Almost every weekday I commute to a different public hospital in LA County to teach evening classes. Along the way, there are many really interesting sights. I’ve been meaning for a while to take photos of some of them. This week I finally did.
In the distance, center right, is my destination for today, County General Hospital. Yes, *that* General Hospital, as seen on TV. This is taken from Cesar Chavez Ave., crossing over the LA River. I bike to the Metro, take it to Union Station, then bike the rest of the way, another couple miles.
In the far distance are the San Gabriel Mountains, with the Angeles Crest and La Cañada Flintridge about dead center. The train tracks end just a couple blocks away at Union Station, to make room for which LA’s original Chinatown was destroyed in the 1930s.
That’s the LA River right down there. Had my camera been better, you would be able to see the pair of Mallard ducks that were sporting in the stream when I took this. This winter has been a little more rainy and snowy (in the mountains, okay) than most, so there is actual water in the river right now. After the great flood of 1938, the Army Corps of Engineers channeled the river into a concrete bed so that Kenickie and Leo the Scorpion could race for pink slips here about 40 years later.
WPA bridge plus brilliant blue California sky.
North on Mission Road on the other side of the bridge there are a few blocks dominated by auto parts places. The signage in this stretch is endlessly fascinating to me. Along with the signs, there are often guys from each of the businesses (especially the auto glass ones) walking out into the street to vie for drivers’ attention and wave cars into their garages.
My suspicions are that someone acquired a Paul Bunyan statue, stripped it of its axe, re-painted the shirt to a checker flag theme, and installed it here. The wreath appeared a couple Christmases ago and is now brown and dry. Sometimes doing something is much easier and more appealing than un-doing it later.
The artist on this one seems to have been equally influenced by the WPA and Muscle & Fitness.
These last two always make me smile.
Amidst the wrecked cars, life. I love how someone has cut a hole in the corrugated steel fence to run a chain to hold up this little crab apple tree.
And culture! When the proprietor saw me stop to take this photo, he encouraged me to have some books: “Take! Take!” Try that with a Kindle.
Across the way, in a side patch of tall grass where I have previously seen rabbits and gophers, some goats appeared one day. I think they were hired to keep the weeds down. As working goats, they didn’t really have time to stop and pose for photos.
My destination reached! And so to work.
Awesome. I love EL JEFE. And way to go on the multi-modal commute.
I didn’t know all this about your commute! What a great series of shots. The books on the truck hood are somehow Parisian, like the L.A. version of the bouquinistes (sp?) along the Seine.
Wow! Goats, Kenickie, chained trees, garbage-eating clowns, General Hospital! This is fantastic. Thanks for the glimpse into your day.
And that Paul Bunyan really does get around.
I think there’s another giant Paul Bunyan somewhere in L.A., re-purposed to hold up a giant donut. Or perhaps I’m just conflated the two over-inflated icons.
What a great city, and wonderful photos. General Hospital is so iconic. I never watched the show, but it usually began as the kiddie shows were going off, a clear signal that it was time to get off our butts and go play outside.
Jackpot!
i was looking for a photo of the paul bunyan in albuquerque, at central and louisiana (near the beloved may cafe) and i found this: http://www.flickr.com/groups/633044@N21/
sorry, i used to know how to embed …
J-Man, that is an excellent find! So many Paul Bunyans! But my favorite on that page has to be… Chicken Boy! How does one slurp from a straw with a beak without spilling?
Also, I kind of love this giant hot dog on Hollywood Blvd., primarily because (a) it is the most unappetizing piece of fake food you’ll ever see, and (b) it now sits atop a Thai restaurant, as the hot dog place went out of business. Also, RB once asked if she could climb atop the roof to take a photo with the hot dog, and the management not only allowed it, but they brought out a ladder for her, too.
The books on the truck are fabulous.
LP, I believe that there is a special Beak Straw. Noticed that I capitalized those words. That is because Chicken Boy is so big that he needs a very large Beak Straw.
Drink through a straw? Hell, how does Chicken Boy eat a bucket of chicken? He’s part chicken, right? Is partial cannibalism okay?
Thanks for the comments, everyone. As I rode by these sights today, it was interesting to see them anew all over again.
I loved seeing these photos too! I wish other contributors offered a photo depiction of their commute. Although how many would be so interesting? Also, I really liked those songs you posted on Friday. Thanks!