Los Angeles. I haven't been here since I was 6 years old, and have no memory of what it looks like. As my Air Canada flight was preparing to land at LAX, I peered out the window only to see row upon row of mixed commercial and residential areas. It is a huge city and a concrete jungle. There is no natural river flowing through the city, only a man made concrete channel.
I am staying with my aunt in Koreatown and it really does have a similar feel of being in Korea. It's like part of Seoul was relocated to a part of LA. My first night here was interesting. It was just like out of a LA set movie. The residences here have all their windows barred up, sidewalks are cracked and not flat, police helicopters hover by (I hear one right now), dogs are barking, and emergency services sirens are blaring.
With that kind of environment in mind, the biggest surprise to me being in LA was that the people are really nice. Everyone I've talked to or asked for directions were very helpful and genuinely wanted to make sure I got the answer I needed. It seems the people here are a lot nicer than some of the people I've met on the streets of Vancouver. Also the demographic in LA is something I'm getting used to with many Latin Americans and African-Americans living in the area.
Here are some of the things I've done so far.
On my first night in LA, my cousin took me straight to Hollywood Boulevard. Here I am in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, home to the hand and footprints of the Hollywood Stars.
I had to take my picture with the Governator.
Ah yes, the Virgin Megastore along the boulevard. It once operated in downtown Vancouver on Burrard.
The folks from The Church of Scientology tried to convert me that evening in Hollywood. But Tom Cruise, albeit a great actor, had already turned me off from the movement. Haha.
The next day, I decided to head down to the University of Southern California by bus. It was a beautiful and hot day as were the ladies on campus.
The USC campus has a building full of trophies. The university is well known for its excellent college football program.
O.J. is an alumnus of USC? I learn something new everyday.
I saw some cool fossils at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County located across the street from the USC campus.
More pictures to come, but I will likely load all of them up on Flickr.
Peace.
