Driving in LA

The Left Turn Arrow seems sparse here. Many are the busy thoroughfares where one needs to wait for the oncoming traffic to abate. It is not unusual to turn left on a red light.

Here, yellow means Speed Up. Unless the intersection is blocked. Or one is in danger of blocking the intersection. And sometimes even then. . .

Is the street wide enough to make two lanes while waiting for the light? Done and done. No need to wait behind the person turning left if there is room to wait to turn right.

Merging seems particularly difficult for many. You know when you get to a merge point, and the cars alternate, going every other one? Like the teeth of a zipper interlocking as it's being closed?

That concept's not clear here. Let someone go ahead of me? Are you crazy? Ima get mines.

You gonna get worse gridlock is what you gonna get.

This is not to say there is a lack of charity on the roads. I've been warned of a fresh accident by the car ahead of me. There's a spot on Beverly Glen where the unwritten rule is every other car, allowing those at a stop sign to enter the flow of traffic. I've seen folks leave enough space for residents to get in and out of their driveways during rush hour on Coldwater Canyon.

Still, the general sense I get of the Los Angeles driving attitude of Me First Me First Me First!

I'm settling in just fine. Except for that merging bit.

Hello, Brentwood

It's March. A new job, a new city, a new commute.

West of Beverly Hills is Brentwood. Some of you remember it as the home of Brian "Kato" Kaelin (that's all I'm going to say about that).

My first day of work, I left at 7am with the hopes of arriving before 9, without getting lost.

I succeeded on one count.

The route was Beverly Glen to Sunset to Beverly Glen to Wilshire to San Vincente, U-turn at Montana, San Vicente to the parking garage.

But, as Bugs Bunny might say, I should've taken a left at Albuquerque. Or rather, that second Beverly Glen. Unable to handle the funky intersection, I stayed on Sunset.

I'm driving past Bel Air on my left!

Oh, snap, I'm crossing the 405! I am so lost.

Barrington! I know that street! I think I know where I

Nope. I have no clue where I am. Pull over.

The streets in this part of down bisect each other in ways only a Geometry teacher would appreciate.

Within a block of each other are a Peet's, a Starbucks, and a Coffee Bean.

I'm not saying I'm homesick, but it warms the cockles of my heart when I see a Peet's. Bay Area!

The office is within walking distance of the three coffee pubs, across the street from a Whole Foods, and less than a block away from the Public Library. There's a Burger Lounge, where apparently so little meat is offered, a certain Wendy's commercial should be revived.

I returned to Sunset for my journey home,

I am driving past UCLA, aren't I?

Almost turned into Bel Air (a gated community like no other), in my effort to turn onto Beverly Glen,

Got tired of waiting to turn onto Beverly Glen, and continued on Sunset

Is that a little museum tucked away among these houses, what with the statues and lawn? Private Property. Wait, is that someone's house?

Into Beverly Hills, and up the familiar Coldwater Canyon.

I'll be making this commute from now on, until I move into a more permanent place. This is not a temp position; I filled out a W-2. I'm going to be here for a while. 

Saturday in a Southern California Deluge

When SoCal weather forecasters speak of a rain storm, they are referring to precipitation so mild, you need only a hoodie if you get caught in it. The ground becomes slightly wetter than a dewy morning.

The storm predicted for Friday was different. In certain areas, people were getting sandbags to protect their homes and businesses. Thursday night, I could hear the rain as it came down. Now, this is a proper rainstorm.

Indeed. These were the streets Friday morning,

 

Had to drive through the puddle to get to work - and home

Hard to see, but my tire's in a little puddle of water

and Saturday would bring no respite.

Still, laundry must be done, mail retrieved, food bought.

I arrived at the Laundromat as a light sprinkle began. An hour later, buckets.

In the ten minute drive to buy sundries, the rain alternated between blindingly heavy and non-existent. I broke down and bought a $15 umbrella to replace the too eager to collapse insurance swag I had in my car.

As I approached my car with my purchases, a woman passed by, annoyed. The man behind her looked bedraggled and tired.

He approached me as I opened my car door, mumbling a request I didn't understand, coming close enough to touch me.

I'm sorry I can't. Into the car, lock the door, deep breath. No, it's probably uncommon for a woman to be assaulted in front of Target. But I'm not accustomed to strangers getting so close to me in the parking lot.

I unwrapped my Luna bar, and watched him walk past my side mirror to another part of the lot. While eating, I watched him walk back, loiter, then approach another woman. Who was alone. Like me. Like the annoyed woman who had passed me.

Saturday is mail day. And paycheck day, since the temp agency I worked for did not have direct deposit. Post office, bank, lunch, groceries.

I went to a Vons so small, there wasn't a chips aisle. Nor did I see pita chips, despite the abundant availability of humus. Heavy sprinkle when I entered, downpour when I left. No change to the parking lot, though.

The Rodeo Residency: Cruising Down the Avenue

Initially, I would get to Beverly Hills too early to go in to work. So I walked to Rodeo Drive, a street of high end shops famous for celebrity clientele.

It was around 7:15 AM when I glimpsed a gray haired man getting his hair cut. Surreal.

On Rodeo Drive itself, the store displays are not particularly unusual or spectacular. While the clothes on the storefront mannequins are changed roughly every two weeks, the accompanying props are in for the long haul. At the Coach Store, there's a street sign of the intersection of 5^th and Madison Avenues. You can take the store out of New York, but you can't take the New York out of the store.

Mont Blanc, the purveyor of fine writing instruments, caught my attention. Despite being in Beverly Hills, their window displays are empty when the store is closed.

I saw this bit of quaintness one crisp cool morning

Upon further exploration, I discovered Tiffany's house

I believe Versace's a neighbor, across the way. At its end (or entrance) are marble steps, a fountain (not pictured), and a sign to tell you where you are.

  

Via Rodeo

On my lunch breaks, I visited the three major department stores of the area: Barney's New York, Saks 5^th Avenue, and Neiman Marcus.

I'd never been to Barney's, which may be why it felt the posh-est to me. Or it may have been the pair of sandals with the unusual ankle strap. The holes and buckle of the strap were hidden behind another layer of leather. Incroyable!

Saks actually is actually split into two – the main store, and The 5^th Man men's store. It's the most like a typical department store - <whisper> they had sales racks in the shoe section.

The 5^th Man also has the Bridal department and corporate offices. I read Bridal and thought dishes and silverware (I'm in a fine china phase). Au contraire, mon frère. Bridal means Wedding Dresses.

Question for the gallery: Why are all modern wedding dresses sleeveless?

Neiman's fine china section is in the basement, where there is also a collection of fine art in the hallway on the way to the bathrooms. For me, Neiman's posh-er than Saks, but not near Barney's.

There are other stores in the area, of course. Boutiques I have never heard of. Stores I'd only seen at Westfield San Francisco (i.e., the mall at the Powell Street BART station). My macron store, 'lette. And to my shock, a Cheesecake Factory.

One day, I noticed an interesting tower in the distance. It looked to be only a block past Beverly; surely I could examine it during my lunch hour.

As I rounded the corner, I glimpsed an art deco style building. C'est tres belle! This first building turned out to be

Beverly Hills Civic Center

But it was not the building I came to see. No, I was interested in the building next door, the one with the tower

  

Wow. What is this place?

What?!

<sigh> 

That's right. I'm in Beverly Hills.

The Rodeo Residency: A Temp Assignment

The good news: I did not have to get onto the 405. Even leaving Woodland Hills at 6:30 AM, taking 405 S would have been a nightmare.

Instead, I took Coldwater Canyon, twisting and turning my way through the hills. When I moved to my current (temporary) location in Sherman Oaks, I didn't even need to get onto the freeway.

There was still traffic, of course. Because,

1. I'm in Los Angeles County,

2. There is major construction on Coldwater from Moorpark to Ventura, right before the climb into the hills,

3. There is a high school at the base of the ascent, and

4. There are two stoplights for the folks going to Mulholland Drive. It wasn't unusual to be stopped on the incline, in the midst of a curve.

When I came out of Coldwater onto Beverly Drive, I passed a park which includes, to my left,

Alphabet Man

Actually Endless V by Juame Pensa, 2012 

Alien Tulips

Actually Hymn of Life: Tulips by Yayoi Kusama, 2007

or Why Isn't This a Cool Playground?

Possibly because only the sidewalk separates it from uber-busy Santa Monica Blvd

Or it reminds one too many people of Men in Black 2

To my right,

Artsy Bugs Bunny

Actually The Drummer by Barry Flanagan, 1989-90

And,

That's right. My temp assignment is in Beverly Hills.

For the first two weeks, I used the Valet-Only Visitor parking (with company validation, fortunately). It wasn't long before I was comfortable with the concept. Every morning I left my door open, keys in the ignition, engine idling as I greeted the valet and took my ticket.

There were actually two parts to the assignment. The first was updating the global address book, a data entry project well suited to my abilities and personality. I sat with the IT guys (some of my favorite folks in a company), plugging away.

I then moved to uploading documents to a database. I relocated to a desk near the Office Manager, got into a groove, and did my thang. Because organization + databases is one of my thangs.

Hallucination?

On Monday, while trying to get to work, I turned onto the Avenue of the Stars and saw smooth gray statues of animals. Jaguars, casually pacing. Deer, likely frolicking in the brush.

Since I've now managed to get to work 45 minutes early, I decided to cruise the Avenue with a calmer heartbeat. And I get another look at those statues.

Anticipation was high when I turned down the street. I was greeted by a beautiful fountain. Not a statue in sight.

Maybe they start at the next island

Nothing but another large, lovely fountain.

But the deer…I saw the deer right before I made that U-turn. Right

There. No deer.

Either the statues are easily removed for cloudy days,

Or I was hallucinating.

To Downtown Beverly Hills

My current temp assignment has me working at a real estate firm in Downtown(?) Beverly Hills. To get there, I could

Take the 101 to the 405, or

Take Coldwater Canyon, or

Take Beverly Glen.

I opted for Coldwater Canyon. Partly because at the 101/405 split, most of the cars were going on the 405.

Thus

Coldwater Canyon to Mulholland to Coldwater Canyon to Beverly Drive, turn right to stay on Beverly Drive, then right on Santa Monica, left on Linden, left on Wilshire, left on Roxbury to get into the parking garage, and

TA-DA! <Jazz Hands>

Have you ever been on Telegraph/Hwy 13, near the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley? All twisty and windy with posh houses tucked in the hill's crevices? Coldwater to Mulholland to Coldwater is like that. Only there are a few stoplights in the middle. And the houses are bigger and gated.

As Coldwater turns to Beverly, the houses expand in girth, and the street becomes clearly lined by towering palms.

Well onto Beverly, the street widens. Two cars interspersed with a pair of Smart for Twos can fit comfortably side by side.

A right turn onto Santa Monica. It's an expressway. There's Linden, but it only goes right. Perhaps it has a left turn further up?

Wait, that's Wilshire. But it's on a sort of diagonal, and I can't turn onto it. < small whimpering panic>.

Century Park? Avenue of the Stars? Multiple animal statues in the medians? No stopping anytime? <growl-y panic nipping fiercely at tinges of childish wonder>.

Oop – U-turn possible <flickering embers of confidence and hope>.

Wait, what? There are two Santa Monica Blvds? I don't remember Google saying anything about that. I'll take the Local – it seems to traverse amongst the buildings.

Ahhh

a place to park,

a place to breathe,

a place to map.