Los Angeles: My brief tryst with the monstrous megalapolis

A visit to the greater L.A. area has eluded me since 2022, which was when I first planned a trip to the city. All it took was an impromptu weekend-long solo road trip. two years down the line. Nevertheless, as more time went by, I had built an intricate image of the city right from scenic drives along the coast to the sprawling suburbia, the glam of Hollywood to the houseless crisis, the multi-modal transportation network to the traffic woes. The trip made me realize that L.A. was all of these and even more! The fact that this was a 2 and a half day trip did not do justice at all. So, I begin by saying that this is just part 1 of getting to know L.A.

Since the trip was impromptu, I only had a couple of hours Friday night to "pack" things I needed for the trip. I wanted to get started on the drive as early as possible so I dumped all the stuff into my car, in the back seat, the trunk, the passenger seat - anywhere I could find space. Thanks to this indiscriminate packing, I was able to start the drive around 6 am. I expected it to be warm and sunny, but I was greeted with cloudy skies and some light winds, which was not bad at all for Phoenix. It took me about 30-40 minutes to get in the groove after listening to my religious playlist (that I play or try to do every morning and at the beginning of every trip) and updating my mom on the trip's status. Soon, I hit the double-lane I-10, which signaled the end of the Phoenix urban area. 

For most of the drive, I cruised along the I-10, looking at the vast flat lands in the foreground and some mountains peaking in the background. The only interesting thing that happened was at one point, I saw some skydivers descend on the north of the highway. Sadly, I could not stop and pull over to see what it actually was or take some pictures, but that was really interesting. I had also seen someone write on another blog to check out the Palo Verde nuclear power generation plant in the south. The last time I had seen a nuclear reactor was in Kalpakkam, so it was interesting to see a nuclear reactor for the first time in the US. As I approached the California border around 7.30, I remembered that I had to stop for gas before I entered California. I felt like I had to get coffee and some snacks before I continued the drive, so I looked for a Starbucks where I usually get coffee and the feta cheese wrap. Since I did not plan ahead, I did not realize that Quartzite did not have a Starbucks. Although I found a drive-through coffee place, which felt like it was out of a haunted movie, it did not have breakfast. I tried looking around for breakfast places, but it was either closed or too far, so I had to settle for a croissant from a gas station. Slightly disgruntled, I carried on.

As I approached the windmill-studded Palm Springs, I was taken aback by the strong winds, and soon, I found myself struggling to keep my car in my lane. I later discovered that I was passing through the San Gorgonio pass, one of the deepest in the United States. That's another item that I can cross off my bucket list. Just when I thought that the worst was over, I was met with immensely heavy rains, and the traffic came to a standstill. The slow-moving traffic continued all the way onto the 101 until I exited the freeway system. A positive way to look at the situation was I was able to look at the downtown and check out the city. LA had indeed given me quite the welcome!

The first thing I noticed was the weather. Coming from Phoenix, I loved the moisture in the air and the medium temperatures. After a brief nap, I set out to explore the city with my friend. As someone who works in transit and had just witnessed the traffic snarl, I decided to take the subway. After a brief walk, we reached the Hollywood stations, where we had to take the red line into Downtown LA. I have witnessed my fair share of gimmicks on transit systems - from foot boarding to vandalism to fare evasion in the US and even in India, but there was something very interesting here. Fare evasion was being done brazenly in plain sight, that too, in front of uniformed officers and staff. I stood there for five minutes as the TAP app downloaded, and dozens of people jumped over turnstiles and let others in. I guess I did not want to find out what would happen if someone not from there evaded the fare. I have to give credit where it is due. I absolutely loved the design of the stations. Each one of these stations was unique, grandiose, and inviting. The colorful ceramic tiles reminded me of MRTS stations in Chennai, and some of them reminded me of the New York subway and underground stations in Stockholm. However, many looked like they had fallen into disrepair because there were dirty and smelly pockets. The trains also looked like they were trashed with leftover food, bubble gum and drinks on the floor and seats. I found it very concerning why the users mistreated the transit system, which was helping them with their daily bread and butter. As I was imagining how the system must have looked when it was first opened, we had already reached Civic Center, and it was time to explore the Downtown! 

The first thing we walked out to see was the Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry. I was seeing a building I had read about, sketched, and studied in real life. Although we could not enter the building, we spent a few minutes deconstructing the architecture of the building and then walked over to the MOCA. There were a few interesting exhibits and a really cool poem on doors by David Antin. The next stop was the Angels Flight. I am always excited to check out cool historical things - be it the streetcar in San Fransisco or the gunfight at O.K. Corral! After Angel's Fight, we walked through the Grand Central Market to go see the Bradbury Building, but to our bad luck, the building was closed. Disappointed, we decided to hit the Last Bookstore before heading back home. The Last Bookstore had me awestruck! I was digging all the things they had - from Harry Potter Corner to the vinyl records section to the creepy dolls section. The one thing that caught my eye was the maps section! I spent half an hour flipping through dozens of vintage maps as my friend stood by helplessly. She did, however, help me decide which one to buy. I wanted an India map or an Arizona map, but I could not find anything that I liked. I finally found a tidal pattern map for the world and there was India on it. Owning something vintage was another item that I crossed off the bucket list! We took the train back to Hollywood, walked down Hollywood Avenue, and checked out the Dolby Theatre and the Chinese Theatre before calling it a day. 

The next morning, we wanted to visit the Griffith Observatory, but it was so crowded that it was a Sunday. I did not want to wait to get in because I was there on short trips and wanted to check out more things. We did, however, manage to catch a glimpse of the Los Angeles skyline! We then drove over to the Hollywood sign park, clicked some pictures, and as we decided to do a short hike in the area, it started raining! One other thing I realized was apart from Arizona, anywhere in the US, you need to look at weather conditions before you plan a trip. I was so used to the clear skies and predictable weather that I never accounted for rain delays and interruptions. Sigh. With rain forecasted for the rest of the day until evening, we had no choice but to remain indoors. We walked around a shopping mall and decided to drive out to catch the sunset. My friend was determined to show me good spots around the city and so far the weather had deterred her from doing so. We drove out to Palos Verdes Estates and found a good spot to catch the sunset. It had been a long time since I caught a sunset at the beach. The last time I did that was probably in Udupi. Hair and clothes flying in the wind, roaring waves, soaring birds over us, and the fast-setting sun brought back memories from our time in Manipal when the usual hangout spot was Malpe Beach. A quick dinner at the Cheesecake factory brought day 2 to a close.

The third day was a WFH day. I had planned this trip at the last minute, and I could not apply for time off. Besides, my friend had to work that day, too, and it worked out well. She came back in the evening, and we set out to Santa Monica Pier. I was surprised to see that on a Monday night, it was very crowded! Bundled with the lower temperature and high winds, I was craving something hot to eat. I glanced upon some elotes and noticed people ordering in Spanish. I had been learning Spanish for a few months and decided I could try ordering in Spanish as well as satisfy my craving for hot snacks. It is safe to say that I can now order sweet corn in Spanish but cannot take follow-up conversational questions. With that, I concluded my last day in Los Angeles.

The next day, I woke up at 5 am to beat the rush hour traffic, and I was able to get on the road by 5.30. Usually, in Phoenix, traffic does not build up until 8am, and we haven't battled traffic at 6 am. Seeing that many people are on the road at 6 am made me remember some concepts I learned about schedule delay time costs and traffic congestion models in school. Once I crossed the Valley, it was smooth sailing for the rest of the drive. I stopped at a Punjabi Dhaba in Buckeye, which was recommended to me by a colleague, and picked up some yummy Chole and samosas. I was soon stuck in traffic on the 202 near the mini stack in no time. Other than some minor traffic delays and rain interruptions, I would say that this was a successful solo drive and a great weekend trip.