Still Life at a Coffee Shop

After a long, hectic, summer, I scheduled a few days off to recharge and de-stress. I have been enjoying mostly unstructured time since Sunday. I caught up on some chores, finished 2 books, had 2 massages and watched 2 movies. Yesterday I ventured out with my camera to downtown LA. I took the Metro from Pasadena and got off at Little Tokyo. I enjoyed eel-don and tempura udon before heading to Spring Street to finally check out The Last Bookstore. The Last Bookstore quickly became

an iconic location in LA, drawing bibliophiles from all over. I was not disappointed, a combination of whimsical art installations, art boutique and virtually any book you could possibly want, there is something for everyone.

It has been a while since I have wandered downtown. There has always been homeless but the epidemic that LA is experience is upfront. Not a block without a broken soul sitting catatonic, scavenging in trashcans, or laid out. What kept running through my head was, these people were children once. How did hope and dignity flee them? An epic problem with no quick fixes and perhaps for many of them, no fixes, period. What is clear to me, is that we need to invest in our children--giving them the tools and resources to be resilient to any adversities or poor choices that they, their families, or the system may make along the way. Last week, I was called from the back because a customer wanted to talk to me. Of course, I was preparing for the worst, but what I got was a handshake and verbal pat on the back. The customer told me that she was a retired teacher and she wanted to thank me for providing the community with a clean, safe, customer focused environment that was sure to inspire children. She said that she had taught 30 years in the inner city and she was certain that if her kids had had a library like mine, they would have been able to thrive rather than facing the uphill battle that she saw them fight against each and every year. I don't think that libraries THE answer but certainly they are part of the equation. I think that libraries need to be at the table to help craft a comprehensive plan to address these issues.

OK, stepping down from the soap box.

After The Last Bookstore, I headed back up to Broadway and then over to 3rd Street to visit the

Bradbury Building. Architecturally stunning, it is oldest commercial building remaining downtown. Blade Runner fans might recognize the open stairways and cage elevator. I left the Bradbury Building just in time, a tour guide entered with about 20 smart phone holding tourists. I ducked out the front door to re-enter Blue Bottle Coffee on a side door. I was in need of the facilities and was ready for an afternoon coffee. This was my first visit to Blue Bottle. I had first heard of Blue Bottle Coffee when I read Dave Eggers book The Monk of Mokah that we read in my morning book club. Released in 2018, Blue Bottle posted this blog post in January of that year announcing a partnership with Port of Mokha Coffee, only to make news again a few months later when it was named in a racketeering lawsuit against Port of Mokha Coffee. Curious, I selected the affogato as a pick me up after lunch dessert. WOW!!! Not cheap, but worth the it's-my-vacation splurge. My favorite photo of the day is the one at the head of this post. I was at a long table, and a young, attractive, blonde was sitting across from me. She looked lonely and forlorn sitting at her table, looking out the window and not making eye contact with anyone in coffee shop. I wanted to take a photo of her but resisted intruding on her privacy. When she left, I felt that her dishes conveyed the lonely elegance that she exuded.

After Blue Bottle, I returned to Little Tokyo to pick up some cooking chopsticks and make my way back to the Metro. It was a good day overall, despite the heartache I felt walking the streets and wondering about all the LA Stories that remain untold.