I totally miss doing this...

[yuiyoshida]

There was a time in my life, when I was a Southern California girl, having lived in Huntington Beach and Santa Barbara a few good years. When I was going to my first years in college, We would take off on a Friday and drive at night in Los Angeles on the Freeways, going to where ever we chose.

We were much younger, and gas was cheaper, and we just felt free just cruising and listening to some great Los Angeles Music stations. Driving and exploring Los Angeles, driving to Long Beach, cruising to the San Fernando Valley, seeing Disneyland at night in Orange County which was so closes by.

Going to various beaches and driving though the low heavy fog. Sitting out for hours at the Huntington Beach Pier and having a hot Vegetarian Soup and crust of excellent french bread with a slab of real butter. Drinking a Dr. Pepper while digging into an amazing shrimp salad.

There were poor times, as a student...Spending Xmas with friends in the dorm and going out to the local mom and pop stores, to buy a tub of cottage cheese, and enhancing it with onions, Spinach leaves, croutons, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil.

I was into 1970s music back then. It was a thing, with us. Music from the 60s, 70s and 80s on the radio. I was pretty wide eyed back then, in a huge city that was spread out like a big dinner table and we were always hungry for a boredom killer. We even drove out to an Orange county Radio station that we all listened to, just to watch the Disk Jockey spin some our music and got to waved at him from the window outside.

I mean you can imagine a bunch of Asian girls, hanging together with Los Angeles as our entire world and it was a huge world then. There were no worries about politics, or news at all. We would stay out till 2am and have a blast singing the songs on the radio as we drove though Compton, or to Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica Pier, North Hollywood, Beverly Hills, driving by the Staple Center where the Lakers and LA Kings played , Going to Topanga State Park, it was an entirely different world at night. That magnificent view of Los Angeles from that high spot at Griffith Park right by the observatory.

I wasn't very political back then until someone got me to attend a democratic fund raiser for Howard Dean. I never thought I would ever do such a thing, but the times were a'changing and stuff started to impact on all of us directly.

I miss those friends, and I miss that little white sporty car we all crammed into. Lee Zhang, was our driver. She would always make us all chip in for gas, or buy her dinner for taking us around. She grew up in Los Angeles and knew it so very well, and I having grown up in Northern California never really knew what life in the big City of Los Angeles meant, until we took on the Freeways and just cruised for the fun of it, mostly on Friday nights. (The other girls didn't drive, but were well off and could afford the trips to the mall to check out the latest purses, dresses or shoes!) I wasn't a big fan of spending money. But I must admit, I didn't mind chipping in for gas, just to get out and see all of this.

The video above was not taken by me but it sure reminded me of those days and the only thing missing is the sound of six crazy Asian girls laughing and joking and keeping our over worked spirits up and to take our minds off the problems of the day.

There was real freedom in doing this and yeah, we were always tired and ready for bed when we got back. The car was a real work horse, and its amazing how many miles we must have put on it from that event alone. Sometimes it was random, "OH! Lets go here..I heard about this place and we should go see it!" Not all of our friends were from California. One girl was from Malaysia and had never been to a place like Los Angeles before. For me San Francisco was always so small and easy to navigate but having come down on a bus, I would have been totally lost without Lee navigating the way, telling us to watch out for streets and freeway exit turns!

But sitting in a booth a Denny's at midnight having a fresh brew and that oh so yummy Apple Pie ala mode was a real treat. It was definitely comfort food and a nice reward to Lee for driving us all over LA and back.

I miss my friends. I regret not having stayed in touch with them, but that's how life goes sometimes. You move on.. you adjust, and you cherish the things that you experienced the most. (Like the time we went up to Griffiths park to see the Comet Halle-bopp from a grander view over the City of Los Angeles.)

I will never forget those days as Long as I live, and it will probably end up being the highlight of my life... some day.

[mobeau69]

1. Halle-Bopp was so cool. Looking up at it became a nightly ritual.

I felt like I had lost a friend when it eventually disappeared. I wonder what the earth will be like when it makes a return visit in 4380.

[yuiyoshida]

2. People always said you got to get away from the light pollution

Go to the mountains, but we went to the Griffith Park observatory and saw it from our car without the use of a telescope and it did hang over Los Angeles like the Angel the city was named after. The most spectacular thing I had ever seen in my life.

[mobeau69]

3. LOL. All we had to do was walk out to the backyard.

[CanSocDem]

4. Nice essay...

...and video! As a wide-eyed Canadian, I too was deeply moved by the energy of Los Angeles. Even after moving on and becoming a produce hauler, I could still get the rush, leaving the truckstop complex at I-10 and I-15 at 3am, and making a bee-line to some warehouse in downtown LA while the freeway was as empty as your video. It didn't stay long like that.


.

[DarthDem]

5. Fantastic Essay

I used to do this as well; just get in the car in the wee hours and drive for no other reason than to see and feel the city. The empty freeways really surprised you with their speed and efficiency and gave a sense of Los Angeles as sprawling but well-engineered.

"One of These Nights" by the Eagles is an excellent tune for this sort of mood and driving

I hope you reconnect with those friends.

[yuiyoshida]

6. I have a lot of special songs from that time...

Tiny Dancer from Elton John, while eating that hot soup and looking out over the Pacific Ocean from a tiny shack of restaurant on the pier... oh and this song...
while watching Halle-bopp!

[Freedomofspeech]

7. I was in college during the sixties...

Totally different experience at a state college in PA but good times. I think we are all looking back right now because of the sadness and fear we are all feeling right now.

[yuiyoshida]

8. Maybe that's it...

simpler times, less crap, and no real threats to our way of life.

[Freedomofspeech]

9. Absolutely...

I barely want to leave my house now because it is the only place that I feel that I have any control. Living in a red state is no fun but we are blessed with many good liberal friends.

[yuiyoshida]

10. thats good. I only have

Juju to hang with these days, on line.

[masmdu]

11. I like your spirit :)

[chia]

12. SoCal native... and this captures the thread that runs through my life...

The freeways are the way to anywhere and nowhere.

Thanks for posting.