First impressions

OK, I've been a Northern California resident for most of my life, so when I learned I would be heading down to USC for graduate school, I was excited about the prospect of attending the university but not so much about living in Los Angeles. I've always considered Southern California to be its own state, with a completely different outlook on life.

My prejudices have led me to believe it's an area with lots of traffic and smog, gang problems in the urban areas and shallow lifestyles in the suburbs, and a huge mass of humanity that is more than willing to use Northern California and Colorado resources, yet gives back little in return ... unless you count Disneyland.

Oh yeah, and it's a textbook model for what not to do in urban planning. LA and sprawl seem to be rather synonymous. A friend of mine who lived in the area for several years said it was the only city she had lived in that seemed to have no soul. And I found it particularly amusing that the Southern California Automobile Club building on Figueroa Street is surrounded by churches and has an almost cathedral-like quality itself, seeming to symbolize the way Southern Californians revere driving.

But as I began looking for housing near USC this upcoming year, I discovered there is actually much to laud about the City of Angels. For instance, I was excited to discover the original Pantry Cafe, which has served up generous helpings of homestyle cuisine since the 1920s. And I fell in love with many of the Victorian homes in the historic West Adams neighborhood near USC, including the nearly century-old home where I am now living. I also loved the diversity of culture that is present. I must admit I had the best shawerma I've sampled since living in the Middle East at a Mediterranean restaurant in Pasadena. It's also fun to meet so many fascinating people and to have interesting encounters, like the time I went apartment hunting in South Central. (That's another story in and of itself.) It's like a journalist's dream.

Now, that I have spent nearly a week living here, I will be intrigued what my final verdict will be in a year's time. Some of my earlier prejudices have been confirmed. For instance, when shopping for furniture in West Los Angeles, I noticed men who looked like 50-year-old surfers -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- and women who looked like "the beanpole dames in the magazines" that Sir Mix-A-Lot parodied years ago in his hit, "Baby Got Back."


As I donned my "Keepin' It Rural" shirt downtown, I got a few bizarre stares. For me, the shirt is as much a political statement it is a funny play on words on the phrase "Keepin' it Real." But I realized most Angelenos probably can't relate to the cries of longtime Central Valley residents who lament farmland being paved over to make way for massive housing developments. After all, Orange County lost most of its orange groves decades ago. Some of LA's in-town traffic has also driven me crazy at times, and I am planning to walk or bike to class rather than drive.

On the other hand, I love traveling through the city's cultural enclaves such as Koreatown and Little Ethiopia. And while driving through sections of the Fairfax District this week, I could have sworn I was back in Jerusalem, with Jewish cultural centers, synagogues and eateries. Several women were dressed in orthodox regalia, something I also had not noticed since being in the Holy Land. I enjoyed talking briefly to a Jewish woman who ran a thrift store about a set of coffee cups that I purchased and an Ethiopian woman across the street who sold me a coffee pot.

I also love my new place. Portland Street is lined with trees and historic homes. The room where I am staying still contains a fireplace and a hearth, and my housemates seem like nice folks. The house is just down the street from the majestic-looking 98-year-old Second Church of Christ, Scientist building, which almost looks like a state capitol with its domed top and Parthenon-like exterior. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. I hardly have any friends in this area at this time, but in some ways I feel more at home here than I ever did in rural Patterson. I like being around people and visiting interesting places.




I'll have a better perspective in a few months time, I'm sure. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to classes starting on Monday. More on USC life to come.

Ta Ta, for now!