I went Downtown today to turn in some paperwork in the Wells Fargo
Center. It was a beautiful day......that kind of smogless pure air and
crystal clear landscapes; and a big, gorgeous blue sky with light fluffy
white clouds floating over me. What a vision! Compared to the 4-6 months
out of the year that we get cloudless, dirty orange skies and hazy,
lackluster colors in the surrounding nature, it was an incredible day.
It's almost like comparing Black and White photography to
color.........there's that much of a difference. Many people, including
the local media, always use the temperature as the only requirement for
a beautiful day in L.A. If it's 80 degrees outside, then it qualifies as
an outrageously awesome day. If it's warm enough to hit the beach, I
suppose that's the ticket. Many people come here from the East Coast and
the Mid-West and California is really a Paradise to them after shoveling
snow all Winter and hardly ever seeing the sun. Don't get me wrong. I am
a California native and I do love California as it is a beautiful State.
It is so very sad, though, that half the year, you are running around
inhaling all that orange crap (I wonder what my lungs look like?) and
not being able to see the real beauty of the sky above you or being able
to see the city that is surrounded by mountains all around and the ocean
to the West. On a clear day you can see the snow topped San Gabriel
Mountains and the closer, local Santa Monica Mountains. There's also the
Southern France(Cote d'Azur) look of the Hollywood Hills. On a clear
day, getting off the 10 Freeway and heading North on La Cienga or La
Brea you can see them very clearly and a bit further East you can even
see the Hollywood Sign. (There is some political intrigue here as to why
we have the traffic and the smog, but I won't get into it right now. )
Just remember what I told you the next time you land in L.A. About 100
miles out, maybe 20 minutes before landing you will begin to see that
famous 'orange' blanket hanging over the City. Unless you arrive the day
after a rainfall or Santa Ana Winds. Getting into the KPMG Tower has
changed since 9/11. They now request photo I.D.'s and have a security
system in place. I took out my Driver's License and gave it to the
Security Attendant. Next to me were two older gentleman. One of them
jokingly told the female Attendant that now everyone would know his age.
I smiled and told the guy who took my I.D. that it certainly wasn't fair
to the women. "You really only need your Social Security number". He
agreed as he handed me back the I.D. "I never look at the Birthdate,
only the photo.....so I really don't check out people's age." I thought
about it as I got on the elevator. What the heck is your Birthdate doing
on your Driver's License when the S.S. # is tied into everything. Can't
the cops tell the difference when they stop you whether you are 20 years
old or 60? The less info you have about yourself the better. I was
recently a victim of credit card fraud to the tune of$4000. But that's
another story. Heading back to the main center, I bought lunch and sat
down at one of the tables in the downstairs plaza. There was an ATM
right behind me. I watched as people stood in line to get money. I am a
nosy person and I love watching people. ( I do believe I craned my neck
a bit too much at the Brooks Brothers guy going up the escalator with
his male lunch buddies.) Two women walked up and stood in line. I can
size people up pretty well, ( all those years in and out of airports)
and at first glance they really did look like a couple of street
prostitutes. One of them looked like she had just gotten out of bed. The
clothes were very tacky and looked second hand and she really did look
like she was ready for the street. But there is trendy tacky ( i.e
Melrose Ave.) and just plain tacky. Her girlfriend had on a black Beret
and a very short skirt and Black boots. Her hair was long and black and
was styled in ringlet curls. It is sort of hard to explain........but
these two women did not even look like they were from the seedy part of
Hollywood. There was just a different air about them. Maybe they weren't
women of the night after all. Maybe they were just out of State. My
people watching ended abruptly when I realized I only had 5 more minutes
on the parking meter. This has to end now too, as I just realized I told
my neighbor I would walk with her a 5:00. and it's 20 after. p.s. Think
about coming out to California during the rainy season. Ha ha!