the best minds of my generation
Destroyed by madness,
Starving,
Hysterical,
Naked”

- HOWL
Alan Ginsberg