I got up this day determined to get back out onto the road no matter what. Originally I had planned to camp at some RV park in Pomona outside of downtown 2 days back. Since I had be having a real crappy time recently, I went and did something totally not-camping: I went online and booked a room at a fancy hotel in downtown LA. The way I see it, completely splurging for one day makes the trip all the more interesting. So I hit the road southward, actually relieved to be back in the 240. The highway wound through tons of wine-grape fields that must have just been watered, because the leaves were brilliantly flashing as they caught sunlight.
I hadn't filled up my gas tank in several days at this point, so I pulled into a gas stop at the edge of a small town. What I love about California is you can see a cool set of wheels really at any time and any place. As I was just about filled up, this Lotus pulled in with all its glorious 80's styling. I want one.
Returning to the highway things move back out to the coast from the farming just inland. You dont get tired of driving along stretches like this, it is so beautiful and the weather always seems like its perfect.
Cruising along side me was a Austin Martin V8 Vantage Roadster in white, exactly the car I would buy if I lived here and had a boat load of money. Usually I see the cool cars going in the opposite direction and can never get the camera out in time, so it was nice to really be able to spend more than a split second looking at it.
Before long the highway started to get congested, and by the time I'm in the city-proper traffic has just had a massive heart attack. Seriously, how do you deal with the traffic here? Its mind boggling to have a traffic jam both in to and out of the city in the early afternoon. The worst part though was that if there was a little break in the jam everyone speeds up to 65 still packed in pretty tight then slams on the brakes as late as possible, sometimes too late, with the next inevitable stoppage. At least the temperature was nice and I could snap a few pictures when there was something to look at (although apparently the day's 90 degree temperature is considered a "heat wave". Dear god you guys are pampered with weather...)
As soon as I get off the freeway into downtown, traffic becomes very lite. With so few cars here and so many on the highway, I cant help wonder where the hell everyone is driving to and from at 2pm? Apparently it doesnt involve the center of the city. I head into the Little Tokyo section on the west side of down town and drive around a little bit first before going to the hotel. There are police EVERYWHERE here, which I later find out is because the city police headquarters are just a block away. Anyways, I get to the hotel which has valet parking with the lot under the hotel. I'm taking my essentials out of the back seat when the valet comes over and tells me "I'm just going to park your car up front here because, uhh, your bumper wont clear stuff down in the parking lot". So my car spends the next day flossin' right outside the lobby of the hotel, cant beat having 24hr/day manned security for your car. My room ends up being on the 8th floor and the view is pretty sweet, the window faces south and immediately to the right is downtown.
Being in Little Tokyo, everything in the hotel was geared towards japanese tourists, from the bi-lingual employees down to the robot toilets. It felt like I was in Japan again!
I head out into town with a very specific lunch goal in mind: Japanese restaurant-style curry-rice. I can get home-style not too far from home, but my favorite Chicken Katsu Curry has been hard to track down. However, this afternoon I finally have my victory.
It aint no Coco Ichibanya curry-rice, but it hit the spot real nice and hard. I head back towards the hotel with the intent of sleeping some (I was still pretty sick at this point). Along the way I spotted some mounted police, which have disappeared from a lot of cities due to their cost. I guess horse poop is one of the few things Philly and LA have in common
I crash out until around 8pm and get back up to go out with the sole purpose of stuffing myself with some more quintessential J-food. I search for a properly dive-ish place to eat by foot and run across some pretty interesting stuff. Causing the biggest racket by-far was this street performer. He had like 15 instruments he could play all at once, and they were all mounted to this crazy set-up made completely out of plumbing PVC tubes. Even the dudes chair was made this way. He had a drum stick and a jabber mounted on the head of his guitar so he could either whack a symbol or clunk down on a piano while simultaneously strumming a tune. Below he had his PVC-tube constructed foot synthesizer. Add all of that to a harmonica and some Japanese lyrics and you have some horrible music. Fun to watch though
For late dinner I end up settling for a properly non-touristy Ramen joint with actual japanese staff. A good bowl of real Ramen has absolutely nothing in common with cup-noodle, so avoid the comparison. I settle for some Chashuu Ramen and the massive bowl that comes out totally kicks my a**. I was unable to finish the whole ultra-tastey bowl and left shop with my head hung in shame. Its my cold I tells yah! I'd be able to finish it if I weren't sick!
I head back up to my grand Hotel to do some internet and finish the day off be catching some Z's in a finely sheeted king size bed...
