Thursday, March 02, 2006

Four L.A. Things Meme

Rodger Jacobs tagged me for an L.A. meme, which I'm jumping on because of my parental-like relationship with the city. First off, every time I leave Los Angeles I bitch about living there. In these other places, I'll see green, green, green, and wonder why I live in a city where trees are anemic, where brown is the general color of everything (even in Santa Monica and all the beach cities, the sand and brush dominate the scene and are...brown). I complain about needing to drive everywhere, about the lousy public transport system (always comparing it to London, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.). I say, bah, we have such soupy culture here. Everything is blended - you don't just buy tacos, you buy tacos fried in peanut oil with a sashimi and hummus side.

In other words, I probably act like most residents of Los Angeles. Thing is, just as we treated our parents, I complain about the restrictions and yet when life gets tough I curl up in the big arms of my city, thankful for my home.

I've spent my entire life in and out of the various cities that make up L.A. I learned to walk on the campus of U.S.C., on Hollywood Boulevard, and at the Griffith Observatory. I first rode a horse on the pony ride in Griffith Park. I learned to love old books in the used book stores on Hollywood Boulevard with my mother. I learned to drive on the Pasadena freeway. I got...drunk...for the first time at age 16 in my aunt's track-home garage in Van Nuys, surrounded by tons of family and lots of Vodka. My mom and I waited until 2:00 in the morning to go home being that I was the less inebriated one. My 21st birthday was spent at the Playboy Club, followed up by a blur of a dinner at the Wherehouse in Marina Del Rey ... all with a cousin [key the innocent whistling]. I knew old Pasadena (with the thrift shops, the trash, and the homeless residents) before it became Old Pasadena. I went to U.S.C. and Loyola Law School. I got married on the campus of U.S.C. My kids were born in Pomona.

I have never lived anywhere outside the perimeter of L.A. She will always be in my heart and never do I feel it more than when I'm returning home, flying through our blue-brown skies, over our brown, speckled hills, with the ocean's ivory line caressing the coast.

***

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life in L.A.:

Adjunct Professor, San Gabriel Valley
Associate Attorney, West Covina
Computer Room Assistant, Women’s Hospital, East L.A.
Receptionist, Gerontology Dep’t, U.S.C.

Four Movies About L.A. I Could Watch Over and Over:

Blade Runner
Rebel Without a Cause
Pulp Fiction
Traffic

Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A. (with food memories from each)

Pasadena, aromatic chicken from Bamboo Yuan (no longer in existence)
Arcadia, cheese bread from Rosemead’s North Woods Inn
Los Angeles, guacamole just like mom made at El Cholo
Los Angeles, the chili size from the Grinder on Fig

Four L.A. Themed TV Shows I Love to Watch:

Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Shield
Six Feet Under
Starsky and Hutch

Four Places I Would Vacation at in L.A.:

Disneyland (outside the technical margins of L.A. but still representative, symbolic)
Santa Monica
Beverly Hills Hotel
Huntington Ritz-Carlton, Pasadena

Four L.A. based Websites I Visit Daily:

ABC Local News (L.A.)
8763 Wonderland
Pasadena Star News
Danny Miller

Four of My Favorite Foods Found in L.A.:

Pastrami sandwich, The Hat, Pasadena
Ribs, Houston’s, Pasadena
Chili Burger, Tommy’s, Los Angeles
Swedish Pancakes, IHOP, Pasadena

Four Places in L.A. I Would Rather Be Right Now:

A used bookstore on Hollywood Boulevard
The Huntington Library with my camera, Pasadena
The Westin Bonaventure on Downtown L.A. with …
Sipping coffee at a café on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena with a good friend, talking about things only we talk about

Tagged:

Lori (even though she despises Hell-A!)
Danny Miller
Jim over at Meat of the Matter
Anyone else who reads this blog who lives in the L.A. area, go ahead and put your meme in the comments!

5 comments:

Adriana Bliss said...

Thank you, RJ!

Lori said...

It's funny...having not lived in Hell-A for a few years now, and being in the butthole of Arizona instead...I find myself missing some things about the place. But then when I come back to visit, I immediately remember why I left.

But anyway, here goes:

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life in L.A.:

1. Office manager at a small ad agency in West Hollywood

2-4. Assistant editor on a bunch of various non-paid and then finally paid gigs.

Four Movies About L.A. I Could Watch Over and Over:

1. Clueless
2. Heat
3 & 4. Terminator, Terminator 2


Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A. (with food memories from each)

Well, I only ever lived in two places, both in the SFV. From North Hollywood/Studio City area, I'd have to say Killer Shrimp on Ventura & Colfax. For those not familiar, that's a dozen jumbo shrimp in kick-ass Cajun broth with a basket of bread for dipping. Doesn't get much better than that. Unless you get the pecan pie afterwards. Mmmmm.

From Burbank...hmm. There were a lot of faves...but we used to go to Dalt's on Olive a lot. They used to have this great turkey & stuffing sandwich. I was so pissed when they took it off the menu.

Four L.A. Themed TV Shows I Love to Watch:

1. 24
2. The Shield
3. Blow Out (yeah the so-called reality show about the BH stylist extraordinaire)
4. Angel (not on anymore, but I was really into it when it was)

Four Places I Would Vacation at in L.A. (if I could afford it):

1. Malibu
2 & 3. I'm with Adriana...The BH Hotel and Disneyland would be great.
4. The Peninsula Hotel, BH

Four L.A. based Websites I Visit Daily:

My friends' blogs...lol.

Four of My Favorite Foods Found in L.A.:

1. Killer Shrimp, Studio City
2. Gaucho Grill's chicken sandwiches & salads...they've got a few locations, but I was always at the Studio City one.
3. Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, baby!
4. Sesame Chicken at Little China, Studio City


Four Places in L.A. I Would Rather Be Right Now:

1. Any of the above mentioned restaurants..lol
2. Seeing a movie at the Arclight, Hollywood
3. Shopping at Amoeba Music next door
4. Hangin' out with Adriana in Pasadena eating some good food...lol.

Adriana Bliss said...

Lori, I love your responses! You've made me hungry for Roscoe's. And to think the only time I've ever eaten it was at your place for your baby shower! LOL

I'm cracking up at: Hangin' out with Adriana in Pasadena eating some good food...lol.

I'm so glad we're on the same page!

L.A. Stories is an excellent movie - I haven't seen it in a long time. Great choices on all your movies.

LOL Tamar, Danny Miller is probably hiding from the meme. He's probably been tagged several times over.

Adriana Bliss said...

RJ, Glendale is an interesting town, my sister's babies were all born there, and then there's the Galleria!

A new outdoor mall, huh? I'll have to come for a tour.

Lori said...

Re: Dalts...oh, man! That sucks! I hadn't been thrilled with their menu for quite a while, but it was still a nice place to hang.