Pacoima - No stickers but true
After being in L.A. for almost five days, we met some nice people at the Red Rock (that's a bar at the Sunset Boulevard). They told us, that they are from Pacoima and when we told them, that we are a little tired of the "glamourous" and touristic Los Angeles, they offered us to take us on to a tour to their hometown Pacoima.
Pacoima is a district of the San Fernando Valley, north of L.A.. Founded around 1885, first it was populated of semi-nomadic tribes. The only remarkeable thing about Pacoima, which can be found in the Internet, is a story of a terrible airplane collision in 1957 - eight people were killed, when the damaged planes dived earthwards and hit Pacoima's church and a Highschool.
But - we were curious to see, if Pacoima has got an interesting side...
We met at the Van Nuys Boulevard. A gas station one minute away from the Freeway. Our new friends wanted to start the tour right in front of their town. A few miles later, we leave the streight Van Nuys. A net of little streets, this is how Pacoima and its surrounding looks like on the map. An impervious net of streets, sometimes with an abrupt end, going on when you drive around the the crossing streets... Confusing.
But when we started having closer look on to the former Spanish colony, you can see the houses and yards picture-book-like! A long street like a parkway, with trees right and left of the sidewalk. Perfect cut lawn, children's toys spread over the driveway. Here and there you can see a mother with a baby buggy going down the streets. A quiet day, sometimes the only sound you can here is the decent chugging of the sprinklers.
An old woman crosses the street. She is true old. In L.A. you barely see old women. Most of the mid-fourties have a plastic surgeon, who can garble their true age totally. But this woman has got a true age, she must be in the upper 60s. She is moving deliberately, no hectic at all. What a great release, after L.A.'s bustle.
In Pacoima, our new friends tell us, the life is more true than in L.A. - So we're right in our feelings.
What about politics, we ask them. What sticker do you have on your GMC truck?
"Stickers? My heart says, that Obama will do this vote. But I don't need a sticker, I have the courage to make my decision at the day of election." Keith is right. Angela, his friend, is at the same track: "Stickers on the bumper is that L.A. thing. The ones with the 'Change' sticker at the back window of the Mustang, are the ones who will forget, what the man stands for. They will forget what he said, they will vote for Daddy's man: McCain."
Angela and Keith are the only ones in the circle of friends, who are interested in politics. Keith: "Neither my friends, nor my parents are really dealing with the topic. My father is a Republican since his first election - he won't vote for a Democrat, whatever Mr. Obama says." Angela's friends do like Obama's rockstar attitude. "But I am sure, none of them can tell me what his program is all about."
We headed for the main street again, Van Nuys Boulevard. We are having a coffee to go - no mexican food today. José, the owner of the small restaurant, tells us that something with the electricity is wrong. He speaks broken English. He is one of the many Spanish-speaking residents. When we want to know more about his background, where he originally comes from, he doesn't want to answer. Suddenly he seems to have lost his English knowledge. We get our coffee and off we go.
Pacoima - true, picture-book-like, political and non-political, curious and reserved, maybe aloof.
Keith and Angela, would like to take us on another trip these days. We will go with them off road, besides the tourist's Los Angeles, we will get to know the suburbs of L.A., the many little districs with their people and their attitude.
After being in L.A. for almost five days, we met some nice people at the Red Rock (that's a bar at the Sunset Boulevard). They told us, that they are from Pacoima and when we told them, that we are a little tired of the "glamourous" and touristic Los Angeles, they offered us to take us on to a tour to their hometown Pacoima.
Pacoima is a district of the San Fernando Valley, north of L.A.. Founded around 1885, first it was populated of semi-nomadic tribes. The only remarkeable thing about Pacoima, which can be found in the Internet, is a story of a terrible airplane collision in 1957 - eight people were killed, when the damaged planes dived earthwards and hit Pacoima's church and a Highschool.
But - we were curious to see, if Pacoima has got an interesting side...
We met at the Van Nuys Boulevard. A gas station one minute away from the Freeway. Our new friends wanted to start the tour right in front of their town. A few miles later, we leave the streight Van Nuys. A net of little streets, this is how Pacoima and its surrounding looks like on the map. An impervious net of streets, sometimes with an abrupt end, going on when you drive around the the crossing streets... Confusing.
But when we started having closer look on to the former Spanish colony, you can see the houses and yards picture-book-like! A long street like a parkway, with trees right and left of the sidewalk. Perfect cut lawn, children's toys spread over the driveway. Here and there you can see a mother with a baby buggy going down the streets. A quiet day, sometimes the only sound you can here is the decent chugging of the sprinklers.
An old woman crosses the street. She is true old. In L.A. you barely see old women. Most of the mid-fourties have a plastic surgeon, who can garble their true age totally. But this woman has got a true age, she must be in the upper 60s. She is moving deliberately, no hectic at all. What a great release, after L.A.'s bustle.
In Pacoima, our new friends tell us, the life is more true than in L.A. - So we're right in our feelings.
What about politics, we ask them. What sticker do you have on your GMC truck?
"Stickers? My heart says, that Obama will do this vote. But I don't need a sticker, I have the courage to make my decision at the day of election." Keith is right. Angela, his friend, is at the same track: "Stickers on the bumper is that L.A. thing. The ones with the 'Change' sticker at the back window of the Mustang, are the ones who will forget, what the man stands for. They will forget what he said, they will vote for Daddy's man: McCain."
Angela and Keith are the only ones in the circle of friends, who are interested in politics. Keith: "Neither my friends, nor my parents are really dealing with the topic. My father is a Republican since his first election - he won't vote for a Democrat, whatever Mr. Obama says." Angela's friends do like Obama's rockstar attitude. "But I am sure, none of them can tell me what his program is all about."
We headed for the main street again, Van Nuys Boulevard. We are having a coffee to go - no mexican food today. José, the owner of the small restaurant, tells us that something with the electricity is wrong. He speaks broken English. He is one of the many Spanish-speaking residents. When we want to know more about his background, where he originally comes from, he doesn't want to answer. Suddenly he seems to have lost his English knowledge. We get our coffee and off we go.
Pacoima - true, picture-book-like, political and non-political, curious and reserved, maybe aloof.
Keith and Angela, would like to take us on another trip these days. We will go with them off road, besides the tourist's Los Angeles, we will get to know the suburbs of L.A., the many little districs with their people and their attitude.
The Roslyndale Avenue in Pacoima
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