Thanks to Uncle Sam's stimulus package last year, Adam, Elizabeth, and I got to go to California for Christmas. Elizabeth and I flew out a week before Adam, who joined us a few days before Christmas. On the flight to Burbank, I looked out the window at the palm trees and freeways and waited for the feeling of nostalgia and homesickness to kick in. But it didn't. Home was in Brooklyn with Adam. Yet, here I was, back home. Me and Neil Diamond, I guess—stuck between two coasts. But I'd switch it: New York's fine but it ain't home; LA's home but it ain't mine no more. (Of coures, unlike Neil, I would never use such bad grammar. Like, never.)
So the next two weeks were spent with my family where they live in a little neighborhood east of Dodger Stadium called Mt. Washington.
Mt. Washington is a far cry from a mountain, but as you drive up the hill to my parents' house and your ears pop, and the road keeps going up and up and up...you start to wonder.
Here's the surrounding environs from the 110.
And the house.
Thank you, Big Brother Google for taking the picture I forgot to. And, yes, my father is the Consulate General of Guyana.
We get out of the city often enough to not be overwhelmed by the spaciousness of everything not NYC, but I still loved driving 80 on the freeways (FREEways. No tolls!) and turning right on red lights. And no trip to California would be complete without a trip (or two or three or four...) to In n Out Burger.
The night we flew back to NYC, we were greeted by bitter cold, rude people, and no way to get home. Our car was parked at the church (to avoid a weeks' worth of parking violations) and we ended up taking a taxi driven by a man with a lead foot (on the brake) who did not deserve $60 for the 24-mile trip. Hrumph. Welcome back. Adam kept saying for days afterwards, "I hate New York!" But does that mean he'd ever leave his beloved east coast? I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I'll take what smog, fish tacos, and vitamin D I can get, when I can get it. Hey Obama, how about another stimulus package this year?
2 comments:
I don't miss many things about living in Las Vegas, but In-N-Out is one of them. Glad to know your holiday was great, and here's to hoping for another stimulus.
Oh boy, this made me miss California so much! Roo's parents moved to Idaho, so we don't have much reason to go there anymore. His parents used to live up in the hills like your parents do. I love all the freeways and taking Roo to In N' Out at least twice a day! You are lucky that your second home (New York) is so cool too.
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