It was early, around 2:30 in the afternoon when I'd decided I had to get going. My wife needed a ride and I knew the situation on the roads would be treacherous. Today was a day unlike most others in Southern California and I had to be on my best guard. It was raining.
From the moment I set foot outside my door, not surprisingly, the mood was different. There were sirens wailing off in the short distance which was not something you hear that often. Yes, there are emergencies in the San Fernando Valley but there were crossing sirens; sirens every which way; indicating multiple emergencies in a variety of places. In an unrelated, though not all that surprising note, we had lost power (briefly) and had not had hot water all day. When my wife was getting ready in the morning, she noticed it; I joked that it must be because of the weather. However when our landlord got back to me and confirmed my joke as in fact, true, the irony was not lost on me.
It seems everything changes with the weather in Southern California. Sherman Oaks, where my wife and I live, is in Los Angeles county and what even I didn't understand about Southern California when I moved here was that the neighborhoods all sort of mesh together. There is a spot around Griffith Park where "Los Angeles" turns to Glendale, Burbank, and West Hollywood; all in different directions. That said, in Los Angeles the neighborhoods all do a great job of flowing together, blurring the lines between what you think you know and what actually is.
It was the same for this angry rain which fell from the sky. In a way, this was really little more than just drizzle in most spots, with the occasional heavy spurts. For someone like me who grew up in the hills of CT and New Hampshire, this was relatable; it was a drizzly day in April or May. Rain in Southern California is something different entirely. I'd lived through Hurricanes Gloria, Floyd, and others whose names escape me, so it was a little alarming to hear of all the emergency sirens and see the people behaving all erratically.
From the moment I set foot outside my door, not surprisingly, the mood was different. There were sirens wailing off in the short distance which was not something you hear that often. Yes, there are emergencies in the San Fernando Valley but there were crossing sirens; sirens every which way; indicating multiple emergencies in a variety of places. In an unrelated, though not all that surprising note, we had lost power (briefly) and had not had hot water all day. When my wife was getting ready in the morning, she noticed it; I joked that it must be because of the weather. However when our landlord got back to me and confirmed my joke as in fact, true, the irony was not lost on me.
It seems everything changes with the weather in Southern California. Sherman Oaks, where my wife and I live, is in Los Angeles county and what even I didn't understand about Southern California when I moved here was that the neighborhoods all sort of mesh together. There is a spot around Griffith Park where "Los Angeles" turns to Glendale, Burbank, and West Hollywood; all in different directions. That said, in Los Angeles the neighborhoods all do a great job of flowing together, blurring the lines between what you think you know and what actually is.
It was the same for this angry rain which fell from the sky. In a way, this was really little more than just drizzle in most spots, with the occasional heavy spurts. For someone like me who grew up in the hills of CT and New Hampshire, this was relatable; it was a drizzly day in April or May. Rain in Southern California is something different entirely. I'd lived through Hurricanes Gloria, Floyd, and others whose names escape me, so it was a little alarming to hear of all the emergency sirens and see the people behaving all erratically.
Comments
Thanks Ryan. See my comments below. I should have said "in the direction of..."
Ryan Gierach, editor, WeHo News
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/15/2009
West Hollywood (WeHo) is four full miles from Griffith Park. There is no "spot" around which LA becomes the three municipalities you mention.
West Hollywood is more prominent on the map?
You are a fool, and no journalist.
...and my use of the word "around" made the observation relative.
Noted, demanik. I mispoke. Thanks for that. But West Hollywood is just south and west of Griffith Park. Granted Hollwyood is before that, but West Hollywood is just south of Runyon Canyon, the Hollywood Hills, and the 101 and is more prominent on a map.
demanik
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/14/2009
You said, "There is a spot around Griffith Park where "Los Angeles" turns to Glendale, Burbank, and West Hollywood; all in different directions. That said, in Los Angeles the neighborhoods all do a great job of flowing together, blurring the lines between what you think you know and what actually is." You are very blurred: the city of West Hollywood is not near Griffith Park. Maybe you meant Hollywood?
YES! You would not believe it Jeff! It was like the President had been shot or something! They had live reporters everywhere! I don't usually watch the 10 o clock news but I hadn't changed the channel and me and the wife could not believe it! She finally made me change the channel! It was nuts!
Welcome to LA, eh? I lived around there for years, and always found the way weather is treated as amusing...if it's still like it was, I'm sure there was almost wall-to-wall coverage on the local news..
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