Feak Shows (Us, or Them?)

This weekend, we drove up to L.A. to visit Jay's parents as they passed through on their way to Hawaii. Jay's dad had booked a hotel for the night in an area called Inglewood, which we really had no idea about until we got there.

If we had liked, we could have gotten a tattoo at "Hard Luck Tattoo" across the street, or there was the "Philthy Ragz" clothing store (I didn't check this out). Let's just say the area was very interesting.

Jay and I, (since we had arrived early) decided to go for a bite to eat, and there was a TGIFriday's right on the corner, which we figured was safe enough. (K, Inglewood, people) so we get there, and first off, there is more security there, than at a club show and Jay and I are un-officially the only white people there, (not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that). But seriously, I have never before felt like a minority like that...never mind, after dinner we still had tones of time to kill so we checked out the ROSS and the RALPHS in the same complex (which also, by the way, had security), and than I officially became the UNWELCOME minority. I'm talkin', I had African ladies looking me up and down (literally) and it was WEIRD. Needless to say, we wanted to get out of there ASAP. So we went back and chilled at the hotel, and spent our time watching the Discovery Channel and shows about how the west coast of North America is going to get obliterated by a Tsunami (only if God Himself allows it, I say)

Jay's parents arrived late but we stayed up as long as we could to chat and the next morning they had to leave pretty early for their flight, so we bid them farewell, and decided to check out Venice Beach and Santa Monica.




We had been to Venice and Santa Monica six years ago (in 2001) and it was sort of where our seeds for coming down here had actually started, so we were kind of stoked to see the area. We parked at the far end of Venice and walked to Santa Monica and back (with lunch in between). This was 2.5 miles one way.

First to start, lets say the day is CRAPPY. It's cool, totally overcast and drizzling almost the entire day. There is nothing like going to a somewhat dismal place, and having the weather be dismal as well.
Venice itself was a come-one-come-all of Oddities and Disturbia's of Southern California. The grey, run down tourist-trail of a street, hosted vendor upon vendor of incense, hemp jewellery, pot pipes and more tattoo and piercing places in one street than I've ever seen. There were young men getting high on the sides of the street, while other washed-up hippy-types played their guitars and boomboxes in hopes the tourists would drop some cash into their washed up hats. There were fluorescent dreads and lots of, what looked like walking dead. We walked the strip of carnival-like chaos for about a mile and half until it turned into a slightly more normal Santa Monica ~ although still dotted with tourists and locals alike, this was a little less possessed.

Of course, after walking right down to Santa Monica pier, (and running into a group of protesters who were very vocal and passionate that 9-11 was a conspiracy) we realized that we would have to walk all the way back ... so we did, although quicker than we had originally strolled.

We were so happy to get home, 2 hours later, to our little quiet beach apartment. The weather was still grey, and forlorn, but somehow, life seemed fresher here. Like it was just beginning, as opposed to being quietly smothered.