March 21, 2007
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Deceiving Appearances
This is a typical scene from many movies. Los Angeles. Translated, it means "The Angels." It's sometimes referred to as the city of angels. Looking at this picture brings no emotion to me. This is not how I remember Los Angeles. In fact, let me show you another famous location ==>
I can't tell you how many times I've seen movies show the LA river...from Nicolas Cage in Gone in 60 seconds to every other hollywood movie. The lists go on and on. Perhaps people see this and think that Los Angeles would be a great place to grow up. But that's just movies.
I saw Downtown a little different. I saw it in the distance. I grew up in Los Angeles, but not in the Hollywood version.
It was a bit different growing up on these streets. My walk of fame was a little different. But I'm not complaining, in fact, I don't want to talk of the negative things like drive-bys, stabbings, robbery, drugs and murder. I want to talk about the things that I saw everyday that I found funny and unique. I miss seeing those things sometimes. Here are some examples ==>
-----More Later-----
Comments (35)
Anyone ever tell you there are a bunch of freaks in L.A.?
That's the biggest doobie I've ever seen.
No way! A lowrider and matching lowrider bicycle? Now I've seen everything!
Seeing that graffiti makes me want to go buy some spray paint.
You know the Gone in Sixty Seconds place... was that also used in a Terminator movie and the race scene in Grease? Looks very familiar.
Awesome post.
Hugs, Tricia
oh, the hair! that's awesome.
By far, my favorite on the list is that pimp-mobike at the bottom, LOL
Miguel-
Hey man. I have been reading your stuff for a while. I like your thoughts and i was hoping that you might lend me some of them. I just posted a question I need help with. ... if you don't mind.
When my daugter was little she always wanted to take a vacation to East LA! I told her she watched too many movies and the reality would scare her straight!
long toe nails give me the creeps haha
I am from Long Beach. You could not pay me to go back there. The river bed pic's bring back memories of my childhood, when I played in the riverbed ( it was dry most of the time) and I would ditch school and hide down there. We were always in the riverbed. Have you ever been to Rainbow Pier? That was another playground for my bro and me. we climbed on those rocks and fished for 'horney toads' our name for the ugly little fish. boy the memories. Can I send the riverbed pic's to my bro?
My favorite picture which really represents is the peppers and lowrider bike.
Things that make us who we are are sometimes best left behind
ryc: It all came up over a fight I had with the boy today. He was arguing that he can drink/smoke on the weekend to relax, I was arguing that he does so too much. We have yet to strike a middle ground.
but thanks for your input
Those toenails limit you to opentoe shoes,gues she doesn't need snow boots!!I love to see unique people.
I want to sing with the sidewalk band.
Interesting mix of photos. The L.A. skyline looks nice, even from a distance. The L.A. River, on the other hand, doesn't look like much. I like the street-corner musicians and the mural. But those are the nastiest toenails I've ever seen. And the biggest blunt. All in all, human beings never cease to amaze me with their ignorance, with a veneer of the profoundest vanity.
please tell me those toes are a false memory and you never really saw that....please.
I do remember a lot of those things from California as well. I didn't live in LA though. I didn't like LA much.
those toenails! *barf*
the doobie's got a run in it
ahhhhh now you make me feel bad about saying that
you're the one who dropped the, "before you were born" line
very interesting. very different from where i was raised and now live.
Been there. Thanks for the memories. This summer I'm going to take picture of the graffitti atwork that we have in our town. I think it is beautiful, but I need you to translate before I go around extoling its virtues with wild abandon. Thanks for another mind-stretch.
I found my way here from your site being listed on another site. There's some good stuff here. I just subscribed.
I had a bike like that once...
I have some family down there
Its an ugly city, but cool in a weird way. And one part of the city is so different from another. That second picture looks like an area just on the edge of "Glendale", a very rich and pretty city. But right on the edge of it, is a scary world
LA is a dump. Someday it will fall into the ocean.
ryc: I probably spend a solid amount of my time during everyday life looking at them anyway... the difference is that normally they're not naked, and I'm not cleaning and injecting them.
oh, dear god...
Wow....LA is just one of those big cities that is everything to everyone. A place to be rich and famous...a place to smoke a giant joint....or a place to grow your toenails really long. Hahaha!
Wow....LA is just one of those big cities that is everything to everyone. A place to be rich and famous...a place to smoke a giant joint....or a place to grow your toenails really long. Hahaha!
The toenails were nasty... The doobie reminds me of the first drive in movie I saw without an adult, "Cheech and Chong, Up in Smoke".... That movie still cracks me up...
Call me crazy, but I love the grafitti (maybe cuz I live in Cali) Actually, I don't consider that grafitti. That's art. I used to hang with a guy that was locked up alot and he could draw like that.
Definately not the Hollywood version of L. A., but definately a much more interesting one. Also a much truer one I am sure.
Wasn't that river area from Mi Familia, too? Where Esai morales dies? Was it Mi Familia? Or Blood in, Blood Out? My god I need help.
I spent time in Santa Monica and the only thing many people think of are celebrities. I think of the homeless people sleeping on the streets!
ryc thank you!
god that long toe nail picture always makes me shudder, no matter how many times I look at it.
Thinking about you and missing your xanga presence.
You might encounter some similiar things in nyc. But it has gotten a lil better over the years. Great pics btw.
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