Echo Parque

Ever wish you were part of a culture, just so you could feel it as immensely as someone else? I've had that feeling a lot since I've lived in LA. What would it be like to be part of the film industry? Not only an actor, but maybe the guy that holds the white sheet that reflects the lighting for the camera person? Or what is it really like to be in Chinatown (or Monterey Park) if you are actually from China? The glaringly obvious culture to be part of in LA is the spanish-speaking community. Especially where I live. The billboards that hover over the streets are written in Spanish, sometimes selling products that I know, and sometimes not. The streets are lined with stores catering to hispanics. And the food, well you've never seen so many taco stands and pupuseria's this side of the Mexican/American border. I am not complaining, I'm actually delighting in this fact, which leads me to my desire to be part of a culture. I feel as though I'm somewhat immersed in it, but strictly as an outsider. I must say this is one of the things I love about LA, and aside from sitting in standstill traffic on the freeway at 8 o'clock at night on a Wednesday, listening to some talk radio program called "fresh air", which is such a contradiction in this town, I'm somewhat comforted in the fact that I am part of something, although I don't really fit.

Our first visit to Echo Park.

The evening started at the bar downstairs from my office, for drinks with Ellyn. And at last, I had a night where I was finally able to relax guilt-free, since my exam was over and done with. I picked up a few movies at Blockbuster and a vietnamese dinner at Pho Cafe, and made my way home to hang out with Stu, since Wednesday is one of the few nights out of the week that he doesn't have class. Dinner was great, and we watched Quinceañera, which was filmed in Echo Park (our hood). Again, it was a movie we had wanted to see in theaters, but unfortunately it was scurried off to dvd too quickly, actually before it even had a chance to be released anywhere other than LA and NY. Sad considering that a lot of the great films seem to have this unfortunate future laid upon them, I digress. It was really touching, and truly portrayed what is happening in our little community, next to downtown LA. It is a mostly hispanic neighborhood, where a lot of the beautiful old homes are being bought out by young, rich, white couples, turning what was once a tough, gang-infested neighborhood into a yuppie haven. Although the movie is about the upcoming 15th birthday of a latina girl, they touch on many different subjects that other films seem to shy away from. The fact that she is the daughter of a preacher, and is pregnant at age 14, starts this twist of fate and how the most unsuspecting people in your lives, can turn into your biggest supporters. Not only that, but it was crazy to see our neighborhood on screen... and surprisingly some of the characters were reminiscent of actual people we know.