NATURAL PERSPECTIVES -- VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY

Vic and I support mass transit in concept, but like most Southern

Californians, we are wedded to our cars. I like being able to control

where and when I go. Consequently, I’ve neglected to avail myself of the

Los Angeles’ Metro Lines.

There’s another reason I haven’t used them. I knew nothing about the

Metro Lines -- where they go, how they work, how much they cost, where to

start -- nothing.

Then I saw an outing listed in the Sierra Club bulletin that I

couldn’t resist -- a field trip into L.A. on the Metro Line. I thought

the trip would be a wonderful introduction to the world of underground

mass transit in L.A. I was right. I had such a thoroughly delightful time

that I can hardly wait to go again.

The group met in Long Beach at the station at Willow Street and Long

Beach Boulevard. I was pleasantly surprised to find that parking was free

and in a clean multistory parking structure. I caught up with the Sierra

Club group as they waited at the open-air station by the tracks. Senior

fares from the self-serve vending machines were only 55 cents, with

regular fares costing $1.60 each way. Since the trains run every 10

minutes, we didn’t have long to wait.

The first portion of our trip was above ground. The Blue Line took us

into the heart of Los Angeles, past endless loops of concertina wire and

houses with barred windows. There was graffiti everywhere. At the 103rd

Street/Kenneth Hahn Station, we had a good view of the Watts Towers, a

collection of tile and shell encrusted spires that were constructed by an

Italian immigrant in the 1930s.

These incredible works of art are the world’s tallest unreinforced

concrete structures. We also passed by the Staples Center. The Blue Line

gets passengers closer to the gate than the parking lot does and avoids

parking costs and traffic hassle.

We disembarked at Metro Center, the end of the Blue Line, and

transferred to the Red Line. From there we got off at Union Station, a

magnificent train station built in 1939. I gawked like a country rube at

the 52-foot ceilings and colorful inlaid marble floors. The recently

restored Union Station is one of the last of the fine old railroad

stations in the country still in operation. But there was no time to

linger.

We headed to Olvera Street, a block away, for a historic tour of the

Avila Adobe and old fire station. After that we had lunch. Most of the

group went around the block to Phillipe’s, where the French dip sandwich

was invented in the 1930s, but I joined a delightful woman I met on the

train for lunch at La Golondrina, a fine Mexican restaurant on Olvera

Street.

At this point, I was overwhelmed by sights, but we had only just

begun.

We took the Red Line to Hollywood and Vine station, where we had fun

finding all the movie stars at the ends of beams, a ceiling decorated

with old movie reels and two old movie cameras flashing laser lights at

us as we climbed the steps to street level.

The Pantages Theater was right across the street. The Lingerie Museum

was down the block near the original Fredericks of Hollywood. Gee, too

bad there was no time to visit.

We re-boarded the train for Universal City. All the underground

stations had different decor, some spectacular, some utilitarian. Since

we could get on and off at will on one ticket, we checked out the art at

some of the other stations as well. (To learn more about the Metro art

work, call (213) 922-4ART.)

At this point, we were ready to head for home so we used the ticket

dispensers for return trip tickets. Surprisingly, no one checked our

tickets. It’s all honor system. Veteran Metro Line travelers said that a

police officer goes through the cars occasionally, and if you don’t have

a valid ticket in your possession, the fine is $250. Soon the cars were

packed with rush hour commuters, but by boarding the Blue Line at Metro

Station, we got good seats.

This quick tour only whetted my appetite. I checked out the

Metropolitan Transit Authority Web site at o7 https://www.mta.netf7 and

downloaded information on the many other attractions along the route. I

also learned about some of the thousands of fossils and historic

artifacts that were found during construction of the underground tunnels.

Give the Metro Lines a try and see LA without the hassle of freeway

traffic and downtown parking. You’ll be doing your bit to reduce air

pollution too.

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at o7 vicleipzig@aol.comf7 .