Playa Vista

cars say, "kachow"

This is an interesting video I'm reblogging from Kitsune Noir, featuring glimpses of Los Angeles streets devoid of cars. You can see where I live, Playa Vista, at around 0:23 seconds.

I guess I like the idea of a car-less Los Angeles, because the reality is quite the opposite. Neighborhoods and shopping outlets are designed for cars, not people. I've noticed everything is much bigger and sprawled across longer distances. I feel small walking around my neighborhood of tall luxury condos, because I can walk for blocks without hitting a single business or person. I am close enough to work where I could walk if I really wanted to, but there is no sidewalk part of the way. A frequent topic of conversation here is being stuck in traffic. The same can be said about back home, so it's not just Los Angeles that's like this. Fact is, we live in a car-centric country. People love their cars. Like pets, people decorate them as an extension of their personality (wooWOO).

A lot of people might poke fun at me for being so immobile, but even if I were to drive I don't think I'd want to that much. I never liked the idea of so much opportunity for human error: independently moving vehicles swapping lanes and being driven by different people of varying skill levels. At least I can read, sketch, talk on the phone, or study on a bus without increasing my risk of getting in an accident. In that sense, public transportation can be more convenient and can make more sense. I don't have to worry about getting tickets, parking meters, gas, or maintenance costs. Instead, public transit has this stigma of being unreliable, dirty, and for the poor - all of which can be true to an extent.

Oh well. I like to think that I'm proving people wrong when they told me I'd have a hard time relying on the bus.