Sunday to Sunday in the LBC

I can't believe I didn't mention this last Sunday, but June's Stroll and Savor was last Wednesday and Thursday! It was amazing as always. I was really excited because a restaurant called Thai Gourmet started to participate. I am addicted to Thai iced tea even though I'm sure it's terrible for you, and of course they had it out. 

I really do love my neighborhood. I love that all these people come out. I know some people would be put off by the crowds and the lines, but that's one of the reasons why I like it. I can't wait for next month's Stroll and Savor. I'll try to be better and let you guys know about it the week before, in case any of you are close enough to come out for a bite to eat.

I spent another weekend mostly out of Long Beach yet again. I went to the Dwell convention, which was really neat. It made me want a home to decorate and make energy efficient, but honestly I can't even imagine having the money to buy a house, let along decorate it. One day...

I met my coworker/friend and her husband at the convention and then they took me on a quick tour of downtown Los Angeles on the way to their new house. Yes, I know I work there, but I barely ever get beyond a 1 block radius of my building and the train station. 

We walked through the Watercourt where Grand Performances puts on Summer concerts. They were getting ready for one that night that looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. Then we took Angel's Flight down Bunkerhill.

Image originally uploaded by Wehardy

Image originally uploaded by Waltarrrrr

Then we walked through Grand Central Market which took me to another world. I will definitely have to go back there to actually eat sometime. My sister said that there is a papusaria that supposed to be really good there.

Image originally uploaded by Mort Guffman

On our way to their house we stop in the Bradbury building, which was amazing! I've seen it in several movies, but it is even more dramatic in person.

Image originally uploaded by Kansas Sebastian

Honestly, it was amazing to see so many Los Angeles landmarks in such a short amount of time. I've lived here the majority of my life and had never been to any of these places. Next time I head out on an adventure like this, I'll be sure to bring my own camera too!

Back home in Long Beach, I completely missed an arts and crafts fair that looked right up my alley. I love things that are handmade with care and passion. There is just something about items that are unique and made by someone who really cared about the quality of the item. I'll have to keep an eye on this organization so that I can make it to the next event. Don't worry, I'll let you guys know too. 

Sharing is Caring

Today on the train...I was worried I wasn't going to have a good story today, then a barefoot homeless man decided he wanted to sit in my section. The young man that he choose to sit next to was kind enough to get up and move all of his stuff, but when he sat back down the homeless man took over his own seat plus half of the other seat. 

The young man politely asked if he could have some more room and the homeless man replied "No, I don't feel like sharing today." And started laughing. He thought he was so funny, but obviously came to his senses shortly after and moved over enough for the young man to sit comfortably...well as much as comfortably as one can when their nose is being filled with the scent of homelessness.

I was sitting nearby and really tried to not judge. I am currently reading "Tattoos on the Heart" by Father Greg Boyle and his whole message is about having boundless compassion. Even though I didn't like the way the homeless man smelled, I needed to not judge him. Who knows how he ended up in the situation he is in currently?

Sunday to Sunday in the LBC

This weekend was full of beautiful weather! Nothing could keep us inside. Saturday the boyfriend and I took a walk through a neighborhood that we've never been through before, and we've lived here for 2 1/2 years. Then today to celebrate father's day we went hiking with my family on the Palos Verdes peninsula. 

image originally uploaded by myhsu

After a good hike with gorgeous views, like the one above, we headed over to Nelson's at Terranea, a fairly new resort that is absolutely fantastic. The day and the company I was with made it even more fantastic.


Next weekend will be spent outside of Long Beach as well, at the Dwell convention. A couple of my coworker/friends are going to meet me there. We'll all be taking the trains from different directions, to meet in the middle at the LA convention center. I can't wait. Dwell is the one magazine that I actually still subscribe to. More often than not, I read it cover to cover, even the letters to the editor. 


Dwell just knows how to capture my attention with gorgeous graphics and plenty of informative articles. The magazine is all about design, whether that design is architectural, landscape, interior, or technological. 


I hope you all had a good weekend and that your upcoming week is filled with productivity! 

Pride

Today on the train...there was an energy that I haven't felt before. Two big sporting events were going on that affected Los Angelenos. Mexico was playing in the World Cup and the Los Angeles Lakers were playing their final game in the NBA Finals. 

The train goes right by the Staples Center where the Lakers play, so there were a lot of fans that were on their way to root for their team. A young man got on the train wearing Green, the color of the Celtics playing against the Lakers, and a few guys started to tease him.


"You're wearing the wrong color today man."
"You're in the wrong neighborhood with that shirt on."
"You better watch your back."


Luckily these words were said with laughter, so there was no reason to take the threats seriously. There are definitely some serious fans out there.


Since Los Angeles is almost 50% Latino (according to the Census Bureau), there were also more than a handful of Mexico soccer fans. They had their flags and vuvuzelas in hand (glad they were smart enough not to play them on the train). A couple of old men got on the train and yelled out "Viva Mexico". It was very sweet.


It was great to see everyone so excited. Whether they were proud to be from Los Angeles or proud to be Mexican, the excitement was the same!

Helping and Receiving

I just felt the need to share. There is an Etsy store that has been created called Help the Gulf Coast where 100% of the proceeds will be given to charities that are helping with the clean up and recovery of the oil spill.

The items in the store look amazing! One of my favorite photographers, A. Jarrett has an item there Head on over and get a little joy out of helping the cause!

Be Kind

Today on the train...two strangers became friends. Two men were standing and the first, we'll call Joe for clarity asked the other, we'll call Bob, if he could use his phone to have his friend pick him up at the station. Bob said sure. 

That action alone was pretty rare to see. Would you give your phone to a stranger to use? I don't know that I would, and I'm a pretty nice person ;)

Then some seats opened up and the two men sat next to each other. They started with the small stuff. Joe had an obvious accent so Bob asked where he was from. Turned out they were both originally from the South and had been out here for less than 10 years. 

They then went on to talk about family and make jokes back and forth like old friends. 

It is simply amazing how strangers can connect in such a short amount of time. It isn't just crazies that want to chat on the train. Occasionally, one might interact with someone that is just plain nice.

Publicity

Sorry I've been sporatic lately. I promise tomorrow I will actually write a "Today on the train..." post, but today I thought I'd share a little publicity that I got this morning!

There was an article in the LA Times talking about what an adventure the Blue Line is and one of my friends left a comment on the web version talking about my blog! I better check my google analytics numbers today to see if I got any hits from it!

Hope you all have a great day!

Enjoy the adventure.

Short and Right to the Point

Today on the train...the man sitting next to me was clicking his pen non-stop! Some people just don't realize that there are others in the world that don't appreciate noise like that. If I was brave enough I would have snapped that pen right out of his hot little hand and not given it back.

(I know this post is short, but I had to express the annoyance)

Happy Friday everyone!

Talking When No One is Listening

Today on the train...I almost didn't make it past the 4th stop. My stomach started cramping and I got all hot and I knew that I wasn't going to make it all the way to work. The stop the train was just arriving at was the Compton station, normally not where I would chose to get off, but there is a McDonald's across the street where I could use the restroom. I was lucky because most of the stations don't have bathrooms nearby. That is one thing I think about when I'm not feeling so hot. Where would I go if I really had to "go". 

As I walk from the restroom, I seriously considered just getting back on the train back home because I wasn't sure I could make it to work before another "episode". But I left it up to the universe and said that whatever train came first I would go in that direction. Of course it was the train to work.

I must have had the best train luck this morning because the train I got on was also the train a young preacher boy got on. He was reciting Bible verses that didn't really belong with the statements he was making, and jumping from one subject to the next. I would have given him credit if he was actually inspiring people, but it really just seemed like he was repeating bits and pieces of someone else's sermon. He must have gone on for about 20 minutes.

As soon as he got off, a young man that had been sitting towards the front of the caboose started to get louder. I had originally thought he was on the phone, and not being very nice to the person on the line, but it turned out he was just talking to himself. It was as if he was thinking aloud with his stream of consciousness. He turned to the man sitting next to him and said "Are you a good father?" The man answered, "I sure try to be." and the young man replied, "I wish I had a dad like you." To that a small group laughed and the people that were sitting around him slowly started to move away. 


I couldn't tell if he was on drugs, mentally a little unstable or just wanted attention. Maybe all three?