Just popping Downtown.

When I told a new friend I was going Downtown, his face dropped, it was just coming up to rush hour and I'm in Westwood. The blue and white cab was friendly and in good spirits when I got in, when I told him to take me to China Town, his face dropped. He tried to talk me out of it, like Cops try to talk down a crazed man with a .45 in his trembling hand. But I insist. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After about an hour or so, I had seen my 100th Banksy like Rambo poster flash by. I was back in London when the media back there reported Banksy, the infamous English street artist, was holding an exhibition in LA. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5344676.stm Banksy, long after he's/she has gone will be written by Art Historians that his/hers favourite canvas was Hackney, in London's east end. Banksy's street art work, Hackney's very own private collection everywhere; as we come and go to work, shopping, eating out or just for a local walk. Banksy's 'real' exhibition was held in Downtown LA , I remember watching back in rainy grey London, thinking how warm and glamorous it all seemed. Oh, and thinking the live elephant in one of the pieces, made me think of that other movie powerhouse, Bollywood. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was bright and sunny when I stepped into the cab, now it was dark -as was the mood in the cab. The cabbie was close to tears, phone calls were made home, in a language I was guessing East European, but sat in the back of the cab, I was losing the will to live, so it's difficult to call. The Cabbie tried every short cut, secret route only known to him, something he'd take to his grave. But his secret box of Cabbie tricks just led us to one sea of red tail lights to another. -------------------------------------------------------- Chinatown actually reminded me of the weeks I spent in China last summer. Children and the very old hanging in the streets, shops well stocked and that particular Chinese laid back buzz that's everywhere in China. Anyone who's been will know exactly what I'm talking about. The very next day (we are practically in Chinese New Year Eve, n'all) I was curious how long it would take to head to Downtown again, from Westwood - using the MTA combo of bus number 2, the Red line Subway and Gold line Subway. ---------------------------------------------------------- Getting the bus to Hollywood would of been a breeze until Whhaaammmm! Someone or something pulls out in front of the bus , we brake! Anyone standing becomes a rag doll, a woman is down. A good guy steps forward and talks to her, she's delirious, took a bump on her head as she fell. Another woman takes off her coat, supports her head, everyone is concerned and suddenly my public transport trip to Downtown doesn't seem as important. 10 minutes or so later I'm in the sunny street and watching red emergency automobiles scream towards the bus. I look up and see a helicopter fly by. Any minute I'm expecting a cyborg sent from the future to start killing everybody! But it doesn't, the woman is OK. Most of the passengers get on another bus that turns up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LA's subway is cool! It's easy to use, fast, impossible to get lost, but staring at the map I realise this isn't a real subway, Tokyo, that's a real subway, St Petersburg in Russia has one too. Like London, LA's subway cannot get you from one side of the city to the other in any direction. (London's subway is an ancient dying machine that no longer understands English) But LA's Metro has a lot going for it, it looks good for one! Especially the Gold Line, that ships you all the way to Pasadena! ----------------------------------------------- Bus crash and subway, give me that any day over LA traffic.