first mixed commute

          Yesterday I went downtown to the central library to look at oversized maps and aerial photographs of early road systems. Both of my family members work downtown, so a ride was easy to come by. I caught the subway into North Hollywood where I visited the local High School. It's the only one left in LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) with an agriculture program. I was able to take some photographs and videos of both the ambiance it lend to the campus as well as some of the dilapidated conditions.

           The subway was pretty clean and efficient, but still does not serve most communities. I was happy to see the diverse ways people get sound here, and on the way down the west coast from Olympia, there were hundreds of bicyclists, I felt embarrassed that I was driving such a large vehicle, but I also noticed that they had vehicle convoys that helped them carry stuff so I didn't feel so bad. Many were carrying large panniers, and I remembered riding my bicycle fully loaded down the same highway (101) for hundreds of miles. I don't think I'd bring much more than a wallet and credit card if and when I do it again. It's nice to be prepared with camping stuff for all the elements, but if you want to get somewhere and really enjoy the process it's best to be as light as possible.

           Google maps is a great tool that I use often, however one frustration is that while you can plan a route by foot, bike, public transport or car, and have multiple destinations, it does not recognize that you may be switching transportation forms. It does tell you to walk from bus stop to destination, but unless there is some advanced option I'm not aware of, you can't do that.

Firework Cities

As I rode my bicycle in the beach areas of Los Angeles this past Monday, I couldn't help but notice the fireworks. I didn't think much of them, other than the lack of opulent displays that pepper the beach in times of economic excess. It seems the city of Los Angeles canceled almost all of their large displays, so that people were going greater distances (mostly by car, often drinking) to see fireworks.

Then today, as I was in the historical map section of the downtown public library putting dozens of over-sized early maps of the city in chronological order, it dawned on me that the cities and their surrounding fiefdoms, were like fireworks, that explode from a central point, radiate out, and linger and often fade away, only to be replaced by other explosions at different times. Seeing all the clusters of development explode in a timeline made a city that didn't always fit together in it's different sections, not to mention obstructions like the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains, breaking up the grid of development.

Weekly Study Plan

Week 1: Contract approval, meeting with sponsor, refining contract, setting up website. 

Week 2: Travel arrangements, reading selections, historical review, route planning

Week 3: Historical map research downtown Los Angeles public library, readings, LA update

Week 4: Two mapped routes, with stories, photos and explanations, review of literature

Week 5: Pre screening of bicycle film festival entries and written review of 2 films related

Week 6: Two mapped routes, with stories, photos and explanations, designing travel accessories

Week 7: Kayak / bike trip down the LA river with documentation and journal entries

Week 8: Final Paper draft and or outline posted on blog, one walking trip by beach with report

Week 9: Work on final paper, dog powered travel and written review of experience

Week 10: Complete final paper, video of experiences completed and posted to blog