A lunch time walk in the rain

Whittier Narrows c.2012

“You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” ~ A.A. Milne

A walk past someone's leap

3rd St  c.2012

"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done"~Lucille Ball

Walking by chance

mobile pic c.2010

I saw this car ad in a travel magazine during my lunch break a couple of years ago and loved the simplicity of it. Although, throwing a dart to a world map wouldn't be my first choice in letting chance pick my destination. I'd rather play roulette by spinning a globe and book a flight to the spot my finger lands on...even if it turns out to be Nowheresville, CA. Just once in my life.

But for now, I think I'll buy a map of the city of Los Angeles and take a walk wherever the dart lands...assuming I hit the map.

This could be fun.

A stumbling walk

Resilient c.2012

"All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity" ~ Robert F. Kennedy

"Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live."~RFK

A walk from the earth to the moon

Closer  C.2012

Giant steps are what you take walking on the moon

I hope my leg don't break walking on the moon...

I love being a tourist in my own city, especially when friends from out of town come to visit. Even if I’ve visited an eye rolling “overrated” hot spot a hundred times, it’s a completely new experience with each visit, and it's always enjoyable with the right company. I admit I take a lot of these "tourist" places for granted. It’s so easy to do so, and more often than not, the only time we notice certain spots is when the place itself closes or we lose someone who wanted to visit it.  One place I definitely took for granted was the Griffith Park Observatory.

I remember the field trips to the Observatory as a kid and I always had fun. Well, as much fun as a place of education could offer. As I got a little older I remember I began to put off plans to visit.  I swore I’d attend some of the musical shows “soon”. Then it closed down for renovations for several years during my early 20s. I can't say it was sudden. It was announced all over but I simply kept putting it off until I missed my chance. Once it reopened I fell back into the same pattern of “oh I’ll visit soon”. Before I knew it, another several years went by. I wish I had visited under different circmstances, but I finally made it back to the observatory last May, on what would've been my mother’s birthday to be exact. It was a gorgeous spring evening and I did something I’d never bothered to do before. I stood in the long line in order to look through the Zeiss telescope.  That night I finally saw the moon, up close and personal. Even though the whole process was a bit of an assembly line, and I only saw it for a few seconds, it was absolutely breathtaking. Many of my favorite songs and movie scenes center around the moon. My all time favorite author, Jules Verne, wrote an incredibly imaginative story about a few civil war vets who wanted to build a rocket ship to the moon. From the Earth to the Moon (De la Terre à la Lune, 1865) 

"Nothing can astound an American. It has often been asserted that the word "impossible" is not a French one. People have evidently been deceived by the dictionary. In America, all is easy, all is simple; and as for mechanical difficulties, they are overcome before they arise..."~Jules Verne, From the earth to the moon

Anyway, I had the chance to visit the observatory again last week with some friends that came to visit. We had some time to kill before a night out in Hollywood so it felt like a fitting way to begin their vacation. The telescope wasn’t open when we arrived but the view of the city was still enjoyable in spite of the colorful layer of smog. I have no doubt I'll be visiting this place more often. I feel lucky to have a place like this within reach. A place that makes the moon within reach.

"What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary"~ George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life

An authoritative walk through the train

Busted 

The LA metro system is lightyears behind the rest of the other major cities in the world in several aspects. I've said this before and I'm not the only one. The part of the metro system I've never understood is the "honor" system when it comes to the fare. Paper tickets are sold at each rail station where you could buy a day pass for $5 or a one way ticket for $1.50. There are also plastic "tap" passes that you can reload and pay your fare on special tap stands as you walk through any train platform. There isn't anyone you show your pass to, and there aren't any turnstiles on the majority of the stations. If you're strapped for cash, forgot to break change or don't have time to buy a ticket as the train approaches, it's understandable if you skip buying a ticket. The likelyhood of metro sheriffs citing you are quite low even though there are warning signs everywhere about the consequence of breaking this rule. A $250 fine if you're caught without the proper ticket. So when the metro police suddenly decide they want to enforce the rules, they can rake in a good amount of money. I read the MTA want to make some major changes to address this problem.  To be honest, I don't know why this loose fare method was ever the norm in the first place.

That said, everytime I've seen someone get busted I can't help but feel bad for them. Sure, it's their own fault and that's the gamble they decided to take. But I've risked it before, especially when I was in high school and I got lucky. $250 is a devastating setback for many of these violators and conversely patrons not paying their fare is devastating to the city since it quickly adds up.

Whenever I hear the occassional "TICKETS AND PASSES" echo through the train, I panic for a split second and make sure I have my pass on me. I'd rather complain about money slipping through my fingers rather than knowing exactly where that money went. My final thought on the issue? I'm quite sure less people would take that $250 risk if the MTA didn't make it so incredibly easy. 

damn...

A torn walk

Polluted sunset C.2011

One December evening, I was walking past the Disney concert hall in Downtown Los Angeles when I had the sudden urge to stop and capture the sunset through a torn fence. When I got home and reviewed what I had shot, I realized this particular frame reminded me of a photograph I'd seen before. The tear in the fence made me think of an old photo Lee Miller took during her time in Egypt in the 1930s. A female photographer in Egypt in the 1930s. Can you imagine how amazing that must've been??

 Lee Miller is one of my all time photographic heroes and an amazing inspiration (pardon my *feminist* gushing).  I came to know of her during my fascination with Man Ray in my late teens. She worked with Man Ray (in several definitions) and was his model for several of his works. Her photographs weren't looked at in depth during any of my art or photography classes in college, which is a real shame. Her talent, work, growth, and fearless approach to her photography, especially during her time as a WWII photojournalist, make her one of the most amazing artists in my book. Of course, every creative mind strives to invent their own interpretations of ideas that may have been done before. But if you've been directly influenced, it's important to give credit where it's due. As my old history professors would always say~Always site your source.

Portrait of Space C.1937 Lee Miller 

Dang, girl. You changed my life...

Keep walking...

Potential c.2012

"Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around" ~Katharine Hepburn

A walk through a famous lawn

Forever George Bailey c.2012

This afternoon I decided to visit Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. None of my family members are buried there but I've read there are several famous graves at this location, which is why I thought it would be interesting to visit. Just as I was pleasantly surprised to find Gregory Peck's tomb in Downtown L.A. sometime ago, I was just as happy to learn that James Stewart is also buried in the city. The James Stewart museum is in his hometown in Indiana,Pennsylvania so I just assumed he was buried out there. Well, I guess it goes without saying that he also happens to another one of my absolute favorite old Hollywood stars. 

I became a huge fan in college when I watched films like Mr. Smith goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story and of course, It's a Wonderful Life. That admiration turned to adoration when I read his biography and learned he had served in the military during the second world war.

Walking through the steep hills at Forest Lawn was quite peaceful and the weather was just gorgeous. It's not that I like cemeteries but I did develop a certain kind of comfort walking through them when I lost my grandma. As I was looked for Stewart's grave at a specific lot, I was intrigued by many of the designs of grave markers I passed. I also cleared off some of the ones that hadn't been visited in awhile since I don't like seeing a graves hidden in leaves and dirt. Something I must've picked up from my mom. Another thing that saddens me are children's graves and couples that are buried together. Just as I was having this thought, lo and behold, I come to find the modest grave of the legendary James Stewart who was next to his wife, Gloria Stewart. The sun was starting to set and the light was kissing his marker beautifully. There were some pennies and dead carnations on top of it which made me wonder how long they've been there. All I knew at that moment is that I wanted to appreciate the find, the weather, the view and well, life. I sat down next to Jimmy and just breathed. That's definitely not something I can say everyday.

I'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world! ~George Bailey 

A repetitive walk: Pay phone hunting on Sunset Blvd

"In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little, human detail can become a Leitmotiv."
~Henri Cartier-Bresson

C. 2008 - 2011

Figueroa St to Silverlake Blvd

An contagious walk

How original...

The flu. I find it more annoying than painful because it disrupts everything I want to get done (or the option to postpone what I want to get done). It's such a waste of precious time. Even more wasteful than sleep. Having battled the virus all week, I was literally sick of not being productive on my personal things. Well, Saturday morning I decided I'd leave the house... if only to buy more medicine and food.

Somehow I justified taking the train to downtown to pick up more dayquil.

After picking up some tissues and medicine, I thought I might as well go to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which is only a few blocks away. I hadn't visited in ages and there was also a temporary exhibit on the works of Weegee that closes on the 27th. As soon as I walked in I saw a sign that reminded visitors that photography is not permitted. Right...

"I have no inhibitions and neither has my camera" ~Weegee

I first came to like Weegee when his work was exhibited at the Getty about 7 years ago. His raw photographs of murder scenes and fires were the kind of photojournalism that I find quite fascinating. This exhibit, however, was more tongue in cheek since it has to do with his observations of silver screen old Hollywood and Los Angeles in the 1950s during his 4 year residency.

My absolute favorite display of works were the red carpet pictures that captured the reactions of the fans, ushers, security guards and other photographers as celebrities walked by. There were other sections that displayed his manipulated and distorted images, which are quite impressive considering this was lightyears ahead of the digital age.

Every now and then an exhibit inspires me and this one was one of them...almost enough to buy the $50 book at the museum shop. Almost. There's always the library, right?

Weegee. Google him. He's worth looking into.

A Symmetrical Walk

c.2011

On a warm December Sunday I took a walk through the fashion district in Downtown L.A., better known as the Santee Alley. Somewhere along the maze of product stands and sidewalk stores I began to head west, towards the financial district. I was walking with my camera in hand and looked around for something to catch my eye. It had been awhile so I was feeling a tad rusty, photographically speaking...or so I felt. At the same time, I walked right past a city bus that was on layover. I stopped to take a picture of a payphone that happened to be in front of the bus when the driver came out and called me over. He asked what I was working on and before I could respond, he asked that I take his picture. I smiled and agreed. I only had a fixed lens at that point so I couldn't zoom in or out. After I snapped a quick one I asked him how long he'd been a bus driver for. He then countered my question by asking if I knew what the stripes on his sweater sleeve meant. I told him I wasn't even aware the stripes meant anything. He said each one represented 5 years on the job. His sleeve had 4 stripes. I smiled, congratulated him and began to walk away. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked. I explained I was on a time limit and pointed towards the sun. It was later in the afternoon and winter days are so short as it is. Winter days in downtown with all of the buildings blocking the sun make the days even shorter. I thanked him for teaching me something new and continued on with my walk. 

As I thought about the sun and the buildings in my race against time, I happened to look up while waiting for a green light. All I saw were lines. Perhaps it reminded me of my drawing classes in college, but I couldn't help noticing all of the lines that were intersecting in an orderly fashion, right from where I was standing. From that angle, everything made visual sense. Normally I don't like to stand under wires due to my fear of earthquakes...well, my fear of falling debris that could kill me. But I didn't mind standing underneath all of those electrical and brick hazards. I suppose I have that bus driver to thank for making me look up and continue my race against the premature sunset of the downtown skyline.

No no, thank You

A walk through Tom Bradley International

c.2002

Print dated 2/23/03 for Grandma's birthday

I took my first transatlantic trip when I was 20 yrs old. My mom wasn't thrilled about the idea and much to my surprise, neither was my grandma. She was the brave one in the family so I thought she'd be on board when I told them I was going to spend a semester in France. My grandma was the one that said I didn't need to go to another country in order to learn a new language. She was missing the point. I just felt the need to go especially since I wasn't going to college to far from where I grew up.

When the day finally arrived, September 12, 2002, I was extremely nervous since I had no idea what I was doing and I hated the idea of a non-stop flight overseas. My mom and grandma decided to take the train ride with me to LAX, which is something they had never done for some of my other domestic flights.

We rode the blue line, then transferred to the green line and took the free shuttle to Tom Bradley International terminal. My mom was spewing out last minute motherly advice, and my grandma was all smiles and much to my embarrassment she collected beer cans to recycle along the way. She kept them in a non discreet bright blue grocery bag. My grandma had that blue bag full of cans in my picture with her. It was such an eyesore that I sepia toned the picture so the focus would be my grandma and I. Aside from my mom grabbing my camera to take a picture of Simon Cowell who was checking into first class on my same flight, I don't remember too many other details from that day. I just know I was extremely excited and I was happy my mom and grandma were there to bid me adieu.

I've taken other international flights since then but none have flown out of Tom Bradley, until recently. When I booked my flight for my trip with Habitat for Humanity, I didn't realize Turkish Airlines flew out of that terminal, which made me really happy. I don't travel nearly as much as I'd like to, and travel internationally much less. My flight to Romania ( via Turkey ) was also in September, the 29th to be exact.
I decided to take the same train route to LAX, but alone this time. I can't explain why it felt like I needed to. Probably because the two most influential people in my life were gone and I wanted to feel as if they were there with me, bidding me farewell and spilling last minute advice over my repetitive declarations that I am not 20 anymore. Once I got to the same terminal that served as a portal to a life changing journey, I felt ready to face the last epic journey of my 20s.

I missed them everyday of that trip. It felt weird not to call anyone to "check in" and confirm I made it ok. It was also weird not to send them postcards from every city I visited as they always demanded in their loving ways. Through the familial loneliness, the memories of the first time at Tom Bradley International Terminal with them made me smile and triggered the same type of excitement I felt as a fearless 20 yr old. I trust it'll always happen whenever I fly out of there in the future.

An underground walk

Gregory Peck C.2011

I'm not a do-gooder. It embarrassed me to be classified as a humanitarian. I simply take part in activities that I believe in. ~ Gregory Peck

I became a big fan of Gregory Peck when I saw Roman Holiday years and years ago. By fan I mean I simply thought he was devastatingly handsome. My fandom grew when I watched films like The Gentleman's agreement and To Kill a Mockingbird, two very gutsy roles in very admirable films. The latter is the well known role, but I HIGHLY recommend The Gentleman's Agreement if you haven't seen it yet. When I read he made former president Richard Nixon's enemies list because of his political views, well I think I may have fallen in love. I read various things about what a wonderful man he was on and off camera and how amazing he was to his fans, well into his last days. He was quite the L.A. enthusiast too and love that he was a huge supporter of the L.A. Central Library. 

I remember hearing about his death in the news towards the end of my junior year in college. I was genuinely saddened! Perhaps because I thought there was a little hope that I would find an opportunity to meet him, the last of my silverscreen heroes. That may sound silly but I'd read stories about such encounters and therefore it was technically possible, so I thought. One thing I didn't know was where he was put to rest. You could imagine my pleasant surprise a couple of years ago when I stumbled across his tomb at the mausoleum in the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels in Downtown L.A. Right in my backyard so to speak.

I visited the church and the mausoleum again just after Christmas this past year. It was so quiet and peaceful, which was hard to wrap my head around since the cathedral is not only in downtown, but it also borders the 101 freeway. Not the most secluded of places.

As I stood in front of Peck's vault, it made me think about what kind of legacy each of us hope to leave once our run on this earth is done. No, I never got to meet Gregory Peck, but reading so many positive stories about him along with a collection of great quotes, I find my admiration continues to grow. Just as his good character and his name became (and remain) synonymous, I can only hope that will be the case for me one day...preferably in the distant future.

A walk through artificial light

 C.2012

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. 

 Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.  

~Raymond Inmon

Now, where was I...

I'd be lying if I said I haven't realized I strayed away from my favorite things. Things like walking for pleasure, taking pictures, and visting the occasional gallery for inspiration. Sure, I can blame a million things why I let the lapse happen. But at this point I'd rather be proactive and simply pick up where I left off.  

Over the weekend I decided to take a walk over to Samy's camera on Fairfax and drool over equipment that I will own one day...then I walked to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)...then to The Grove... then back to LACMA. A consecutive zigzag but it felt great, mentally and physically. I suppose you can say I greased up the wheels. It was exciting to play around with a new camera after what seemed like an eternal wait. I also couldn't help but smile at all of the different people during their various photography sessions at the famous lightposts outside of the museum. I definitely plan on returning there in the very near future.

I've missed it all dearly and I look forward to capturing more this year. I think it'll be a good year. I'll make sure of it.