Wish You Were Here

This post may end up being a bit lengthy, so I will try to compensate by making it entertaining.

If you haven't caught on yet, all of my post titles are also song titles, and for today's update, I felt that Incubus's "Wish You Were Here" best describes my near-perfect weekend.

Exterior of Prada store

First, a few observations and notes. I must recant what I said about LA's public transportation being better than Boston's MBTA; that was naive of me to state after my first bus ride. It is, in fact, worse. LA was not made for people but for cars, and that really is the best way to get around the whole city. Another fun fact: no one in LA is from LA. Lastly, dogs are like children here; it's wonderful! Also, if you're walking around without a dog, then your car must have broken down or there's something wrong with you. 

On to my weekend! Yesterday I started the day off by heading north to Beverly Hills. Thanks to LA buses, that took me two hours. Beverly Hills is home to several wealthy people. The only cars you'll see are Lexus, Ferrari, Porsche, etc. Needless to say, I felt completely out of place, but at least there were other tourists as well.

Entrance

Interior

My main reason for going was actually to see the Prada store designed by OMA, Rem Koolhaas's firm. The first thing you'll notice is that there is no facade; it's a blank rectangle of the second story, which makes it look like the stairs are supporting it. You'll also notice the mannequins on display on the stairs. The floor of the entrance has three windows that look down into a tunnel that has articles of clothing on display. On the inside (where I wasn't supposed to photograph but did because that's what architecture students do,) OMA covered the walls with this green, mesh-like plastic material that filters the light wall that is behind it. Very interesting building, not sure how I feel about it though.

Exterior of Anderton Court Shops

A view of the ramp

The second building I saw on Rodeo Drive was the Anderton Court Shops by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of his few commercial buildings. It reminded me of the Guggenheim in New York City because, like the Guggenheim, Wright designed it to have a spiraling ramp that breaks off into entrances into the shops. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the ramp doesn't comply with ADA standards. Anyways, it was very FLW with his use of geometry and attention to details. There was also a steeple so you could easily find it among the other shops on Rodeo Drive.

I continued to walk around what they call the "golden triangle," the shopping area enclosed by Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Canon Drive. 

Eventually I got tired of all the superficiality and headed east towards West Hollywood (WeHo for short). I walked about a mile along Santa Monica Boulevard, and you could instantly tell when you left Beverly Hills. For those who don't know, WeHo is pretty much the gay capital of America. All the stores have rainbow flags, and even the cop cars have a pixelated image of WeHo in rainbow colors. It was almost like being back in Boston surrounded by all my gay boys again. Also, I finally found a Jamba Juice!

After WeHo, I took the bus down to Santa Monica for an event called glow. This is a free, biannual art event that happens on the beach at night (from 7pm - 3am!). Yesterday's event featured 20 different artists. I arrived around 10 pm and had the best night. Even though I practically work on the beach, last night was the first time I got to enjoy it. It felt so good to have the sand beneath my feet. I walked around and tried to see as many of the pieces as I could. I also strolled along the Santa Monica Pier, which was fantastic! It had arcades, street vendors, and even a small amusement park! Thousands of people were out last night. At one point, I just sat on the beach, eating my chili cheese fries, taking it all in. The only thing better would have been a bonfire with friends.

At 12:30, I was exhausted, so I decided to catch the bus to go home. Little did I know that the Santa Monica bus actually stopped at 12:30... so as I got lost trying to find the bus, some creepy guy decided to hit on me by using this smooth line: "this is going to sound weird, but I really want to know your name." He then proceeded to tell me his name (which was the same as my brother's... even more gross) and asking several personal questions. And, of course, like all the other crazy people I've come across, after he tried to offer me a ride home, he decided to walk with me as I tried to find the bus. That was when I instantly lied and told him I knew where I was now and had to go a different way. So I walked for a long time hoping the bus would come, but I ended up hailing a cab because my legs were tired and it was late.


Today I took it easy. Initially I wanted to do a walking tour of Venice, but after yesterday's excursions, my legs needed a break. I biked down to Abbot Kinney Boulevard for the Abbot Kinney Festival this afternoon. The mile-long street was closed down and turned into an arts and crafts/food/free samples/music fair. It was wonderful! I wish Boston had more of these. They were promoting "green" living and healthy foods. People were encouraged to ride their bikes or take the bus rather than drive their cars.

When I finished checking out all the vendors, I walked over to the beach and finally soaked up some sun. I sunbathed for about an hour and definitely got a tan. Thankfully, I was not approached by any crazies this time around.

And now, I leave you with a few lyrics from "Wish You Were Here."

I dig my toes into the sand/The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds/Strewn across a blue blanket/I lean against the wind/Pretend that I am weightless/And in this moment I am happy... happy.