We at The Bus Bench are not selfish creatures sometimes we go to other people's blogs. We often go to Metroriderla's blog. Metrorider has a very nice looking blog, he went on vacation and when he got back his blog had a complete make over. I was like, "cool." I'm pretty much like, if I like how something looks, I'll keep going back to it.
I guess you can say I'm very L.A.
We also go to to LA.Streetsblog, BusTard actually introduced me to this blog. At first I didn't really care because it was written by a New Yorker and though BusTard thinks New York is the greatest place in the world, I think it's a bit overrated. But LA Streetsblog is very interesting, with lots of info, like the info on our fieldtrip to Evergreen.
So BusTard is always trying to make friends and do things. Remember he tried to go ice skating in my piece called Community Cancer (you know how they try to make all of the bloggers be friends with the politicians and business people by giving them plaques and links and shout outs, so they won't talk shit about them and since most bloggers just want to be loved, they are so happy to be accepted that they will cool down with some "you're ok" crumbs) with downtown bloggers and no one was there? Yeah fun times...
Anyways Bustard convinces me go to go on a walking tour put on by So Cal Studio. It was at Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights, apparently the well to do (and not so well to do) of L.A. are buried there.
It was supposed to be hosted by Joe Walker and Steven Goldstein, but Joe has been very sick. Steven did a great job at keeping it quick and also acknowledged the stories he "borrowed" from Joe, which was nice. I'm really anti this kind of thing, but I actually had fun. BusTard took lots of pictures and I met a woman whose friend designed the Gold Line Chinatown stop. I was pretty interested in that, but I was also cold and had just been getting over some serious (but not contagious) lung problems.
Some interesting facts about the cemetery:
Apparently people are petty bastards and this was one of only two cemeteries where African-Americans in LA could be buried.
Evergreen also was one of the few cemeteries that set aside land so that the down and out could be buried.
_____________________________________________________________________________
We took the 40 Montebello there from the Historic Core of Downtown LA, which runs very well and we took the 30 MTA (and they've cancelled quite a few stops on the 30 and 31 that are along the gold line route and for what? I don't know, because you can still drive there. I think this would be a great time to encourage people to use public transit in that section of town, since that's the reason the street is blocked off anyway...) back to hang out at one of my favorite hang outs, the Central Library Bookstore where I do this:
"I could totally make that."
"I can't believe they have this book. I pitched that idea to my agent, hey I think my agent sucks."
"Do you think I should buy this puppet?"
That's pretty much what I do when I go to the Central Library Bookstore.
Enough about me here are the dead people.
Here's where Harry Chandler's first wife is buried. Her death made it possible for Harry to marry the owner of LA Times daughter Marion Otis and become a legendary figure in the publishing history of Los Angeles. Want to visit the Times take the 14 or take the Red Line and get off at Civic Center.
Here's Earl Rodgers. He was a legendary attorney. They used to say, "If you are guilty, hire Earl Rodgers." Apparently he was the Johnny Cochran of his time. He got off Griffith J Griffith (with a very light sentence) who shot his wife in the eye. Unfortunately he had a bit of a drinking problem and died in a boarding house (that's like a SRO), which is why his grave doesn't look so fabulous. Griffith Park can be accessed by the 180, 181, 96, or your bike if you take the bike trail along the LA River.
This was the Chinese-American Memorial. Over 1000 Chinese-Americans were buried in the Evergreen Cemetery; for many years the bodies were interred beneath the marked graves that remain visible. (The cemetery did this by adding a significant layer of dirt on top the earlier graves.) For many years Chinese-Americans came here to pay respects for fellow Chinese who came over to help build California before the 1930s. More info go to the CHSSC. The Chinese Historical Society of So Cal also would very much appreciated if you wrote to METRO and urged them to move on preserving and keeping a record of the bones they found of Chinese-Americans near the Gold Line, so that one day they will be able to reconnect the reamains with their family members. Chinese Historical Society can be reached by taking the 81, 83, 96, or getting off at the Goldline Chinatown exit and walking a few blocks.
Sam Haskins is the first African-American fireman that died in the line of duty. He was born a slave. He originally had what was essentially a pauper's grave, but after Joe Walker did some research it was determined he was someone. Initially it was thought that the first African-American firefighter to be killed in durty was another guy, but to me it doesn't matter who was first, whether it's Sam Haskins or the other guy they both did something wonderful in a time when it was really hard to do something wonderful if you happened to be born brown, black, red, or yellow. More info on African-American Fire Fighters, check out their museum on Central, the guys there are awesome. Can be accessed by the 53.
Here is Mary Foy. She's the first woman head of the Los Angeles Library, but you know she made up the job, so actually she's actually just the first head of the Los Angeles Library. She was 18 when she got the job. The LA Central Library can be accessed by the 10, 14, 70, 83, 45, Dash DD, Santa Monica 10, Red Line Pershing Square, pretty much any line that goes to downtown will get you within walking distance of the LA Central Library.
This was Stymie (known in real life as Matthew Beard and the name on this grave) of the Little Rascals. His character name, Stymie, was given to him owing to his always being underfoot of the director. Then again, out of several hundred applicants for the role, Beard got the job without a screen test; as soon as he stepped up he was chosen. Apparently he died happy, but I'm thinking he had no reason to be happy. Very sad. Broke, forgotten, and in a pauper's grave, no reason at all to be happy. You can always get work at the post office, the post office in Stymie's hometown of Boyle Heights is on 1st street access it by taking the 30 or 31.
This is the guy who founded Ralphs grocery store. In downtown LA if it wasn't for this guy we wouldn't have an "American" grocery store, (since Mitsuwa already existed, but it didn't count; the more LA changes, the more it remains the same...). He died in an interesting way. A boulder fell on him while he was doing the extreme sport of hiking with his wife. Thanks George Ralphs your veggie deli sandwiches are delicious!!!! Also I guess it is Ralphs and not Ralph's since his name is spelled R-A-L-P-H-S. If it was the possessive it would be Ralphs'. Downtown Ralphs can be accessed by the 83, 70, 71, 42, Dash D, Dash B, the Redline, the Blueline, if you live in downtown and you're going to Ralphs you have no excuse to be in your car, no excuse at all.
These are the graves of Van Nuys, Lankershim, and Hollenbeck. Apparently they aren't just streets and cities, but rich people. Rich people aren't that interesting, so I didn't really listen to the story about these guys. Lankershim and his son-in-law Van Nuys built Hollywood Forever Cemetery, but that's where the riffraff got buried, so they have their family plots at Evergreen, which was one of the spots that the classy got buried in LA. Hollywood Forever Cemetary can be accesssed by the 4.
Keep in mind all of my public transit access routes are simply from the top of my head from memory, if you need to actually go somewhere for real check Metro.NET, that's your best option.
At least METRO does that right.
Browne
PS want to go on more tours check out SoCALStudios, putting on tours and events that even a cynic like Browne Molyneux can enjoy....oh, it was also free, very nice. You can access the Studio by taking the 2 or the Red Line or Blue Line to Union Station and walking, but you'll have to be in good shape for that, but you could bike it pretty easy...
Or am I merely desperate to get a laugh?
Scroll down for the answer.
I had to pass up loads of lines and just be straight up with this one. No one obvious quip would have done: "They really DO get it for the articles!" "How big are the bumps in the photos?" "How can blind folk possibly masturbate if they are reading with their fingers?" and so on.
Recent Comments