We were supposed to take a trip to Los Angeles in April of 2020.. when the world shut down and life had other plans. We've been waiting to get this trip underway, and so we planned a Labor Day weekend journey out west.
Our flight out of MSP left at 6:45 am, and a dear friend picked us up at 5:00 and took us to the Southwest Terminal. The flights were relatively uneventful, we routed through Phoenix and landed in Ontario. And wow, was it hot upon arriving!
We had a longer than anticipated wait to grab a shuttle to the rental car area. Made even longer by the unrelenting sun and the 103 degree temperatures. But eventually we got to the Hertz Counter, and picked up our rental car. Barbara at Hertz was the friendliest car rental agent we've encountered, and was dealing with the holiday madness like a burst of sunshine and joy. It was refreshing to see and experience!
We loaded up our bags, jumped into our rental (a white Nissan Altima), and headed out.
First stop, In 'n Out. My California-born man has been craving a double-double for years, though he did have one last summer in Colorado Springs (just opened!). Full of delicious (but not nutritious) fast food, and with a giant cold beverage in hand, we set course for his hometown of Covina.
Most of Day 0 was a memory tour for him.... starting with a trip past his alma mater, moving on to all the schools he attended, from HS down to elementary school. We drove past his first few jobs, his childhood home and so much more!
As a native midwesterner, it was so unique to see California design/style. Some of the things I saw that were surprising:
The density of single-family housing: everything seems to sit right next to the next building, with very small lots everywhere, and with tons of cars lining up, everywhere!
It is very closed off and boxed up: I am used to open yards, wide fields, and lots of visual space. Here, everyone has built high brick walls and clearly partitioned off their tiny spaces!
The car culture: there are custom and vintage cars everywhere. I have never seen so many Teslas and expensive brands in one area!
The mission style buildings: everywhere you look, you see the mission-inspired bellow towers, red tile roofs, and the muted earth town pastels of the desert.
The flood control channels!
The outdoor school designs: All of the schools consist of many outbuildings, joined into a courtyard. California kids don't have hallways to get from class to class. With the current security needs of schools, they have erected fences around all the school buildings, which did not originally exist.
In all, the first day's "Memory Tour" was a successful one. Lots of things had changed over the past 20 years... some of which were vastly better than his memories, and some had really degraded. But in all of the change, it was amazing to see how things evolve. For instance, in spite of the changes with the fencing and security signs, his grade & middle schools are now CODE/ Computer Programming Academies. His childhood home has been completely redone outside, but now it's fresh and clean and modern, and perfect to appeal to a new homeowner/family.
Thanks for stopping by!
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