The LA Metro

So, today I decided to go down and get my permits so that I can start performing in the next few days. L.A. can be a pretty lonely place when you have nothing to do all day, and I'd really like to get going on the busking.

So with that in mind, I got some help from Stevie to route my metro trip to take me to Santa Monica City Hall, the magical building where all the street performers are given little pieces of paper that allow them not to perform without fear of being accosted by the local blue people.

Well, I make it all the way to Downtown LA sans problem. It takes about a half hour to make it to the station, and my instructions say to get on Santa Monica 10. What the instructions fail to tell me is if this is a train, bus, taxi, or some sort of hot air balloon that will take me away to my desired destination. Turns out, it's a bus, but the designation for the bus is not "Santa Monica 10". No, that would be too easy. Turns out the designation for the bus is "BBB10" and the map outside the 7th Street Station tells me it stops at stops 22, 23, 24 and 29.

Well, stops 22, 23, and 24 are unfindable (it's a word...now) on this map, so I head down to stop 29. Well There isn't a stop 29. I found the stop for "BBB10". In fact I found it just as the "BBB10" was pulling out. Turns out "BBB10" stands for, and I'm not joking, Big Blue Bus 10 to Santa Monica, and the complicated metro map made me spend valuable minutes deciphering it instead of walking the ten minutes to the bus stop

So in my naivete, I assume that another bus will be along shortly. Well I wait for a full hour, and during that time I think "Well, they have to have two buses. It's an hour trip each way, so about 12:20 the other bus will be here."

During this wait, I watched an armored car pull out of what I can only assume to  be a bank across the street, and another armored car pull in. Turns out that if you stand in one spot, across from a secured bank entrance for an hour, the cops armed with AR-15's start getting twitchy. Luckily, about this time, the "BBB10" shows up.

And drives off. That's right. In Los Angeles, if you are standing under the bus stop sign with the designation of the bus approaching on the sign and make eye contact with the bus driver, he will pull in and out of the stop in less than a second. That's right. I had now waited a full hour and the bus, which was mostly empty, had tapped it's breaks at my stop and then pulled right back into traffic.

Perhaps he didn't see you, you say. Well, considering I was on the curb under the "BBB10" sign looking him in the eye and wearing a bright yellow shirt, I have to disagree. So, defeated, I headed back to the subway station. At least that one stops.

On the way back, there was a Metro employee helping people figure out where they were going. "Of course there is," I muttered as I approached the metro entrance. Then I paused for a moment, not able to believe my eyes. Could it be? The Big Blue Bus 10 to Santa Monica? It was!!! Hurray all was not lost. At least, until I fully read the display on the bus:

"BBB10 Santa Monica, Freeway Express, departure only"

Departure only? Departure only? How can a bus be departure only? Once the doors open, there isn't a field that only lets people through in one direction. So I watched as it passed, and defeated, walked back to the Metro Red Line to North Hollywood and came back to the apartment.

Once back, I remembered that I needed a passport photo to get a permit, so perhaps I wasn't defeated, but merely re-routed to the correct first destination. There's a passport photo place across the street from here.

So it's off to there and then to find fabric for my table top. Tomorrow...MAGIC CASTLE...and another attempt at the metro.

EDIT: spelling