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Long Beach is one of the most unique cities in Los Angeles County. It is blessed with both a downtown metro area, sandy beaches, and sprawling suburbs. It feels like it is in L.A. but sometimes it doesn’t feel like you’re even close to downtown Los Angeles. This photo was taken at the 72nd street jetty near Alamitos Bay after one of my morning jogging sessions. It shows how the Long Beach harbor spans almost the entire length of Long Beach. There is a busy port and many different types of buildings dotting the coastline. Long Beach is a very ethnically diverse city, there are many different cultural groups that help to make Long Beach into the wonderful city it is. The weather in Long Beach (as the photo depicts) is very pleasant with the occasional rainstorm being extremely rare to see. While some places around the country deal with very harsh winters throughout the year Long Beach will often have people walking on the beach on Christmas morning. I have lived in this city my entire life and have not yet had to experience a harsh winter or not having the option to go to the beach. Cal State Long Beach is the main university to represent the city starting in 1949 as a small college to one of the best ranked universities in the state. I just like many of my colleagues appreciate and love living in the great city of Long Beach. This class has helped me learn about all of the different parts of L.A. County and Long Beach. There is a rich history that often gets overlooked with all the daily hustle and bustle.

Not long ago I was extended an opportunity to play on the Staples Center court before the game began. The Staples Center is located in downtown Los Angeles near the convention center and Pershing square. I won tickets to shoot hoops on the court for about one hour before the Laker squad started to warm up. Some of the best basketball players of all time got their start with the Lakers and got their start in the Staples Center. Some prime examples include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neil, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson. The court is a lot smaller than it seems on television, and my basketball skills are average so it was difficult to make a three pointer. However I did get to slam dunk on the hoop, so it felt special to dunk where the legends have dunked before. As I was playing there was many people who have to prep before a huge home game like that. There were entire camera crews that were putting up all the different lights and sound systems. There are cameras set up behind the basketball hoop to catch all the professional slam dunk action. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am sure will not be extended again anytime soon. If you can purchase tickets in advance Lakers tickets can be as cheap as forty dollars. I highly recommend that you go to the Staples Center to see an event or just hang out in the L.A. Live area. Parking can be difficult but the blue line runs very close to Staples Center LA live area.

This last weekend I attended the 41rst annual Long Beach Grand Prix in Downtown Long Beach.This racing event is noted by most car enthusiasts to be one of the best racetracks in the United States. My friends and I are fans of the Formula 1 super car races that involve heavily modified vehicles that can reach incredibly fast speeds. In addition to the Formula 1 racing, they also had a drifting event in which cars go around very sharp turns at fast speeds while sliding around the road. For the first event in the race, the Formula 1 cars would do as many laps as they could around the track in one hundred minutes. These cars are aerodynamic and intended to reach top speeds of over 200 miles per hour. The race was moving at high-octane speeds with different cars passing one another trying to get ahead and win that huge cash prize. I had never been to a large-scale race like this before but it was very exciting and you could feel the floor shake all around you as these speed demon cars sped around the track. Later on after the Formula 1 the drifting event took place which drew a much younger crowd to watch it. One of my best friends races these types of vehicles and even in sponsored to do drifting at amateur events. He was able to explain all of the different rules and types of vehicles you need for an event like that. The drifting even was very exciting as huge clouds of smoke came off the track as the cars drifted by. In reference to our class, I felt like this racing event is an important way to draw people into the downtown area! For these races if you can get a substantial discount if you are a CSULB student. This was by far the best way to spend a Saturday!

#Formula1

The CSULB recreation and Wellness center is by far one of the best features at our school. It is always very cold on hot days, and there is even a Robeks juice inside. It is a new building that many people frequent on a daily basis, myself included. The workout machines are all relatively new and there is a variety of activities like yoga, basketball, and even racquetball to participate in. The way the building was designed is very unique to that southern California architecture. As we discussed in class during the mid- fifties to the mid- sixties there was a movement in architecture and design called mid -century modern. One of the key components of a true mid century modern structure is a lot of very tall windows that let in all of that California sun. As I walked around the building more I noticed that the way the lights hung in the foyer would also be indicative of this particular style. This style is very good at employing that space age, house of the tomorrow style. The designers really wanted to take the idea of a building and turn it into some much more than just a building. For the first two years I went to this gym I had no idea what type of architecture this was. It is clear that the builders took a lot of hints and ideas from classic buildings in the Los Angeles area. The building is also very 2015 so it is able to mesh the best of both worlds together. I highly recommend that you take advantage of this super fun campus activity. I mean it is free for students!

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On Friday April 3rd, 2015 I went and saw the movie Furious 7. The Fast and The Furious franchise is based in Los Angeles. The main characters Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Connor live in Los Angeles which I thought was something that I could talk about since it is a literary representation of this great city. Furious 7 was supposed to come out last year but a fatal car accident involving Paul Walker who plays Brian O'Connor delayed the film. Paul Walker’s two brothers filled in for the late actor in the movie because they had already filmed half of it. This franchise is primarily about driving fast cars in street races in the city of Los Angeles. The last few films however have drifted away from this idea and the group has started to take on big heists and stop bad guys in different countries all over the world. This last movie that was made was for the late Paul Walker. It was a very moving tribute to say the least. The last movie was brought back home to Los Angeles where the group had to stop a military man from killing them after the group killed his brother in the sixth film. It was hard to watch the film knowing that Paul Walker was not able to finish the movie. I was really curious though on what would happen to Paul Walker in the movie and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised on how they chose to edge him out of the film. Like I said earlier, Paul Walker was not able to complete the movie so his brothers stood in and completed it for him. They used the brothers bodies and used CGI to put Paul Walker’s face on the brother’s bodies. The ending was my favorite part. That is why I put this song on my blog. It was played at the very end in memoriam to Paul Walker. The lyrics are great and very moving and is one of my favorite songs now. It has a good message like “How can we not talk about family when family is all we got.” Paul Walker and Vin Diesel were like brothers so the ending really got to me. I will be perfectly honest, the last fifteen minutes of the movie had me crying my eyes out. Rest in Peace Paul Walker. Until we “See You Again.”

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This song made me cry so much but I bought this song right after I saw the movie and have been listening to it every night. I loved the way they memorialized Paul Walker. Throughout the film they made so many references to the beginning of the series and they spent so much of the movie talking about how they didn’t want to go to another funeral, I was scared it was some strange foreshadowing. I spent most of the movie just waiting for them to kill him off. I was so relieved when I saw the ending. As cheesy as some of these movies can be, that ending was really beautiful. Plus there are some pretty sweet shots of Downtown LA around the climax of the movie.

willmetscherlastory-blog

This song was by far the best in the already amazing Fast & Furious music soundtrack! This movie was really inspiring and really showed some cool scenes with LA and Abu Dhabi! All in all definitely a five star film!

The Baker Thermometer is considered to be the largest functional thermometer in the world! This small California town is located directly next to Interstate 15 on the way to Las Vegas. This is a well known landmark that puts the town of Baker on the map. Other than the thermometer the small town is known for winning lotto tickets and the best Greek food for a country mile. During the summer it can get extremely hot in baker so the thermometer can come in handy, if someone is wondering just how hot it is outside? Why would someone build such an iconic figure? This thermometer was built to commemorate the record temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley. For a time due to the poor economy the thermometer was not functional due to the high monthly power expenses. I have seen this thermometer my whole life driving to Vegas, and has been a key landmark telling me that we really aren't that far from Las Vegas. These small towns aren't known for a whole lot, but a simple landmark can really change the way a person looks at a town! The thermometer weighs a whopping seventy six thousand pounds, to effectively combat the high winds and dust storms that frequent the area. When you walk into the towns general store you notice that there is a lot of town pride when it comes to their thermometer. Postcards, T-shirts, and coffee mugs are some curios to name a few. Besides the enormous thermometer a lot of motorcycle clubs roll through Baker on their way to either Las Vegas or Laughlin. It is interesting how transportation can take a small town that no one cares about and make it a busy economic center. The creation of Interstate 15 really has added life to a barren desert both metaphorically and physically! If your on the way to Las Vegas stop off at Baker, California for some snacks and a lucky lotto ticket!

The city life can be overwhelming and fast paced, and it can be difficult to find a nice spot just to relax. My friends and I have discovered the best place to go and take in an amazing view of the city. It is on the top of Palos Verde and it has a view of the entire L.A. basin. It almost looks like a shimmering city with all of the different colored lights in the basin. Sometimes it can be hard to get perspective of just how large our awesome city is. School can be stressful and my friends and I usually go to the chill spot at least once a week. This particular spot also has a unique view of LAX airport, so it is easy to see all the airplanes begin their landing descent. It is really crazy how many planes land there day in and day out. Whenever we go there are other people of our same age group usually hanging out there talking about school or life. From this area the ocean over by Redondo Beach can be easily seen, it really is amazing how close metro L.A. is to the ocean. It is not that far of a drive, only about twenty minutes from CSULB. Sometimes we get a map of Los Angeles and try to divide out the city borders, it’s easier said than done. I would have taken a picture but the last time we went there it was overcast and dark, so my phone camera wouldn't stand a chance. I will just post a picture of the same view from google images! I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good spot to hang at!! :)

Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood sign is one of the most famous billboards that the world has ever known. It has been featured in many different films, and is the foremost symbols associated with Hollywood. I recently got to hike the trail with some friends from our class, and had such a blast! As soon as we arrived to the trail we saw many tourists and people taking all sorts of pictures and video. The hiking trail is definitely well traveled and a nice escape into nature from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life. We were able to hike almost to the top to get a panoramic view of Los Angeles! Unfortunately it was a very hot day, and with no cloud cover we started sweat. When you’ve lived in Los Angeles your entire life you forget that under the city there is nature! It was nice to see the natural side of the city and hear the local wildlife. This made the city of Los Angeles feel more natural and less concrete. The natural side of Los Angeles is more of a desert than were led to believe. The local plants are very hearty to withstand all types of shortages of water. When looking at old Los Angeles it was amazing to see how many open fields or parcels of land there was before development. This was a very fun way to spend the day with good friends and get an awe inspiring view of the city scape. I highly recommend this day trip for any L.A. or hiking enthusiast! :)

#lachinatown2015 chinesenewyear

CHINATOWN!!

Place Visited: Los Angeles Chinatown

Date: March 1,2015

This last weekend my family and I went to visit the one and only Los Angeles Chinatown. It had been several years since we had last been there, and since we were in Pasadena for an antiques fair it only seemed fitting to stop there for lunch! Since we went there on a Sunday all the big restaurants were open for dim sum, which is a Cantonese tradition of eating together as a family with small portions for all to sample. Once we were seated we felt as if we had been transported out of Los Angeles, and immersed into a different culture. After filling up on so many different types of dishes, we decided to walk around Hill Street (center of Chinatown) to see what it had to offer. As we walked into the main gates there was a statue of Dr. Sun Yat- sen who was noted for ousting the Qing Dynasty and founding the Republic of China. It was apparent that a large scale festival had happened the night before, for the yearly celebration of Chinese New Year. As we were walking on the promenade and looking at all the shops and sights, I couldn’t help to think about how this was once called China City. My entire life I always thought Chinatown was called the same thing, and in the same spot! Since we have been discussing the history of different neighborhoods around L.A., I smugly told everyone in my family my newfound knowledge. I really found it to be very interesting that it this neighborhood made you feel like you were in south China, but when you looked up you saw the large shiny buildings of downtown L.A.. If anyone wants to go to a faraway land without actually going, I highly recommend Chinatown as the place to do it!

This weekend some friends and I were able to find theaddress of the house that they used in the multiple film installations of The Fast and The Furious. In the movie, this house was the main characters residence and had a very proximate location to metro LA. The (original) film is about a band of underground street racers that roam the streets of Los Angeles with fast/loud cars in search of quick cash and respect. Its movies have featured some well-known actors such as Vin Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and the late Paul Walker. That basic concept has gone on to make six more movie installments, and over $2,000,000,000 in movie sales worldwide! Los Angeles has always had movie making at the forefront of appeal to live in this exciting city, with such a close proximity to Hollywood it only seemed fitting. There was a time when people who lived in southern California could see some movies being filmed locally, the most prominent of those films would be Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart. To find an original movie location like this can be very rare. The film industry has always had a location that the film takes place in, then a majority of time usually film it elsewhere for budget reasons. This small look of a seemingly unimportant house in a southern California neighborhood has had so much impact on filmography and a multibillion dollar franchise. For me personally whenever I watch one of the Fast & Furious movies I will know these blockbuster movies are more local than I thought! If anyone who is a fan of the Fast & Furious movies wants to check it out the address is 722 East Kensington Road. Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Belmont Memorial Pier

Hollywood Blvd!!

L.A. Story: Hollywood

Hollywood has always been the center gem in the crown that we call Los Angeles. My friends and I visited Hollywood boulevard on Saturday 2/7/2015 for an exciting night of clubbing at one of Hollywood’s finest venues. The club that we decided to go to that night was called Ohm nightclub at Hollywood Blvd and Highland Avenue. Since the nightclub wasn’t opening its doors until 10:00 PM, we figured it would be best to take a walk around Hollywood Blvd., one of the biggest tourist traps in southern California. Besides the numerous gift shops and people taking pictures of the sites, the general atmosphere of the boulevard was upbeat and vibrant. There are lots of high end retail stores, classy dining venues, and plenty of fancy cars to go around. As we approached the Chinese theatre on our walk, I really started to wonder about all the history that went into developing this unknown place into the celebrity and art mecca that it is today? I noticed that out of all the places that were well known for having large movie premiers, Hollywood boulevard is where the best movies ever made were debuted to the public eye.

My favorite monument to Hollywood film had to be the large Star Trek plaque that commemorated the cast of the original Star Trek. Trekkies from all over the country will come to that one particular spot to see where the original cast put their hands in the famous tinsel town concrete. It also occurred to me that all the different groups of people moving to Los Angeles during the 19th century helped to form what we know as contemporary Hollywood. All of these different cultural influences helped influence the production of motion pictures to make a wide variety of movies from Casablanca to Jurassic Park. I always enjoy my time in Hollywood because it is very exciting and filled to the brim with historical sites and treasures. I highly recommend Hollywood Boulevard as an excellent Saturday night hangout spot!!

L.A. Story: Freeway

Los Angeles has long been known with glitz, glamour, and the way to fulfil the dreams of stardom. I personally love to drive around our great city and observe all of the many interesting and historically relevant things it has to offer. Yesterday I took a drive to downtown Los Angeles for work, and decided to look more in depth at the city around me. The first thing I noticed is how complex and unique the Los Angeles freeway system is! Unlike most other city’s around the world Los Angeles has very little Metro and public transportation systems. The city was originally built for the automobile driver in mind, and has helped to create a unique driving culture. When I was driving on Interstate 110 North I noticed how I cuts through almost the entire L.A. basin from San Pedro to Downtown L.A. Sometimes when we are driving we can forget what our surroundings are around us and only think about where we are going. As I looked at the surrounding landscape near the freeway and saw the majestic mountains and the deep clear ocean contrast to one another. One site near my work that I drove by was this huge Spanish cathedral that looked to be very old, and well built. When I got home after driving I looked into what the history and name of the cathedral was. It was located near Echo Park and was called the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana. It is located in the hub of downtown and there has been a cathedral there since 1876. Today it has been named as a very important historical landmark. It clearly has that Spanish influence that is so very prominent in the Los Angeles Area. It’s amazing what one can find when you look around you with your eyes open in our great city!!

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