Musings: City in the Smog

LA - Uptight

City in the Smog

City in the Smog

Don't you wish that you could be here too?

Don't you wish that you could be here too?

But when the suppers are planned

And the freeways are jammed

Oh it's so good to know

That it's all just a show for you.

Don't you want to be here too?

Don't you want to be here too?

LA: Neil Young

This town is certainly Kar Krazy. It wasn't always this way. In the high growth years of the 1910's and 1920's the region was ably served by the Pacific Electric Company's Redcar streetcar lines which connected the various suburban communities with downtown LA. The Pacific Electric was part of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and local politicians wanted to find a way to blunt the power of the railroad. So, Urban Planners came up with the design of Magic Motorways, a comprehensive web of free high speed motor ways that would link each community, speeding growth and sales of real estate which had begun to wane in the mid 1920's. This was a deliberate plan to control the power of the railroad by literally putting people behind the wheel instead of on the trolley. (Some of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is true!)

However, included in the plan was light rail, trolley lines that would run down the center of the motor ways as a paean to the railroad interests. The plan was stalled by the great Great Depression and then World War Two. Starting in 1947 the grand plan was revived, only this time without the light rail. By the early 1970's only 61% of the freeways had been built resulting in several major choke points in the system that are unresolved to this day. Given the restrictions imposed by environmentalists it's doubtful that any new freeways will be built. New spending laws also require that a percentage of tax money raised for maintenance of the system go to build light rail as an environmentally correct alternative to burning fossil fuels which is a major source of the smog which usually covers LA like a thick blanket.

22 million people live in the LA area, all with at least one car (nobody rides the new light rail or subway, it doesn't get you anywhere) combined with LA being hemmed in by the foothills (they call them mountains) and the cold Pacific Ocean produces cool temps at the beach, fog results and since the pollution can't make it over the foothills it all hangs over greater LA. The good news is that with constant sun it usually clears out by noon and then it's spectacular weather. Which by the way, we've thoroughly enjoyed!

Quick observations:

Eight car pile up on the 5 on the way to the Reagan Library, fortunately on the South bound side as we headed North. Coming home, a six car pile up on the other side! The fact is, these people are terrible drivers, driving much too fast and cutting lanes, riding bumpers and passing you on all sides. And we thought Michigan drivers were the worst. Not so fast. We feel like Brooks in Shawshank Redemption when he got parole, the world went and got itself in a big damn hurry!

A city built around the automobile and the main thoroughfares, ala West Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, etc, lack left turn arrows, forcing you to turn into on-coming traffic and causing extended back-ups.

Unlike New York City, where traffic lights turn either all red or all green ahead of you (and if green give you a good run), in LA, the lights are controlled by pedestrians crossing the street (people power in a Kar Kulture), so you might make one block at a time. Major traffic back-ups on the main thru streets. Unreal urban planning.

Pedestrians, clad in their IPod buds and busy on their cell phones, walk without looking when the lights change and they get the white "go" signal to cross the street. This despite traffic turning into the cross-walk. They distainfully look at you, Dude, I've got the white here! Of course, on the slab at the morgue, they're probably saying the same thing.

Ditto the folks on bikes. Sidewalks are a favorite ride-way. Like their bud's on foot, they like to zip across side streets without looking. Must be a hell of a mortality rate for cyclists. We left Jay's mountain bike back in CT!

Many major intersections lack street signage. Where am I?

Unlike New York, laid out in a grid, some area's are gridded out and some not. You may be in a grid but then it ends, but picks up several streets over. What gives with this?

This town is filled with pan handlers. Most of them are stoned out, coked out, boozed out, we guess the key is out. They have a habit of pushing their shopping carts across the street at any point without looking. And you're expected to stop, and maybe even abet their habit by a donation. In fact, if you don't donate, you can be cussed out. This is New York in the mid-eighties. New Yorker's, remember the squeegie men? This is worse. The squeegie guys were looking for change to get loaded later. These guys are already in another world. This town needs Rudie!

Helicopters overhead all the time. In our case, given our proximity to the Hollywood sign, tourists. We're also close to the 101 and because we're in West Hollywood we get the traffic copters. One blessing from the President's visit yesterday is that we had a quiet night as all non-military/police copters were grounded. But tonight, returning from the Leno taping, they're baaaack!

Sunset is our main go to street, but as Hollywood legend Liz Taylor responded when asked by a young aspiring actor on how to make it in Hollywood, said, "Take Fountain". Great line and great advice as our apartment is between traffic choked (at all hours) Sunset and relatively fast Fountain. We take Liz's advice all the time.

And did I mention the traffic?