Skip to main content

Introduction

It took a recent (and first time) trip to New York City for me come back to Los Angeles feeling as though I need to pay more attention to my hometown. Up until this point my visits to San Francisco made me yearn for living in a true metropolis -- a place where you can walk to just about anywhere and/or utilize a public transit system which makes sense. Even Seattle hit me in that way. But NYC topped them all.

I've always considered myself an observant person. One who appreciates the glory of a lone Victorian home tucked away on a neglected street or someone who still likes to take an occasional ride up the coast to Zuma Beach just to smell the ocean from up close and not have to wait until a fog brings in the scent to Boyle Heights on a summer night. I am also one who likes to peer into the crusty nooks and see what goes on within the shadows. Witness the underbelly of the city not glamorous enough to make it on the cover of a glossy mag or postcard. But lately though, I've found myself turning a blind eye to Los Angeles. Maybe I became bored. Maybe I've become disgusted. Maybe I just needed a break after 46 years of steady residence.

It wasn't until just now as I am typing this that I realized what it is I've been missing here in L.A. I miss the days before the introduction of the mega shopping and mini strip malls. The pre-stucco days when homes were made of wood and there was a sense of a short but important history to each building. The days before the nomads arrived and created their version of Los Angeles in places like Sunset Junction and now the Bankers District in downtown. What it all boils down to is this...Los Angeles had become a stranger to me. Maybe it's time for me to familiarize myself with this place I call home. Embrace it and accept it for what it is.
I'll be using this blog format to post journal and creative writing on a semi-daily basis. All this blog stuff is new to me so don't expect wonders. Oh, and one last note, I have a tendency to be brutally honest with my views and opinions. I will write about the things most people don't want to admit are true. I will bring to your screen the smell of wildflowers one minute and the next you'll be stricken with the stench of skid row. I hope you come back to visit often.
Didn't make it to any of the museums but this doorway made up for  it.

Lakeside Lounge - Alphabet City, NY



Typical neighborhood market.

Times Square

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ms Gamboa, you have a great, descriptive way of writing straight from the heart.

Looking forward to enjoying your future posts
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 1:47:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Hooray!

It's about time you got your muse out of that dusty old belfry. I'm looking forward to seeing LA through your cateye glasses. And through a few cocktail glasses as well!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 3:26:00 PM
Linda Gamboa aka Rustic Chicana said…
Thanks for taking the time to read my rants and post your comments.
Friday, July 07, 2006 11:00:00 AM
Anonymous said…
I too wish I could single handedly tear-down all the stucco from the houses in my neighborhood to reveal the beautiful wooden structure beneath. Then in one sweeping action every home would revert to one family & one or two automobiles per address. I miss walking to the corner of Brooklyn & Record Avenue and buying an ice cream for Salas Pharmacy/Soda Fountain, or gettinging a haircut at the Japanese Barber or buying handmade tortillas from the little old lady at the tortilleria. Instead I find three 99 Cent stores in a row; the Notary Public; the Income Tax Agent, and a Botanica - it is all so foreign to me sometimes. I really miss my old neighborhood, even though I still live in it.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 2:23:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eddie Ayala - PRESENTE!

The Chicano community mourns the loss of its champions for our cause through life celebrations, tributes, memorials and Dia de los Muertos altars. Many notables and non public figures have passed on throughout the fifty plus years since the birth of the ELA Chicano movement and many more will soon follow. Activists, academics, professionals, artists, business owners and community members - young and old - have contributed to the vastness of our cultural collective. Each and every one deserving of recognition and appreciation for their involvement, passion and pride in their Chicano/a/x identity. This time we are gathering to celebrate the life and legacy of Eddie Ayala who passed away at the age of 63 the day after Dia de los Muertos, 2023. I met Eddie Ayala at the tail end of the 1970's East LA backyard party scene where local Chicano music icons rocked cover songs and our socks off for a mere $1 entrance fee. Although entertaining and audience drawing there was a need for...
Read more

Griffith Observatory: Face Lift or Slap In the Face?

Don't know about the rest of you but the Griffith Observatory has been a trusted fortress over the years -- a place to retreat when feeling like taking a break from the gridlocked streets below; a place to take first time visitors to L.A. for a spectacular panoramic view of the city from the valley to downtown and out into the ocean; a place to make out like crazy teenagers with a date no matter your age; a place to obsessively stare out wondering where in the hell your mate is on that star glittered night; or a place to reenact the famous knife fight scene from 'Rebel Without A Cause' -- come on Angelenos...you have to know what I'm talking about. I can't tell you how many times I came upon a spontaneous impulse to make a sharp turn up Vermont from Hollywood or Sunset for a visit to the Griffith Observatory. Most of the time it was to clear my head of some dumb situation I was in or it was to get my son out of the house on and off the sofa on a Friday night. Part o...
7 comments
Read more

Life As A WiFi Vagabond In L.A.

In mid-August of this year I decided to cut living expenses by canceling my land-line phone service along with the ridiculously expensive and seemingly unknown long distance carrier I had. It occurred to me that I was spending upwards of $100 a month for the sake of reporting spam to my email providers only to find the same messages in my box the following day. Seeing how I had access to the Internet at work I figured I could live without the nightly and weekend habitual mindless logons to email and Myspace. How was I to know that in a short couple weeks I would be dismissed of my position at Tu Ciudad thus finding myself without access to the Internet. Anyone in their right mind would be freaking out over the fact that they've just been "laid off" but that's where I'm different. When I was sitting in the office with my supervisor and the general manager going over the formalities of being let go all I could think of was how I had just been blindsided off the Inte...
6 comments
Read more