february 2005

We left 30 minutes earlier than usual to make sure we could get to work on time. I didn't bother taking pics of Ocean and I only took one shot on the 710 and the 5 as I'd already done a load for the On The Road page.

And here it is. You don't really expect to see a crappy old SUV masquerading as a Hummer, but each to his own. Or hers, as it was driven by a couple of birds.

You always know when you're approaching LA as the graffitti gets bigger and bolder. This is a shot I'd tried to get the time before but was thwarted by a truck. I almost cocked it up this time, too, thanks to the camera's delay between me pressing the button and it actually taking the bloody picture.

We're off the 5 now and entering the 101, which goes to downtown LA. At this point Mike started wondering if he was headed in the right direction, which is not what you want to hear when you're entering a craphole like LA.

Welcome to Los Angeles. Thanks to the house prices in Southern California, this crack house is probably worth a million.

Here's a pic of downtown LA, which conjours up memories of queueing for hours to get my work permit back in September. Mike wondered again if we were going the right way and I started wondering if my health insurance covered gunshot wounds.

This is the headquarters of the LA Police's helicopter division, although you'd think it would be hard to beat up black motorists from 500 feet. I got this pic shortly before the helicopter took off, which I missed as I was searching for my lighter. Typical.

As we approached the underpass Mike suddenly reached for his LA streetmap. I was just glad that we'd already passed Compton on the 710.

One of the murals that decorate the sides of the 101. Only the left side is pictured as I managed to leave the camera on zoom mode. Duh.

The cars are even nose-to-tail in the bloody murals. What the glowing hearts above each motor are for I don't know, unless it's a warning against road-rage induced heart attacks.

Somehow I don't think they've got en suite.

The entrance to Chinatown. Little did we know it, but the car in front was about to nick the parking spot Mike was aiming for.

Parking for three quid? All day? Then why is it $25 a day in Cardiff?

Chinatown isn't all that different to, say, Camden in North London. They sell the same crap there. We were heading off to work at this point and beginning to realise that not many drivers really paid any attention to traffic lights.

I think London Underground could learn a thing or two about train station design.

I have no idea how old this motel sign is, but the fact it advertises colour TV by RCA at the top must be a real crowd-puller.

What makes it for me is the handpainted "Especial" on the window. Believe me, there's sod all especial about the crap this guy's selling.

I couldn't get a better shot of this mural, but it does look fantastic.

Given we were on Sunset Boulevard, I bet these apartments were probably sought after at some point in the past.

We were in the neighbourhood of Echo Park by now, where a lot of musicians live. This mural was on the side and back of a record store. Unfortunately we hit a bump and the roof of the petrol station obscured some of it.

This is probably the steepest hill I've seen outside of the mountains. By now it was about 2pm, so we'd made pretty good time.

Is this a Thunderbird? Whatever it is, its back end was pretty bashed up.

It is more colourful than the local Halford's.

Civilization at last! Many thanks to Mike for getting us there in one piece.