051303

 

Ontario to Los Angeles, Ca

Tuesday May 13, 2003

     7:21am  Okay, today is Tuesday the 13th. I am in California! I just realized I had my little tape recorder. Up until now, I have been writing everything down in my pocket-calendar, but I can just record it now. I'm in California again. I'm sitting here with(What was your name, brother?) Johnny. I'm sitting here at the truckstop that's across the street from the truckstop I was at last night. They're both TA's. The other side is mainly for trucks, but at this one there are lots of tourists too. They have a big arcade at this one and everything. Oh yeah, Johnny's trying to hitch a ride, too.

                   Let's see what happens. Cool, I got my tape recorder back. Right now I'm inside asking people for rides and I look outside the window. I see some dude handing Johnny like three beers. Badass, he's getting kicked-down.

     7:50am  I just had a conversation with this lady. She asked, "Hey, what are you guys doing out here?" I told her both Johnny and I were looking to get a ride North. I asked her if she was going north and she said she didn't know yet, but as soon as she got word that she was going north we were welcome to hitch a ride. So maybe, I don't know. We'll keep asking though. I told her my ideas and she's cool. Oh yeah. That lady's name is Shane.

     8:05am  I got tired of asking at the truckstop so I'm sitting here waiting for the bus. 70 or 71. Ontario/Rancho Cucamonga. I'm going to ride it do Downtown LA. Let's see if I can get a courtesy-ride, hehe.

     8:19am  I actually had a whole dollar. I'm on the 70. We are passing this big mall on Milliken Avenue. We are going through the mall here. Hmm, maybe I should have walked that mall just for recognition. I hate malls. Oh yeah, this is Ontario Mills Mall.

                   Okay, I got off over on Haven and Foothill. Man, this sucks. I used my last dollar and they don't give transfers on these buses. Now I have to rely on my courtesy ride technique. Let's see if that works. Damn, they have cameras right next to the drivers on the bus. I'm sure the drivers will try and use that as an excuse to not hook me up.

     8:50am  I just passed the San Antonio Community Hospital. That's weird. I'm from San Antonio. I hope that's not a bad sign, hehe.

                   Forty four miles to LA. I'm at the corner of Foothills Blvd and Mountain Ave. There's a gas station on the corner. Let me tell you the prices. Regular Unleaded - $1.82/gallon, Plus - $1.92, and Premium - $2.02.

     9:15am  I'm at Clair Transit Center(or something). I'm going to try and bum a cigarette off of somebody.

     9:25am  I'm standing at Claremont Transit Center and the 480 pulled up. Her sign said not in service, but the driver told us there was a bus due at nine thirty. I just struck up a conversation with this Mexican dude here. I told him, "Hey, just in case I don't get a courtesy ride on the bus, can you spare a dollar?" He smiled and hooked me up. Cool.

     9:31am  I'm on the 480 and Alma was nice enough to give me a courtesy ride. That's very generous of you Alma, thank you.

     11:37am  It's been a long ass bus ride but we are finally in Downtown LA. This city is awesome during the day. I hadn't been to it in the daytime.

     11:41am  I just bummed a cigarette off this Asian guy. He was all hesitant to hook me up at first, but in the end he did. So he's cool.

                    Wow, downtown LA is badass. It's like playing a video game like Grand Theft Auto. It's awesome. What a metropolis.

     11:52am  I'm walking down 5th Street in downtown LA. I'm looking for the Greyhound station. I was told it was like nine blocks away, so I'll just keep walking.

                     Okay, now I'm walking down 6th Street. Over by Broadway.

     12:50pm  Okay, I'm at the Greyhound station now. I just went in the bathroom and changed into my shorts and T-shirt. It's hot. I'm going to stand out here and see who I can talk to.

     1:22pm  I'm out here in front of the bus station. I'm going to see how long it will take me to round up forty two dollars for my ticket to San Francisco, like last year.

                  Whoa, that was cool. This dude I had talked to earlier called out, "Moses!" from afar. He was standing next to a car that pulled up. I walked over and he introduced me to the dude in the car. The guy asks me if I have a pipe and I show him my little one-hitter bat. He tells me to sit in his car and he'll smoke me out. Badass. He had some good ass KB. He smoked me out real good. I told him about my ideas and shit. When he was done smoking me out I was able to tell my ideas to these other people. They gave me two dollars and I gave them my email address.

     1:40am  I'm out here talking with Kenny. Having a lovely conversation. Right in front of the big "Welcome to Los Angeles" sign at the Greyhound.

     1:48am  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. This dude sold me a bus pass for two dollars a minute ago. I have a bus pass now. I can ride the bus instead of walk. Shweet. I have to get to Berkeley. It's so cool those cool kids gave me two dollars earlier. They mobilized me. Now, I was going to just sit in front of the station here and bum up forty two dollars, but now I have a bus pass. I'm going to ride the bus as far North as I can and just start walking. Someone should pick me up. I'm going to go traveling, hehe.

                   Okay, I walked off to go catch a bus. Right now I'm at 7th and Mateo. I crossed the street all fucked up. I almost got hit by a car. Gee, haven't learned my lesson yet, hehe.

                   Okay, I'm on the 60 bus. My bus pass works. But, we are heading East. I need to go North, remember. Let me ask the bus driver, hold on. I pulled out my tape recorder in front of the bus driver and he goes, "What is that?" I told him I just wanted directions. He said, "I don't talk to no tape recorders."

     2:15pm  I just got off the bus. He dropped me off in front of the subway. I have a dollar and some change since that guy hooked me up with a free bus ride. The driver told me I had to catch the red train to the Valley(I think that's what he said). I'm going to go North, hehe.

     2:31pm  Okay, I'm on the train on the way to North Hollywood. Let's see what happens.

     2:53pm  I just got off the train in North Hollywood, CA. This guy I was riding the escalator with asked me where I was walking to and started talking to me. We had a great conversation and I asked him where the highway was. I told him in case I couldn't get a courtesy ride, if he could spare a dollar. He hooked me up! Badass.

                   I'm getting directions from some people. They told me to go Topanga Canyon to 118 westbound to Ventura. That's where I would get on 101, the hippie highway.

     3:13pm  I just talked to this driver. I have the choice of two highways. 101 or 5. He told me it was about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to either one. I'll listen to my CD player. That'll kill some time.

     3:25pm  I'm out here chilling at a bus stop waiting for the 152. Oh yeah, I'm in Sun Valley.

     3:47pm  I've changed my mind. I remembered someone telling me about a Traveler's Aid place in LA. And, I forgot to talk to them before I left. So, I'm going back to LA. I'm over here by Interstate 5. I changed my mind about going to 101 because it's pretty far. I walked down the street and the sign at the bus stop said Downtown LA. Two routes run by here going to LA. At least I know of a place to crash in LA, the drop-in. I need to go talk to the Traveler's Aid place.

                   Okay, the bus finally came and I'm on it. I forgot which bus it is. I'm just going to crash out. See, since I rode the train to North Hollywood, it's probably going to be a really long bus trip back. I'll wait.

     6:10pm  I haven't been recording much in the last couple hours. I got really tired. I almost fell asleep on the bus a couple times. When it looked like I was back in downtown LA. I got off and started asking where the drop-in was. I finally found it. I ate some of my Muscle Blast 2000 shit. I'm hungry.

     8:20pm  I walked back to the Greyhound station. I'm talking to this sweet innocent girl. What's your name? Rhonda Clark. She hooked me up. See, I came back here to try and bum some dollars for a ticket to Berkeley and she hooked me up. To the victor go the spoils.

     8:43pm  I asked these three kids if they could spare a dollar for my ticket to SF. They told me no, but gave me a bus ticket good to Albuquerque, NM. It's worth a hundred and forty dollars and they told me to go inside and see if they would let me swap it for a forty two dollar ticket to SF. I asked the dudes if they could watch my rucksack while I went inside and asked. I ended up having to wait in line for a long time and they told me they weren't able to change destinations on tickets that were already paid for.

Next day..