The greater Los Angeles area is made up of many small cities with their own downtowns and cultural centers. I happen to have family living in one of the towns east of L.A. and spent Friday night and Saturday morning hanging out here.
A quick 30 minute trip on the Metrolink from downtown L.A. to El Monte avoided the majority of the infamous traffic sitting on a bus, and saved my cousin an hour and a half drive to pick me up from the city.
More connections to more municipalities would be great, but getting out of the center can be the hardest part of navigating the city.
Cousin Jen on the right, with friend Jen in front of their favorite Mediterranean restaurant, Golden Skewer. I enjoyed the lamb plate that was quite filling and delicious.
My cousin is an art teacher at a local high school and we stopped by a guitar and choir concert fundraiser to get the kids guitar stands to save their instruments from damage. Ah, memories of my choir days came flooding back watching the kids do their thing.
The next stop of the evening was to a bar in Uptown Whittier called Sage to watch Jen's boyfriend Carlos' band. The vibe was very far outside my regular haunts, very meat-market feeling that had me in people watching mode almost instantly.
Four groups went up before our main event, the Skin Films. The boys were rockin' so hard, it was impossible to get an in-focus picture with my phone. But I think this fits the vibe they were giving off better, anyway. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
"Breakfast" around noon on Saturday consisted of ramen at Jen and Carlos' favorite Japanese/Korean restaurant, Katsuko. The pork katsu plate I ordered came with a bowl of ramen, and I was not disappointed in my selection.
One last stop for desert at Cake House for wonderful Korean pastries. Pictured in the foreground is my custard tart, waiting for me in the bag is a cinnamon muffin.
All of the restaurants we visited lived in strip malls, that being the standard for a majority of businesses in the area. Due to the expectation that everyone will be driving, huge parking lots hide wonderful businesses from the streetscape, making it quite difficult to discover new places without a concerted effort or recommendation.
Back to Uptown Whittier, we stopped by an Art and Craft Fair, featuring some of Jen's students.
High school art
A lot of really talented work by the high schoolers of Whittier.
A variety of mediums were featured.
Feeling right at home at the craft fair. The artists I talked to reminded me a lot of the crafters and artists I know back in the Northwest.
Strolling among the vendors.
Being an English teacher and fellow lover of books, Carlos couldn't help but show off his local bookstore, Half Off Books.
I couldn't help but grab a book by a local author once I saw this display. The store reminded me a lot of the lower section of Elliot Bay Books back in Seattle, before the store moved from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill. I could probably have spent the rest of my day here, but W. Hollywood was calling me back.
Visiting the towns outside of L.A. gives one a better feel of California culture than staying in the center of the city. There are a lot of charming places a short drive away from the tourist destinations.
