Long Walkabout (Riding the Rails Again)

There's something about a Friday before vacation that just pumps up my adrenaline and makes me want to break out my hobo backpack and go riding the rails. That's exactly what I did yesterday after the end of my training shift.

My trainee finished the week and seemed to be ahead of the curve. He's got my phone number in case of emergencies and I think he was pleased with the instruction I provided during our crash course this past week.



My usual route for riding the rails starts at the station, but since I planned on doing a fair amount of walking around, I bummed a ride from the trainee to the Red Line station across from Universal Studios.

I started snapping shots almost from the time I got out of his news van. The day was extremely gray and overcast. I expected it to burn off like the day before, but that's just luck of the draw.



Not a problem. The weather was not what I expected, but the day and the pictures have to satisfy nobody but me. I'm happy and the sky looks just fine.



There's no real purpose for taking the train home. It's just an excuse for me to wander around with my camera and shoot anything that strikes me.



Even though I feel like I've maybe overdone the photo-walk thing on Hollywood Boulevard, gosh darn it, it's still one of my favorite places to shoot.



I also imagine that people in other parts of the country (and world) who might experience things "Los Angeles" through my blog, may still get a kick out of seeing some of the sights.



This was mid afternoon. I'd skipped lunch and I didn't get too far before the fine eateries of the boulevard began calling out to me.



Hmm, I considered my options and being the fearless adventurous guy that I am, I ordered up a couple of hot dogs from Skooby's and an Orange Crush soda (in a glass bottle).

I made the meal to go, even though there was seating in front.



Out on the sidewalk, under the watchful eye of an alien from "Space Invaders," I chowed down.

Good hot dog. better than "Pink's" or "Tail o' The Pup." Don't tell Costco, but they only beat Skooby's on price.



I still had a long road ahead of me.

An older guy (probably a tourist) asked me for directions to Hollywood and Vine. I promptly set him off in the wrong direction (Vine, not Highland), caught my mistake, but had by then blown my credibility.

He smiled and thanked me for the help.



After he walked away, I saw him asking someone else.



I'd wanted just a shot of the Frolic Room. It sits next to the Pantges Theatre where "Wicked" has been playing since the late 70's.

Really, it wasn't my intention to stop in, but for the sake of when I someday totally embellish the story behind my pictures (today, tomorrow, or years from now) it felt like I should ought to be able to be truthful at least about some part of the story.

It's just a small dark bar. The bartender and other folks inside were friendly, but I could tell there must be a dividing line between the "too early in the day" regular professional drinkers and the "Wicked evening out" theatre crowd.



I'm not sure where I fit in.

I paid $3.00 for a draft Budweiser, avoided conversation (shame on me), left a buck tip and walked out pretty soon after I'd sat down.



The Hollywood and Vine Red Line station is right across the street from the Frolic Room. Since the "June Gloom" January day was cooling off and I still wanted to stop somewhere in the downtown area, I hopped a train over to the "LA Live" area near Staples Center.



Strangely, not much was happening.

I'll cut them some slack. It was just the day after New Years and I could see the workers were still breaking down stages and cleaning the place up. For a Friday night, maybe I was too early and the "Live" part probably starts after people like me are at home asleep.



I took a few more shots (again, shared on FlickR), but the walkabout was just about done for the day.

Having the time to decompress and getting ready to start a week of vacation felt good. I didn't do any heavy lifting with my brain while I was out and about shooting.



It was near 8:00pm when I finally made it home. It's kind of typical with me, but I have no strong desire to travel this week. I'm going to rest and regroup. Most of my week is likely to be spent just enjoying (and taking care of) our house and garden.

Nothing to be learned from the walkabout. No big epiphanies. Just a nice day without violence, natural disaster or tragedy. Even news dudes like myself need a break from that once in a while.

About the only thing (well, and pictures of course) that I'm going to keep from the day?

Orange Crush might bring back happy memories from my teen years, but the beer would have also gone well with the Skooby's hot dog.

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