Been a few days since my last entry in my blog. There have been a few challenges to deal with, being in LA without a car & staying in a cheap hotel in Hollywood. As Joni Mitchell sang, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone'. For example getting a bus in Sydney may involve a bit of a wait sometimes, but I have waited an hour here in LA. When buses come sometimes, they are so full, they won't pick you up. A good proportion of the people who ride the buses, are doing life very tough. There will be a good few of them that are homeless, with filthy clothes and mental health issues. Waiting for a bus is equally testing too, as the streets are so filthy. and bus shelters are homes for many.
 It hasn't rained in LA for months as it is a desert kind of climate, with very hot days continuing. But the reasons can't be explained that innocently as just the weather. The fact is that LA is a huge city with it's own proportion of poor people and people with psychological problems, plus it probably draws on people from the rest of the country and even around the world. I suspect that desires to be a movie star or any other kind of artist requires people to be a little if not a lot eccentric. Add to this an economy in free fall, and a culture which has always promoted individuality and this town is a mess.
I have been trying to find somewhere to stay other than this cheap hotel, and it is quite a challenge. Any place that offers short term rental, which is what I am looking for, that doesn't charge really high fees, ends up being a location for many people on the edge. There are things I have seen here during my stay, that at this point I won't repeat on my blog, but suffice to say, many people & situations are on the edge.
For me, it has been testing, but I feel pleased that I am taking it in my stride and figuring out solutions to situations that many others would get very stressed by.
Joining a gym in West Hollywood without living there and having a car, has meant some fairly long journeys there by bus, but the gain is getting to spend sometime in a cleaner part of LA, and the gym is clean with nice air conditioning and a decent sized pool outside with sauna & steam room as well. There is lots of equipment to choose from too. I haven't been for a day or two though , as I have had a bit of a cold, probably caused by all the temperature changes from really hot outside, to being in places with really cold air/con.
Another thing that I have done which is making things work well, is hanging out at Starbucks with my computer on the really hot days. My room are kind of unbearable on the really hot days, and my computer gets hot too, so heading to a cooler spot is definitely a good idea. I can get things done on the computer when I am not focused on dealing with the heat!
One of the weirdest things about LA is probably the distances. In Sydney often there are choices between walking or busing, but here in LA, there really is no decision: the distances are so big. You almost need a car to go from one shop to another. The problem with this is that where as in Sydney, it is easy to pop from shop to shop as they are all kind of small, with LA, most shops are so big, that only a couple fit in a block. It is unusual to see more than 5 different businesses in the same location.
Then there is the mess. Outside every shop will be grimy pavements, rubbish bins filled, other rubbish lying on the ground. I have yet to see a rat or mouse in LA which surprises me cos there is so much mess. Do the homeless people eat them or is it too hot for them to survive? So waiting for a bus is the only option, if you don't own a car.
Anyway hope this isn't a big complaint: all this is making me appreciate what AU/NZ has.
Having said all that though, LA has modern history. I love the buildings and so many are pockets of cinema history. Who lived where in the 1920s or 1930s etc? That's the charm. I guess LA was created as cars were already in existence & having large areas was a symbol of success. But to me it is great to shrink things down and have things close to each other cos then there can be a sense of community.
Saturday night I managed to score a $30 ticket to an 80s concert up at The Hollywood Bowl where The Go Gos & Psychedelic Fur were performing. That was pretty cool. A great location & not too far from  where I am staying on Whitley Ave.
On Friday & today I saw films at The Cinerama Dome which is celebrating 60 years of Cinerama: it was the forerunner technology to 3D using 3 films recording simultaneously to create a 3D effect.