Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 5

I enjoy riding the bus around Los Angeles very much.

This is perhaps because I dislike driving in Los Angeles just as much. Riding on the bus allows me the freedom to let my eyes wander. I like to observe the streets I pass. In Los Angeles, every street can offer an exciting new perspective of the city. It's interesting to observe the transitions in demographics and store fronts as you move from one block to the next.

I rode the big blue bus with my friend to go thrifting in Santa Monica.We did our research beforehand and settled on this small boutique thrift store called "Cherry Picked." To get there we took two different buses. We first rode on the 8 down Westwood Blvd. We passed by a slew of commercial business that ranged from Persian cuisine, Thai massages, an Italian cafe, big chain stores, and other stores that composed an eclectic assortment.

Westwood Blvd serves to counter Robert Park's claim that the city is a "mosaic of little social worlds which touch but do not interpenetrate." Riding down Westwood blvd from UCLA to Westside Pavillion, one can see how these worlds not only touch but intertwine. I see individuals walk out from the Thai cafe and head over to get Saffron and Rose Ice cream at the Persian ice cream parlor next door. The Japanese workers at the ramen shop I frequent visit on blvd tell me that they love to get macaroons at the Paris Bakery a couple of blocks down. Together, these businesses have built a community of differences appealing to the diverse student base that surrounds the area. There seems to something there for everyone.