I just got back from a trip to Los Angeles. It’s all true what they say about it.
There are palm trees, which I still find really surprising:
I mean, they’re just right there, by your house. And yet it’s not the tropics.
Seriously, palm trees:
Cool, right?
There are also Scientologists. This is just one of several of their outposts that I saw on my trip:
And there are fish tacos. These were indeed the best fish tacos I’ve had in a while, although I think Ensenada is actually in Mexico:
There are three things on the menu: fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and drinks. I ordered three fish tacos, and someone behind the counter immediately dipped three very fresh pieces of fish in batter and threw them in a deep fryer. The woman taking my order complimented me on ordering water. When the fish was all fried, they put it in tortillas and handed them over. It was then up to me to put shredded cabbage and my choice of various salsas on the tacos. They were really tasty.
In the hipster neighborhood, they have hipster coffee:
You will notice I am wearing my hipster-camouflage shorts, which are Old Navy pants I cut off just so. The hipster coffess shop was playing Neil Young when I got there. A cup of brewed coffee was something like $6, because they give it to you in a special little brewing thingie (not a French press, more like a personal, artisal drip coffee maker). So I ordered an Americano for $3. It was very good, as was the scone, which had some kind of herbs and goat cheese in it.
Speaking of herbs, there are actually medical marijuana shops all over the place. There was one right next to my hotel:
You probably can’t read it, but the neon sign in the window says “Very Open.”
Of course many of the people in LA are awesome, and they were the best part of the trip. Besides that, though, what I liked best was that Modernism is just part of the domestic architectural vernacular there. Normal people can have Modernist houses that are relatively affordable and look comfortable. Modernism was made for that California style of indoor-outdoor living. If I lived in LA, I would try to live in a house like this:
Doesn’t that look great? So stylish. But unlike in my beloved Brooklyn, where a Modernist house might be the only one for miles around, LA has loads of them:
Another thing that’s true about LA is that you really do need a car to get around. The roads aren’t bike friendly at all, and the distances are vast. Also, people really do talk about movies and TV all the time. Walking by an outdoor café, I heard the waiter conversing with a couple of women. “I mean, for a show runner to take the time to do that for you is just really unusual.” Things like this will allow me to maintain something of my Alvy Singer attitude toward the place.
But on the whole, a very enjoyable trip to a great city. Many thanks to TGW friends and their friends who were so delightful!
Posts like this one make me so curious about how all yous TGW’ers know each other. Obv’ly the friendships are deep and long-standing. And, now I want to watch Annie Hall again!
For god’s sake, Alvy, even Freud speaks of a latency period.
Sorry, it’s kind of a reflex.
de ja voo…
PALM TREES! I know, right!!!!
everywhere, just there! making you feel all tropical and vacationy. And modernism… yes! The new LACMA addition is SO sleek and modern and lovely. SUCH a cool city.
and asphalt. miles and miles and MILES of nothing but asphalt. God they paved the ph*ck out of that place!
KS, remember, now that u r TGW you’ll never walk alone!
We’re kind of like scientoligists that way… or mormons… : – )
And what are the odds of bumping into LP not far from that taco joint, just on the street! out of the blue…
We ARE like scientoligists!
Dave, I love seeing LA through your eyes! What a fun post, thanks. It was so great to have you (and Lane, Adriana and Jasper!) here.
1: These three posts explain it all.
Can someone please point KS to Fawcetts post from years ago about how we all know one another (or at least how he knows us all)? I have neither the time nor the skill to attempt such an act via my smartphone during my quick lunchbreak today.
P.s. Nice post, Dave!
6: See: 5
It got hung up in moderation, so it probably wasn’t posted yet when you looked.
Thanks for the L.A. props, Dave! Back in my ole college days, I spent many a conversation trying to convince East-coasters that L.A. is actually a really great place. Ditto what LP said: It is really nice to see it from your perspective. And it was great to see you while you were here.
PS: Even for those of you who have read those three wayback posts before, it’s so worth reading them again. Lotta good memories in there!
LP! Thanks for digging out the links to the tell-all posts of yore. Not enough time to read all the comments now but I’ll get to that some day. Treacle fest, indeed.
I found TGW because one day after at least 20 years I googled that guy named Lane who used to be so dang fun to do certain illegal things with back in 10th grade, when I was too young to drive and he needed little persuasion to ditch school to go sit on a hill overlooking our hometown while talking about profoundly profound things like CATCHER IN THE RYE’s brilliance. He really liked to laugh and was very funny himself, at least under certain influences. I fully expected to learn Lane was gay but was not at all surprised to find him living in NYC as a successful artist. “Of course he got out,” I thought.
I read one of his posts and emailed him, then TGW and WIMFD became new addictions. Funny, that. Perhaps some day one or more of you will pass through my small college town in NE OH and need a place to hang the fedora/doorag/stocking cap. Any friend of Lane’s…
So great to have you in town, Dave. Come back through soon and in the meantime watch Los Angeles Plays Itself (unrentable, just torrentable) on modern architecture (apologies to My Funny Valentine for the preceding parenthetical)
In my head, Nico is singing it. With that weird German neutral vowel at the end.
ah yes,,, dave, home, and so forth…
wow, those old posts LP…
this summer in SLC i got together with one of my oldest friends, and someone that knows KS quite well.
(In fact I see two people in SLC that know KS well.)
I said to that friend and i repeat it now, “LIke that movie Swingers, when that guy says, ‘man, you guys have known each other since HIGH SCHOOL!’ u know how many people I know that far back? … zero. u have to forgive him, friends like that don’t come along very often.'”
The thing about that weird family religion that connects alot of TGW is that it’s all based on extended family relationships. BIG families!… It’s the best thing that crazy scheme left me, ,,, my cousin instincts.
Thanks TGW, cousins all.
and J-man, when where your college days? and who were you trying to convince? LA has always rocked. Hicks like KS and I have always thought so…
and finally FP… is that a jew thing?… let’s start obessing over jew shit, instead of mormon shit.
FP! give us a jew post!… I mean, an explicitly jew post… not just jew “ish”… !
The joke around here is that AWB knows more about Jewiana than I do. I could post about my fucking bar mitzvah or something.