What a delight, having dinner at a casual Thai/Vietnamese restaurant on a quiet night between the two big winter holidays on Main Street in downtown LA.
Staying for a few days in the heart of downtown offered My husband and I a great opportunity to get to know this city from the inside out–art galleries, museums, restaurants and diners, touring the Walt Disney Symphony Hall, climbing the stairs to Bunker Hill therefore, learning about Angel’s Flight, the historic, now defunct landmark narrow gauge funicular that ran in the Bunker Hill district high above Downtown LA.
Pershing Park another center point in the downtown area is a highlight as well. Who would expect to watch ice skaters trying to stay upright in Southern California, but there they were, doing their best on the ice glinting and glowing in the bright sunshine. The rink was constantly being swept to clear the melted mush from the surface. Children were using 3 foot high plastic penguins to help them negotiate sliding on the ice without a visit to the ER after a fall.
I will never stop admiring the numerous varieties of trees, bushes, cacti and succulents that flourish in this area, seemingly surviving the many years of drought. I have good intentions of trying to identify some of the plantings and learning more about each variety. (The good news; it has been raining, hopefully a beginning to fill the reservoirs and providing relief from the dry period of such a drought.)
There is more; we can not resist a farmers market. With the sun in our eyes, some warmth on our backs, we hauled fresh produce back to the apartment to enjoy for the days to come. As we walked, people were very friendly and open to hellos and waves as we past by, sometimes stopping to talk. Of course the state of the homeless in LA is a match for any city and hard to take. Back to our Thai/Vietnamese dinner.
It was delicious and the restaurant was not busy, so we were not pressed to leave because of crowds. As usual, I could not nearly finish my portion of the veggie curry and had it packed to go. I asked for napkins and spoons and forks to be included. I often hope someone on the streets will ask for help therefore, offering them the take out box.
I had identified a women in a red shawl on the way to the restaurant and I had my eye out for her. But she did not appear. A tall, thin man, wrapped in a thin blanket, with hole infested gloves on his hands and thin soled shoes on his feet, sporting curly salt and pepper hair and beard and a smile sought our attention. I began to hand him my box engaged by his pearly blue soft but blazing eyes and his very warm smile. I held my gaze on his eyes for long moments, taken in by the affect. He thanked me 3 times. How I would like to know more about him and how he keeps his spirits seemingly up and glowing. But, we moved on to our warm home.
It is so hard to be confronted by the unfortunate people of this world not knowing really how to react, afraid to give money or advice. but feeling an ache in our hearts for them. Some choose this life on the streets, some seek change. Through the years I have embraced suggestions for reacting to encounters, give them food, give them scarfs, hats, socks, shirts, raingear and a smile. But, it is a chore to carry so much stuff when out and about in the city.
This man with the warm eyes is ingrained in my mind.
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| Walt Disney Symphony Hall |