Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 6

Big Blue Bus Trip to Santa Monica

     For my blog post this week I decided to take a bus trip to Santa Monica with my best friend who also attends UCLA. When I first told my parents about having to take a bus ride for this course, they were very opposed to the idea and wanted me to find an alternate way to complete this assignment. In the city that I grew up in, cars are used majority of the time and buses are rarely used. I knew that the best way to break my "sheltered, suburb girl" shell would be to take a bus ride. I decided not to tell my parents about the ride because they would worry about my safety and I did not want them to worry unnecessarily.

Here is a photo of me on the bus.

     I cannot help but say this but before I boarded the bus, I took off all my expensive jewelry that I was wearing and I put it safely in my bag. This was my friend's second bus ride, so she told me to not draw too much attention to myself with my jewelry. We took the Big Blue Bus, Route 1 and started our journey at the corner of Westwood Blvd and Ohio. When I initially boarded the bus I was reminded of the New York public transportation system that I used when I visited the city eight months ago. We used our Bruincard's and spent a total of $1 for our journey to Santa Monica and back. When we first boarded the bus there were only three other people on the bus which also looked like UCLA students. We drove down Santa Monica Blvd the entire journey and made many stops for passengers along the way. Right before our first stop, I saw many people running towards the bus stop. At the Sepulveda and Santa Monica bus stop, eight people boarded the bus including three homeless men with many tattoos. The two African American homeless men boarded the bus peacefully; however the White man ran onto the bus yelling "The terrorists are trying to kill me, they are running after me.

     A mother and young child also boarded the bus and the mother looked very out of it and kept pointing and telling us how she went to school across the street. At this point, my friend and I are nervous because the homeless men come and sit right behind us and we can hear their conversation the entire time. Once we pass the 405 freeway, the area becomes very commercial and there are many random little shops everywhere. At almost every corner I noticed a Dollar Loan Center and many fast food restaurants. There is no landscaping anywhere and I did not notice any trees throughout my journey. At one of the stops a woman who looked like a waitress boarded the bus and one of the homeless men knew her and went and sat next to her. They both started a conversation and discussed how it had been ages since they had last seen each other.

     Once we approach the Santa Monica and Bundy bus stop the people entering the bus are well to do. This area looks much neater and we begin to approach a "Welcome to Santa Monica" sign. Beyond the sign I saw along the road lots of palm trees and many nice car dealerships.

Here is an example of the landscaping once we passed the "Welcome to Santa Monica" sign.

     The types of car dealerships that I saw were: Lexus, Acura, Land Rover, Volkswagon, Chevy, Volvo, Lexus and Toyota. Before the next bus stop which was next to a CVS, one of the homeless men refers to the other as "Dr. Seuss" and asks if they can get off at the next stop. The three homeless men exit the bus and everyone seemed to be a little relieved. There was a bus stop at the St. Johns Medical Center and many people exited the bus at this stop. Along with many of the other passengers, we exited the bus at 6th and Santa Monica and the area became very commercial. 

     On the way back we boarded the bus from Lincoln and Santa Monica. There were lots of people waiting for the bus and many people already on the bus. Many of the people who were on the bus kept to themselves. One woman was reading, one student was on her phone and many of the passengers were listening to their ipods.

Here is a photo of where I boarded the bus back to UCLA. 

Here is a photo of the inside of the bus.

     At our first stop on 14th street, I noticed the gas prices were at $4.15 and a few traffic lights down the gas prices became $4.29, then four traffic lights later the gas prices went down to $4.09. The gas prices fluctuated with the different areas that we passed. As the bus journey began, I noticed little to no landscaping on both sides of Santa Monica Blvd. 

     Once we passed by the St. Johns Medical Center I noticed more medical buildings across the street. I noticed a medical plaza, pharmacy and many pediatric offices. I noticed bilboards for the Getty Villa- Pompeii Exhibit, LA Phil, Windows and a television show called Crossfire Hurricane. At this point my friend and I notice that we are the only Middle Eastern and South Asian people on the bus. Before Brockton Street, I noticed a small park along the corner of the road. This park consisted of many benches with homeless people sleeping on majority of the benches. We passed by over six jewelry exchange companies within a one mile stretch. I noticed that the surface of the road was very bumpy throughout our journey. I'm assuming that the buildings we passed were probably built in the 1970's or 1980's so they were not very old. As we passed the 405, there were many people in suits walking along the sidewalk and also boarding the bus. I noticed one woman in particular boarded the bus and asked for the bus driver to help her count her change. Before I knew it, the journey ended back at the corner of Ohio and Westwood and my first bus trip came to an end. 

Here is a photo of me once the bus ride ended. 

     This journey was by far the most interesting journey I have ever been on. Even though this journey was short, sweet and simple I learned a lot about Santa Monica Blvd within a span of 20 minutes. My experience on the bus ride reminded me of the reading by Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton. In the textbook section titled, The Continuing Causes of Segregation, they compile a list of causes for poverty in African Americans. They discuss that poverty is not just about being from the African American race but now it is about a multiple list of factors. They discuss how the poor economy, family problems and poor education are all factors of black poverty in America. When I was on the bus with the two African American homeless men, they were talking about being laid off and being unable to find work. They were not just homeless because they were black, they were homeless because of the economy and possibly poor education. From my perspective, these men came from a low socioeconomic status and came from difficult backgrounds. It broke my heart to hear these men talk about their problems with homelessness and I hope they are able to find work in the future.

     This journey was unforgettable and I am really glad I followed my heart and went on the journey without telling my parents. If I drove a car down Santa Monica Blvd, I would have never had the same experience. In a car, I would be with my friend and I would be in a closed environment and we would not have been exposed to the different types of people who use public transportation. This class has required me to break out of my shell in countless ways and I will always remember this as my first bus ride.