I'm back in LA!
After a long and temultuous journey, I find myself back at the Sicle and Sheaf - er, Los Angeles.
I got to ride in a bus for 34 hours, 30 of which were perfectly acceptable until my mind snapped into hour 31. Day was night, night was day, I was hungry, not hungry, I was confused arrrgh! So I finally reached Los Angeles, where I really still didn't have a firm place to stay. I was at the Downtown LA Greyhound Depo and didn't have a place. So I call up a producer on the show and I get set up with a place that night. Unfortunately, I have to wait about five hours before the producer picks me up! Only a few vagrants hassle me, but I don't pay attention; I've been here before.
So I'm driven to this guy's (Steve's) apartment, which was incredibly gracious of him. By this point I'm actually kind of shaky from exhaustion. He has to go and work some more, him being a busy producer and all, so I immediately try to call some family back home. I get through a few calls and conk right out aroung 8p.m. or so...
I wake up around 9. That was a good sleep! But steve's still not made it back. I look at my phone and I've got two missed calls and one voice mail. Who called last night? Steve and my Mom! But only my mom left the voice message, so I wonder what Steve wanted. Oh well. A few hours go by and I decide I'd like to get a place here in LA before too long. I take a long-needed shower, eat some food out of my travel bag and have my lovely Jes help me out with travel plans to a place. I call some hostels, then Jes tells me about this house with rooms for rent. Sounds good I tell myself, so I prepare to go!
I have to take the bus this time around, no 1977 Corona for help. I get the address for the house, but the phone cut out before I could get the Zip code. No matter I thought, Mapquest can figure all that out. So jes gets me the coordinates, and then a bus schedule. I'd yet to ride the bus, so I made sure to be a few minutes early. I got on the bus, made one transfer, and ended up near USC in LA. I ask where this street is, and I have to walk about 5 blocks with all of my baggage, food, sleeping bag and backpack.
The closer I get to the street address, the more worried I become. There are no houses here. Just warehouses and slummy looking people and trash. Hm. I get to the address and I see two vagrants in the stall of where I'm supposed to be! Not good!
I call the number again and tell the guy on the other end of the phone what's going on. Apparently there are TWO street addresses in LA exactly the same, but with two different area codes. I'm six mile off.
I'm exhausted again, and a little worried about being a well-dressed white kid with a bunch of luggage in the middle South-Central LA.
I call Jes and tell her what's going on, she gets to work on helping me out.
I make my way back to where I got off of the bus and find a Carl's Jr. and try to relax and get some strength. I order a sandwich and a homeless guy sees me. I look right at him, expressionless. He looks at all my stuff and says, "You got some sleepin' gear?"
I guess I do. A sleeping bag, backpack and luggage are what a lot of homeless people keep their stuff in.
"Yup," I say back to him.
Now Jes calls me and tells me the new game plan. Apparently I am six miles off, and I need to kae another two buses to get back on track. In about two hours I should be there in that house. I'ts getting dark in about an hour.
Jes actually tells me that the streets near it are South Central and Compton, two words I really don't want to hear, but I'm getting desparate and I take the risk.
Off to the bus stop, where I wait twenty minutes. In an LA moment, a bus full of studio audience members stops and walks past me, in awe of some show they are about to watch.
On the bus again, a quick ride before I get off and ask where the next bus is.
These buses in LA are fast, and on time! However, the bus I was on was running about two minutes behind, and nearly missed the bus I was supposed to catch. I was so weak and tired, I almost failed to flag down the bus just twenty feet away!
Finally I got to the neighborhood. On the bus, as we got nearer, mu heart lifted as I saw all of the colorful lights and businesses. When I got off of the bus I was smiling, for it was a nice part of town! Yay!
I walked about three blocks to the house and I met the landlady, who made my a big bowl of Mexican vegetable stew! MMMmm.
So everything turned out happy. I have a consistent place to stay, and get free breakfast, washer/dryer, bath, computer use, ect... So I'm happy happy happy!
Tonight I rehearse for the show, so I'll tell you about that sometime.
Adios!
I got to ride in a bus for 34 hours, 30 of which were perfectly acceptable until my mind snapped into hour 31. Day was night, night was day, I was hungry, not hungry, I was confused arrrgh! So I finally reached Los Angeles, where I really still didn't have a firm place to stay. I was at the Downtown LA Greyhound Depo and didn't have a place. So I call up a producer on the show and I get set up with a place that night. Unfortunately, I have to wait about five hours before the producer picks me up! Only a few vagrants hassle me, but I don't pay attention; I've been here before.
So I'm driven to this guy's (Steve's) apartment, which was incredibly gracious of him. By this point I'm actually kind of shaky from exhaustion. He has to go and work some more, him being a busy producer and all, so I immediately try to call some family back home. I get through a few calls and conk right out aroung 8p.m. or so...
I wake up around 9. That was a good sleep! But steve's still not made it back. I look at my phone and I've got two missed calls and one voice mail. Who called last night? Steve and my Mom! But only my mom left the voice message, so I wonder what Steve wanted. Oh well. A few hours go by and I decide I'd like to get a place here in LA before too long. I take a long-needed shower, eat some food out of my travel bag and have my lovely Jes help me out with travel plans to a place. I call some hostels, then Jes tells me about this house with rooms for rent. Sounds good I tell myself, so I prepare to go!
I have to take the bus this time around, no 1977 Corona for help. I get the address for the house, but the phone cut out before I could get the Zip code. No matter I thought, Mapquest can figure all that out. So jes gets me the coordinates, and then a bus schedule. I'd yet to ride the bus, so I made sure to be a few minutes early. I got on the bus, made one transfer, and ended up near USC in LA. I ask where this street is, and I have to walk about 5 blocks with all of my baggage, food, sleeping bag and backpack.
The closer I get to the street address, the more worried I become. There are no houses here. Just warehouses and slummy looking people and trash. Hm. I get to the address and I see two vagrants in the stall of where I'm supposed to be! Not good!
I call the number again and tell the guy on the other end of the phone what's going on. Apparently there are TWO street addresses in LA exactly the same, but with two different area codes. I'm six mile off.
I'm exhausted again, and a little worried about being a well-dressed white kid with a bunch of luggage in the middle South-Central LA.
I call Jes and tell her what's going on, she gets to work on helping me out.
I make my way back to where I got off of the bus and find a Carl's Jr. and try to relax and get some strength. I order a sandwich and a homeless guy sees me. I look right at him, expressionless. He looks at all my stuff and says, "You got some sleepin' gear?"
I guess I do. A sleeping bag, backpack and luggage are what a lot of homeless people keep their stuff in.
"Yup," I say back to him.
Now Jes calls me and tells me the new game plan. Apparently I am six miles off, and I need to kae another two buses to get back on track. In about two hours I should be there in that house. I'ts getting dark in about an hour.
Jes actually tells me that the streets near it are South Central and Compton, two words I really don't want to hear, but I'm getting desparate and I take the risk.
Off to the bus stop, where I wait twenty minutes. In an LA moment, a bus full of studio audience members stops and walks past me, in awe of some show they are about to watch.
On the bus again, a quick ride before I get off and ask where the next bus is.
These buses in LA are fast, and on time! However, the bus I was on was running about two minutes behind, and nearly missed the bus I was supposed to catch. I was so weak and tired, I almost failed to flag down the bus just twenty feet away!
Finally I got to the neighborhood. On the bus, as we got nearer, mu heart lifted as I saw all of the colorful lights and businesses. When I got off of the bus I was smiling, for it was a nice part of town! Yay!
I walked about three blocks to the house and I met the landlady, who made my a big bowl of Mexican vegetable stew! MMMmm.
So everything turned out happy. I have a consistent place to stay, and get free breakfast, washer/dryer, bath, computer use, ect... So I'm happy happy happy!
Tonight I rehearse for the show, so I'll tell you about that sometime.
Adios!
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