Los Angeles (Part 1)

From a Terminal 6 of LAX, United Air Lines exclusive uses, I look at the Encounter restrant and control tower.
When the airplane arrives at airport and cross the boarding bridge, I can smell the 'foreign fragrance'. This is the moment I actually feel arriving at foreign country,
I had thought that I can smell it only when getting off at another Asian airports until now.
However, also in the United States, I can do it !
It might be, that's to say, like a smell of a sweet vehicle exhaust gas.

I checked out a rent-a-car at Hertz LAX near the airport.
When I look up, the airplanes landing at LAX continues on and on.
Sometimes, Parallel landing each on two runways can be seen too.
Cooool ! I had long wanted to see such a sight of U.S.A.

Here is 'IN-N-OUT' located on northside of LAX, a famous hamburger shop franchised-chain in west coast.
This is the photo of a British Airways 747-400 now on landing at runway 24R.
Because my expectation was too great (or still tensed?), this burger wasn't so delicious for me.
But here is a very nice place to take a photo of LAX, with fine weather at any time and some palm trees.
From the Hertz LAX, you may go on a street that starts from facing post office. For a while, you can reach the crossroad near suburban shopping mall. Then turn left there, soon you can see the 'IN-N-OUT'.
This is a suitable place for you airline-spotters to setting strategy of long journey that will start soon, though surroundings are little noisy by some families chattering.

From LAX, getting on the I-105 (Century Frwy.) and go eastward for a while. Then changing highway at the point of huge junction, and go northward straight on the I-110 (Harbor Frwy.) to Downtown.
I feel as if a country beginner driver just getting license, going out to mertopolitan Tokyo first time, and losing my way in complex Tokyo expressway.
Besides driving a car, always I have to use my brains too much collating the road sign constantly appears, though beforhand I had studyed desperately the routes I will pass.. And tangled up like that, ' Where am I ? Who is here ? '.
Many of traffic, many informations of road signs and many of highway-lanes that never seen in Japan always puzzles me.
Moreover, the most thing I can't understand at the time is the name of the lands written in each road signs. Maybe it 's the same situation that the Japanese country drivers can't instantaneously understand the name in signs, for instance, 'Yotsuya' or 'Kameido'*1, when they come to Tokyo at the first time.
However, it might be a fatal action to sudden-keep-right-drive with no experiences, though I had never been such a big foreign city like this.

Americans don't takes the distance between two cars as much as Japanese do. And cut into the space suddenly if there are.
You may take care not to cause the rear-end collision accident. And even if you are a beginner driver, you should not always run the slow-lane.
Because this often ends at the next exit of the ramp. When you down the highway at such a place, sometimes the public peace is bad there, even along a trunk line.
Actually, the districts around the I-110 side of Downtown are such a zone.

Arrived at Downtown now.
Some people may think that the large cities in United States are full of skyscrapers. But to tell the truth, it's not so.
Generally speaking, Los Angeles spreads horizontally. These exists only at the districts, 'Banker Hill' around some corner of Downtown, and 'Century City' in the vicinity of Westwood.
Indeed, Los Angeles have less tall buildings than New York. But when you approach L.A. from a long distance, it will gives you an cyberotical impacts, just like 'Blade Runner'.

After Passing Downtown, changed my way to the I-5 (Golden State Frwy.) at the near northside of Dodger Stadium.
The picture, near the vast Griffith Park on the left side.
I was going to take a short trip to the Burbank city, to looking for a NASCAR goods.
But the speciality store couldn't be found, though I searched for all over the town with map.
Finally, I gave up early and decided to go to Hollywood. where near here.
After all, this ends in only a roundabout road. But I'm happy even if everyway is a winding road.

Here is Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the landmark of Hollywood.
There are many new-commer's like me surrounding here, just looks like 'Asakusa-Kaminarimon'*2.
Recently, The shopping mall 'Hollywood & Highland' was opened. That's too looks like 'Asakusa-Rox'*2.

From Hollywood & Highland, this is the 'Hollywood Sign'.
When I see it, I can feel I'm now in Hollywood actually.
Although it looks not gorgeous, it will be dull if it's not.

Early afternoon on the 'Walk of Fame'. Spiderman is spending a lazy time.
To change the subject, now I recall, I saw many 'American Fats' everywhere I visited.
At any time when I saw them, I wondered how they move. Because their shapes can't compare with the Japanese fat's obviously. Not body but 'Stuff'.
Some guys and dolls have wide bodies I have never seen.
Can you succeed in works ? Did you go out of CD jacket 'Rockafeller Skank' ?
Sorry, sometimes I imagined.
Then I could finally understand why obesity becomes the one of great American social issues.
...Um.. I can't also mind their own business so much. That's all.

(Notice: This photo and column are quite unrelated.)

I take a short walk along Hollywood Blvd. from Chinese Theatre.
Some wallpaintings like this produces this place 'Screen entertainment town' somehow.
But things seen from here, are almost only souvenir shops and sex-shops, though along a main street. Here seems not so refined as I thought.
Was 'Matrix' taken here really ? I had heard the 'Highway sets' were built here only using for the film. Was it truth ?
And, there are also some looks like street-drug-sellers around here, a slightly dangerous atmosphere even though a daytime.
The wise man and 'poor man' keeps away from danger.
I can't make up my mind walking backstreets..

One shot at the corner of Hollywood Blvd.
I like to see these 'Billboards' much better than Hollywood Signs. No matter what are painted, advertised, or tasted.
The height disturb the sky high and length of width seems to be almost standedized.
When I look at them, for some reason, I feel the 'United States' in each other.
How glad I am to came here !

Japanese words on map >> A spot taking airplane photos in 'IN-N-OUT' LAX (on yellow line). & I-105, from here (under).

*1 Yotsuya, Kameido >>Towns in Tokyo.
*2 Asakusa-Kaminarimon, Asakusa-Rox >>'Asakusa', the downtown Tokyo, and 'Kaminarimon', the landmark of town. have famous sightseeing spots much there as 'Sensoji-temple' or 'Asakusa-shrine'. 'Asakusa-Rox' is a shopping mall in town.
At the 3rd weekends in May, the 'Sanja-matsuri' festival is held. In this festival, many people comes, changes into traditional 'Hanten' clothes, and lifts up 'mikoshi' (portable shrine) on their shoulder together, then make a tour around in the vicinity of Asakusa. Does it seems to be happy somehow ? Yes, of course, I'm also joining it every year !