ESCAPE TO L.A.

Sitting around in my room when I have time off gets old really fast. Watching DVDs and reading is fine, to a point. But sometimes you just need a change of scenery. To that end, I decided to catch a train to Los Angeles last weekend. I was going to go on Sunday, but the last morning train left too early, and I didn't want to drag my sorry ass out of bed at oh dark thirty. Monday's last morning train left a little after eight. Eight's doable, so I put the trip off until then.

Come Monday morning, I got up early and left about an hour before the train was due to leave. The station's not that far, but I wanted time to spare. Still, I felt kind of foolish leaving that early. After I started the car, I turned on the radio. "Walking in L.A." by Missing Persons was playing. Freaky.

The drive sucked. The directions from Google Maps (which I had cross-checked against Mapquest) were wrong. Apparently these cyber map dudes don't keep up with the detours. I wound up going in a big circle. I got off the interstate and decided to drive there via surface roads. During Monday morning rush hour. Joy. Good thing I left so early.

I just knew I wasn't going to make it in time. I finally pulled into the station parking lot less than 10 minutes before the train was due to leave. I searched for a parking space in the crowded lot as Berlin's "The Metro" played on the radio. Weird. I wondered if that was a sign I was gonna make it. I found a space, ran to the platform, and bought my ticket six minutes before the train was due to leave. Round trip to L.A. for under $20. Not bad. And no rush hour traffic or parking b.s. to deal with.


When I got to Union Station, I took a short walk around outside. I had to get a picture of city hall. But then I had to go. Downtown Los Angeles wasn't the focus of my mission that day.


Hollywood was my main mission for the day. I got there via the MTA Red Line. First things first, I had to get a picture of the famed Hollywood sign, taken from just off Hollywood Blvd.


Next up was the Walk of Fame. I saw lots of the stars of the stars, including this one. It's hard to see due to the mid day lighting, but this is Dragnet creator/star Jack Webb's star. Being a serious Dragnet fanatic, I had to get a picture.


Here's a picture of Ben Alexander's star. He played Officer Frank Smith, Sgt. Joe Friday's partner on the Dragnet TV series from the 50s, and in the big-screen version of Dragnet. Did I mention that I was a Dragnet fanatic?


A sign on this place said it's been there since the 30s. I just thought the name was cool.


There's no way I'm going to Hollywood without taking some pics of the Chinese theater.


Here's a picture of the Capitol Records building.


Here is the Virgin Megastore. A mega store for virgins, I couldn't find a "Slut Megastore." Unless you count Frederick's of Hollywood.


I took the subway up to Universal City. It was a day after the fire, and Universal Studios was open for business. I didn't go in. That's an all-day affair. It'll have to wait for another trip.