Friday 2 (23/07/10)

I went into town today for the first time (unless you include Hollywood). Since it was the first time, I kept it simple so I wouldn’t get lost. I finally managed to find the bus route online that goes from outside USC (basic as the transport is in LA, their websites about it are even less sophisticated, and there seems to be no collated information about the various buses). The bus I got is called the DASH and it’s much cheaper than the regular buses – only 25C a ride!

I came across a variety of familiar and unfamiliar foods today. A BLT, a kitkat (the closest thing to British chocolate I’ve come across here) and a Mountain Dew – a coca-cola product similar to Sprite which used to be a favourite of mine when they briefly sold it in the UK. It didn’t quite live up to my memory of it – perhaps things never do. Later in the supermarket I came across edible cactus, which I might try – apparently it’s similar to green beans. I wasn’t quite brave enough to get it without coming back to google it first!

As I ate my lunch in a gloomy basement foodcourt under Macy’s, it occurred to me that it was the kind of place that would gain a reputation for being better avoided. But quite undeservedly, really – it seemed to be just another victim of 60s/70s architecture. It was all fluorescent lighting – no planning to allow daylight in. It reminded me of the Savoy Centre in Glasgow, or the St John’s centre in Liverpool. Mind you, I must be a very long way from home to be nostalgic about those particular places. Even so, I wouldn’t hesitate to go to any of them for fear of personal safety. Ditto the bus – considering its reputation, I was expecting something that felt run-down. But Merseyrail used to be much worse (and the Glasgow subway isn’t up to much, when you think about it). The only thing I was worried about was missing my stop and getting lost (which is difficult, once you figure out that all the East-West streets are numbered in order, and considering how big and unmissable the USC campus is when you return). I think if you’re comfortable using inner-city facilities, whatever they may be, it doesn’t make much difference which city you are in. They’re all dangerous. They’re all safe.