usa
'04 - los angeles ii
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Saturday seemed a good day
to sample the California seaside ...
... and where better than
Santa Monica?
'Yacht Harbor' is a slight
distortion, however, ...
... the reality being an
old fashioned pier, complete with small fun-fair (deserted at
8:15 am!), and jetty facilities at the end of the pier. The pier
and Ferris Wheel had a supporting role in the film '1941'.
Probably due to 'jetlag'
we were waking early and we arrived here before 7:45!
A huge parking lot by the
Civic Centre was deserted and unmanned, so we parked near to the
Santa Monica Photovoltaic Solarport under which various electric-powered
road vehicles were parked and plugged into the 44,000 kilowatt
hours of electricity produced annually from the solar panelled
roof.
On foot and heading for
the seafront, we approached this sculpture mystified and intrigued
...
... until this plaque was
located. Ah, yes! We are in the 'People's Republic', home of political
correctness.
It is no doubt comforting
to the joggers, who flit past in an intermittent but never-ending
stream, that the Palisades Park in which they exercise has been
eradicated of noxious tobacco smoke. Notices on the lamp-posts
proclaim it a smoke-free zone under city ordinance SMMC 4.44.040.
I wonder what happens about
vehicular pollution from the road running alongside?
A positive side of this
nanny-state attitude is discernible across the road where planning
restrictions have meant that older buildings, like The Georgian
Hotel here, can be retained and not be swamped by excessively
high new buildings around them.
It's more than time, now,
to get down to that lovely sandy beach sweeping down to Venice
...
... but first we must ensure
we obey the local by-laws.
Seriously, they are mainly
sensible restrictions 'for the maximum enjoyment and greatest
safety of all'. I wonder how the very visible vagrants, two of
their number appearing in this shot, view the restriction on camping/sleeping
on the beach. Also very visible, this Saturday morning, were the
earnest young people handing out food parcels to the same vagrants
and unfortunates.
Maybe the end of March is
too early in the year and it's too cool (approaching 80 Fahrenheit)
for the locals, but even by late morning the beach was very empty.
What activity there was
was on the Bike Path ...
... and, while there are
some children around, the playground seems to be for adults.
Venice Beach welcomes us
with a much shorter list of ordinances and a greater throng of
people and excitement.
The battle of the bizarre
bazaar ...
... is being fought between
the more permanent shops in the buildings ...
... against the free-wheeling,
colourful, and more ephemeral entrepreneurs with their temporary
pitches on the other side of the boardwalk ...
... while the grim-jawed
policeman patrols on his quad-bike to ensure nothing gets out
of hand ...
....
...
... as an assortment of
colourful characters, individuals and entertainers, build up the
street theatre.
A few blocks back from the
beach, tucked away down side streets, we found what was left of
the once more extensive canals which gave rise to the naming of
the settlement as Venice when it was founded in 1905.
Walking back to Santa Monica
along Main Street we were able to see this Claes Oldenburg realisation
of giant binoculars outside the offices of far-sighted advertising
firm Chiat-Day-Mojo ...
... and, at the next intersection,
a last bizarre image - that of Jonathan Borofsky's Ballerina
Clown.
Unless, like me, you find
rows of ladies having their toenails trimmed and painted (and
whatever) somewhat unusual. But then I've led a sheltered and
simple life! ;o)
Continued
in Part III
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VISTAS
.