Can’t Say I Didn’t Try

Last night I headed out to Little Tokyo for a L.A Market Week Wrap Party @ the Unitard Gallery, to meet up with friends, enjoy some music, & take in some art & fashion. Earlier in the day, I came up with the bright idea of taking the bus to the event, knowing that I would be meeting up with friends that I could catch a ride back into Hollywood with. I went online to Metro.net to plan my trip out. You type in your start point and your final destination and it tells you what stop to go to to catch the bus/train and where you’ll end up as well as the average travel time & how much you save in gas. Seemed simple enough.

I walked a block away to the stop on Melrose and Fairfax. It was 8:30 p.m. and after waiting 13 mintues, I couldn’t help but think, if I had been driving, I’d be there by now. A few moments after, the Metro arrived so there was no time to puss out. 36 minutes later, I arrived at my stop at Temple and First St. I got off and thats when the panic kicked in.

I didn’t know where the hell I was and don’t know my way around downtown that well. The streets were dead except for a few transients so I made a couple of frantic phone calls to get directions. I began to walk but at that point I wanted to get there fast and started to keep my eye out for a cab. That was a bust, and I ended up walking the rest of the way. In NY, 10 blocks is a breeze & fun, but in downtown LA, in the dead of night, not so much. When I finally made it there, I gave a few hugs and made a beeline for the bar, a tall drink was in order. I’m glad I tried it, but next time I head out to the concrete jungle, I’ll carpool with friends or drive in my own, trustworthy, carbon emitting vehicle and yes, I’m cringing with green guilt while typing this.

Posted by thuy