Los Angeles Is Burning

Nearly 18 million humans call the Greater Los Angeles metropolis home. That's a lot of folks. Without tons of fun things to do, people might get bored.

Bad Religion - Los Angeles is Burning (Station Fire)

Luckily, if you can navigate the traffic, there's always something happening in LA. It will come as little surprise to those reading this that I've become somewhat of a homebody in my aging years.  But, even I manage to get out and about a bit in Southern California.  Since I arrived in early September, there was still time to catch a Dodger game at historic Dodger Stadium. Kirk Gibson's one-legged, pinch-hit, walk-off home run against Dennis Eckersley and the A's in the 1988 World Series remains one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my 35+ years of baseball fandom.  I was happy to check out the scene of that miracle, even for a meaningless game against the Colorado Rockies as both teams played out the string in Chavez Ravine.

Dodger Stadium, Behind First Base 9/17/10

Me, Eric, Erik, & Barry at Dodger Stadium

A much newer, yet no less majestic, sporting venue lies due south of Los Angeles. The Home Depot Center in Carson, California opened in 2003 and serves as home to MLS clubs Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy, as well as the training center for US Soccer.  It is truly an amazing place to watch a match. As such, I've already made the trek 4 times: Galaxy regular season matches v. Colorado and New York, a Galaxy playoff match v. Dallas, and the International Friendly between USA and Chile.

Erik & Eric, Galaxy v. Colorado 10/17/10

USA youngsters Bunbury & Agudelo do the Dougie (far corner) to celebrate the equalizer against Chile 1/22/11

Of course, it's not all sports in La-La Land. In October, Hoosier friends Wes and Melanie Priest jetted out for a visit. We were able to meet up with Abraham Benrubi and check out the Dia De Los Muertos festival, commemorating the Mexican Day Of The Dead, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in North Hollywood.

My man Abraham & Wesley at Dia De Los Muertos



The grave of Johnny Ramone. You can buy Ramones t-shirts here. In a cemetery. Seriously...

The fitness freaks also managed to drag my dead ass out for some outdoorsy hikes.  While probably a bit beyond my comfort zone, the trek around Charmlee Wilderness Park in Malibu provided some breathtaking vistas over the Pacific Ocean. The gorgeous El Matador Beach, on the other hand, brought us back to sea level where the rocks meet the sand and the sea water.

Melanie, Wes, & Erik high up in Charmlee


And the march to the sea at Matador Beach

Soon enough, Winter would arrive... even here.  Having spent an Autumn and early Winter in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, I had an idea what to expect. Yet, surprises lurk around every bend where the mountains meet the ocean. And good friend E. Cruise Miller helped remind me of all I was missing back in Naptown.

5102 Park at Christmas



Meanwhile, in the City Of Angels...

Life is the same, just in a different place. We have a recurring role, and our character doesn't change, but the setting does. In Indy, when I walked out of my local Target I saw Hedlund's Hardware. Now, I'm in Burbank.

From Burbank Target to the Verdugo Mountains

Hopefully, with another post covering the Burbank days, I can catch us all up to the present day.

timothy dee