adventure in santa monica....

Pat's parents are here for the weekend and they took the car on Saturday to go to Disneyland. Left without our normal means of transportation, Pat and I decided to be adventurous and take the bus to Santa Monica. I can't believe I am saying that taking public transportation has become an adventure and an event in itself. Growing up in Japan, taking the bus was like breathing. A necessity, more than anything else. But living in LA, and having done this only once before, it has become a BIG deal. To my surprise, the bus only costs 70 cents each way, it's clean, and has air conditioning. It only took 18 minutes to get from Sawtelle to 3rd Street, AND I didn't have to look for parking. The driver just dropped us off, right in the busy area of town, exactly where I wanted to be. Amazing! Why didn't I think of this before. LA is often thought of as a automobile city. In fact, it is. The type of car one drives is indicative of one's social status or so I've heard. That puts Pat and I with our unwashed Honda Civil '81 and'94 in a pretty low social status in this city. So today, I decided that I need to change that and "up" my status by paying 70 cents to get on that big blue shiny bus, complete with air conditioning, comfy seats, and a chauffeur. The chauffeur will certainly pick me up on time, and drop me off where I want to go. It's a great luxury.