SUNDAY 4TH MAY 2025

Somewhere in our brief three night three day stay in Los Angeles we mastered their public transport system. In West Hollywood it was the bus. When we went downtown, as we did on this day, it was the subway. What we didn’t always master was walking in the correct direction on arrival at our destination, or waiting on the correct side of the road, especially in the beginning. I can remember, either this day or the one before, taking a bus that left us a few blocks south of our hotel. On paper the walk “home” looked easy. In reality it was mostly uphill and challenging, but it gave us a great opportunity to see normal residential streets rather than say, Sunset Strip. I like the way the Hollywood glitz and suburbia are intermingled in LA and we passed many attractive dwellings as we trudged uphill.

Speaking of “normal” life, I remember now what happened after we returned from rainy Santa Monica the previous day. We packed our clothing into plastic bags, boarded a bus and … went to a self-service laundromat! While there we ate at a nearby Asian cafe. Talk about suburban life.

Back to this day. Being as how our train was not departing until 10pm we didn’t rush off first thing in the morning. According to the time stamp, it was getting on for midday when I set up our room ornament to say goodbye to the view. At least, I think he was an ornament. I couldn’t find any other use for him than to look cute.

There was a bit of a downer at checkout when we discovered there were additional fees and charges to be paid. I kicked up at the time, but was to learn down the track that a “Destination” or “Resort” fee is typical in American hotels. The trick is to get something in exchange, such as a free drink. We went to the bar once in the Hotel Andaz (and paid), but on Saturday night the music noise level was extreme. Our room was divine, but its rock star image has made the hotel a haunt for a much younger LGBT+ clientele. There was something of a mismatch between the hotel and our demographic.

The bill settled, off we headed with our suitcases to take the bus. That all went fine, and we were dropped a couple of blocks short of the subway station. The one we needed was under the Dolby Theatre. By this time I was used to the tourist throng and touts along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the footpath looked a bit cleaner also, maybe on account of the previous day’s rain.

We got off the bus and as we walked up Highland Street from Sunset Boulevard we passed the Hollywood High School, home of many famous alumni. I wouldn’t even have given it a second look if it wasn’t for the mural.

The subway trip with suitcases was uneventful. Once at Amtrak we were able to check them in, and at the Metropolitan Lounge, which is available to any sleeper or business class passengers, leave our carry on bags. Here we struck gold. The attendant told us any number of cool things to do to fill in our time. Now we learned all that Los Angeles has to offer beyond Hollywood. (I’d also consulted the posts of fellow blogger Little Miss Traveller, Marion of lovetravellingblog.com. Should have done that on Day One.)

Of the numerous suggestions we had time only for the contemporary art museum The Broad (pronounced Brode). On arrival we talked our way into Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirror Room” despite not having a prebooked timed ticket.

This art installation, titled “Fireflies on Water” (I think) is comprised of thousands of lights. For one minute, just Bill and I stood in darkness, absorbing the impressions created around us. Magical!

As you can see in the photos we even caught ourselves in the mirrored reflections. (Click on photos in galleries to see them in full).

We moved on to other artworks, such as Jeff Koons Tulips.

Or his Balloon Dog

Roy Lichtenstein’s Interior with African Mask

Naturally we were curious to see the Andy Warhol section.

This untitled work by Barbara Kruger is topical.

And this charcoal and graphite work by American Robert Lungo is arresting in its detail. (You’ll like this one Derrick Knight).

And help me here please readers – is this also Jeff Koons?

Robert Therrein’s Under the Table (1994) puts dinner time in a different perspective.

We finished our visit with another of Kurosama’s mirror room installations, the aptly named Looking for Eternity, in which you can see yourself reflected in a changing kaleidoscope of colours.

Back on the subway we headed to the Little Tokyo district for dinner. We enjoyed wandering in a central plaza: a kind of maze of little alleys, Japanese shops and restaurants, one of which suited us well. Had we been earlier in the day we might have visited the Japanese American National Museum but actually its closed for renovations at the moment.

All this time we’d been unaware that Cinco de Maya was being celebrated that day. This 5th May fiesta commemorates Mexico defeating the French in 1862. (It seems all across the States some one or other was fighting over territory). Much of the party had been in the area in and around the pedestrian Olvera street, which is lined with Hispanic restaurants, craft makers, and market stalls reflecti g the irigins of this area. It is also right by the railway station. Things were packing up by the time we got there, but we still got to explore and chat.

Time now to return to Los Angeles Union Station (across the road), and this time, appreciate the beautiful 1939 architecture. An African American railway maintenance person saw me taking photos and stopped for a philosophical chat about how easy it was for us to communicate one-on-one when all around division is growing. We concluded with the decision, “this too shall pass.”

Time now to wait in the comfortable Amtrak lounge

Before finding our bedroom and playing with our reflections distorted by the metal mirror

Then that’s a wrap to our visit to Los Angeles.

Footnote: it’s taken me a month to write one blog post. We are now relaxing in sunny and warm Honolulu before returning home in a few days.