Driving in the canyons of LA…..

From here….

Driving in the canyons of LA for a few hours, seeing where we end up. The randomness and the quiet of the night merging in a surrealistic collection of images and sounds. Life in the darkness, the city played out below as if a child with glow in the dark crayons had drawn a grid. The lines sometimes straight, but not always burning up into the night sky. Car headlights fleetingly rushing by on their way to unknown destinations. We follow but they are quickly swallowed up by the night. A coyote crosses the road just beyond the headlights.

The roads twist and turn, pushing the car first right then quickly left. Downshift. Up shift. Pause at an intersection deciding where to go. Suddenly as if out of nowhere 6 sets of stop lights blare into the evening, piercing bright. We are surprised as they appear to be randomly placed. A house later on with green and red lanterns hung in it’s trees reminds us of this again. The lights disappear into the rear view mirror and we are again plunged into the darkness.

Stopping and looking out I realized the love hate relationship I have with this place. I love the many places and variety of things to do, but hate the congestion and crowds. I love the varied architecture but hate the city as a maze of buildings gray and uninviting. I love the night, the quiet, the lights in the distance, the muted and extremely bright colors that are juxtaposed to one another, but hate that it ends as the sun rises and washes it all away to the dinginess and graffiti.

Turning the car around we head back. Back to our home and our beds, to await the day. which has no relation some how to the night we just saw. The night that few know and even fewer can appreciate.

Good night Los Angeles. Tonight I love you. Tomorrow I will hate you again.

…to there.