a faithful ember
sustains through a dark night softly
illuminating
more tiny pretty breaths at one deep breath
August 2007 Archives
a faithful ember
sustains through a dark night softly
illuminating
more tiny pretty breaths at one deep breath
I've been in Los Angeles almost three weeks now and it still really hasn't sunk in that I actually live here. I don't know if it is a result of my only furniture being a borrowed Aero Bed and a small bookshelf or the fact that I don't yet have a car. Whatever it is...it still just feels like a long vacation or perhaps more correctly business trip since I have been working since the 15th.
Not having a car in LA is definitely a much tougher thing than in Portland. There is public transportation but for some reason it just doesn't feel as accessible. Perhaps that is more of just the general mindset of the city around me. I do have a lead on getting a car from a friend, but currently that's on the back burner.
I'm living a few blocks from USC in a pretty nice townhouse. The rent is pretty much double what I was paying in Portland, but for the area, its proximity to the University (and therefore less need of a car)...its a pretty good deal. The neighborhood is pretty interesting. The immediate area is largely the college crowd, however a few blocks away the neighborhood becomes largely Latino.
Most of my explorations of the city so far have revolved around food. There has been a lot of eating out these first few weeks. The highlights are the biggest burrito I've ever seen at La Barca (in the neighborhood) for under $9 and some amazing ramen at Daikokuya in Little Toyko.
I've been to the beach (and got the resulting Norwegian Sun Tan...ie redness).
I saw Diana Krall at the Hollywood Bowl, which was a great show at a great venue. Probably the best sound at an outdoor venue I've experienced.
I've been to a club in Hollywood (for DJ Heather & DJ Collete @ Deep)
Not having a car in LA is definitely a much tougher thing than in Portland. There is public transportation but for some reason it just doesn't feel as accessible. Perhaps that is more of just the general mindset of the city around me. I do have a lead on getting a car from a friend, but currently that's on the back burner.
I'm living a few blocks from USC in a pretty nice townhouse. The rent is pretty much double what I was paying in Portland, but for the area, its proximity to the University (and therefore less need of a car)...its a pretty good deal. The neighborhood is pretty interesting. The immediate area is largely the college crowd, however a few blocks away the neighborhood becomes largely Latino.
Most of my explorations of the city so far have revolved around food. There has been a lot of eating out these first few weeks. The highlights are the biggest burrito I've ever seen at La Barca (in the neighborhood) for under $9 and some amazing ramen at Daikokuya in Little Toyko.
I've been to the beach (and got the resulting Norwegian Sun Tan...ie redness).
I saw Diana Krall at the Hollywood Bowl, which was a great show at a great venue. Probably the best sound at an outdoor venue I've experienced.
I've been to a club in Hollywood (for DJ Heather & DJ Collete @ Deep)
So here I am...entering California. The drive was pretty comfortable all in all. My rental car was nicely equipped with Sirius Satellite Radio, so most of the first day of driving was spent singing along to the 80's channel. The one thing you can say about a solo road trip...no one can complain about your singing. I wasn't in California long however before I ran across this:
A giant wooden horse? You've got to be kidding me! Here I am driving to Los Angeles to work at the University of Southern California and I see a giant wooden horse less than an hour after entering California. What craziness!
Other than that, the drive was pretty standard. The drive past Mt. Shasta and Shasta Lake was beautiful as always. I ended up resisting the temptation to stop in Redding for In-N-Out, pushing through to Corning, CA where I would need to fill up with gas. For those of you who haven't driven down I-5 through Northern California, Corning is home to the famous Olive Pit Restaurant (they also advertise a big "Olive Festival," however, I've never been through when it is going on). This was a standard stop for a few of my friends and always featured some tasting of some tasty olives.
Day one's destination was Madera, CA. I was going to crash at my friend Nicole's aunt & uncle's house. Nicole happened to be in the states (she currently lives in Sicily) during August and offered to give me a place to crash. We went out for a nice dinner at The Vineyard Restaurant and afterwards watched a little tv with her aunt & uncle before I crashed for the night.
Day two was a quick drive down to Los Angeles. I stopped in the town before the Grapevine to fill up again and was on my way. Traffic wasn't to bad once I hit the LA area except for a little stretch near Downtown LA. I pulled up to my new place (a townhouse) just after 11am. After a quick bite for lunch I unloaded the car and here I was...a resident of Los Angeles.
Crazy!
Other than that, the drive was pretty standard. The drive past Mt. Shasta and Shasta Lake was beautiful as always. I ended up resisting the temptation to stop in Redding for In-N-Out, pushing through to Corning, CA where I would need to fill up with gas. For those of you who haven't driven down I-5 through Northern California, Corning is home to the famous Olive Pit Restaurant (they also advertise a big "Olive Festival," however, I've never been through when it is going on). This was a standard stop for a few of my friends and always featured some tasting of some tasty olives.
Day one's destination was Madera, CA. I was going to crash at my friend Nicole's aunt & uncle's house. Nicole happened to be in the states (she currently lives in Sicily) during August and offered to give me a place to crash. We went out for a nice dinner at The Vineyard Restaurant and afterwards watched a little tv with her aunt & uncle before I crashed for the night.
Day two was a quick drive down to Los Angeles. I stopped in the town before the Grapevine to fill up again and was on my way. Traffic wasn't to bad once I hit the LA area except for a little stretch near Downtown LA. I pulled up to my new place (a townhouse) just after 11am. After a quick bite for lunch I unloaded the car and here I was...a resident of Los Angeles.
Crazy!
After an action packed final week, on July 21, 2007, I loaded up a truck with all of my belongings and left Portland after almost three years. I was heading down to Eugene to spend some time with my family and friends before the final destination of Los Angeles. It was a good thing however that I was so busy the last couple weeks in Portland, because it gave me less time to reflect on the things and people I was leaving. I was thankful however that I managed to spend at least a little time with pretty much all of my Portland area friends before I left.
Moving day was pretty crazy. Most of my stuff was ready to put in the truck, but not quite everything. Then there was the question of "was everything going to fit?" Luckily with some excellent Tetris-like skills, everything that was going fit in the truck. I was pretty exhausted by the time the truck was loaded and contemplated sticking around another night before pushing through and getting on the road.
My two and a half weeks in Eugene hanging with friends and family was good. Both of my sisters were in town, which could be one of the last times all of us are together under the same roof. (The middle sister lives in NYC). There was also plenty of good times to be had with my Eugene friends, 80's night, a now infamous Burlesque show and one new friend. I find it kinda ironic that for most of high school and college I couldn't wait to get out of Eugene, but now that I've been gone for awhile...I really miss it. Anyway, the time in Eugene was really good, not nearly as dramatic as I'd feared and well worth the lost wages I could have earned staying in Portland for another couple weeks.
On August 8th, I loaded what I could in a rented Chrysler Pacifica and began my journey to Los Angeles. Before leaving Oregon, I did have to stop in Ashland to get some snacks at the Co-op and see my old housemate. But after that quick stop, it was on to California.
I've barely left you...but I miss you already
