MEMORY LANE

THIS PAST WEEKEND I TOOK A SIDE TRIP ON THE WAY TO GRANDMA’S HOUSE BY WAY OF MONTECITO HEIGHTS IN EAST LOS ANGELES. I STOPPED BY A PLACE CALLED MOMS TAMALES ON PASADENA STREET THAT I SAW WHILE WATCHING DINERS DIVES AND DRIVE IN ON THE FOOD NETWORK. THAT MAKES AT LEAST FOUR PLACES I HAVE FOLLOWED GUY IN HIS SEARCH FOR GREAT FOOD AND MY FOOD WAS JUST THAT, GREAT. I ORDERED A HALF DOZEN TAMALES TO GO AND TWO FOR MY SELF THAT I SAT AND ATE ON THEIR OPEN AIR PATIO. AS I OBSERVED THE NEIGHBORHOOD I STARTED TO FEEL LIKE, “ I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.”

AFTER LUNCH I DROVE UP PASADENA TOWARDS FIGUEROA AND THEN I FIGURED OUT WHY IT LOOKED FAMILIAR. OFF TO THE LEFT WAS A NEW METRO TRAIN STATION WITH THE TRACKS ON THE OTHER SIDE. ACROSS THE TRACKS WERE SEVERAL OLD HOMES AND VIOLA! I REMEMBERED TERESA STREET LOCATED THERE.

WHEN I WAS TWO YEARS OLD WE LIVED ON TERESA STREET AN WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A HUGE STREET WAS JUST A SHORT ONE BLOCK LITTLE ALLEY. I REMEMBER WALKING WITH MY SISTER UP TO FIGUEROA ALL THE TIME AND WE WOULD TAKE THE TROLLEY CARS DOWNTOWN TO WHERE MOM WORKED. THE TROLLY CARS WENT EVERYWHERE IN THE CITY AND THEY WERE SO FUN TO TAKE. I BELIVE THE CAR FARE WAS ABOUT TEN CENTS, AND OF CORSE I WAS FREE. TROLLEYS RAN ALL OVER THE CITY AND WENT EVERYWHERE FROM THE BEACH TO THE MOUNTAINS. MOST ROUTES TRAVELED DOWN THE MIDDLE OF VERY BUSY THROUGHFARES TO KEEP THE TROLLYS AWAY FROM THE CARS THAT WERE TAKING OVER THE CITY. ON VENICE BLVD. A HUGE OVER CROSSING BRIDGE COVERED THE INTERSECTION AT LA CIENEGA WITH A TRAIN STATION BUILT ON TOP. MANY YEARS LATER AS A TEEN AGER I LIVED WITHIN A HALF BLOCK OF WHAT USED TO BE THE TRAIN STATION. DOWNTOWN TUNNELS MADE THEIR WAY UNDER BUNKER HILL WHERE HUGE VICTORIAN MANSIONS DOTTED THE VIEW. THE ANGELES FLIGHT RAIROAD RAN UP AND DOWN BUNKER HILL TO TAKE THE RESIDENTS TO THEIR HOMES. THE FAIR WAS AGAIN TEN CENTS. BUNKER HILL IS NOW LONG GONE. IT WAS RAZED TO MAKE WAY FOR SOMETHING CALLE URBAN RENEWAL.

AS I APPROACHED THE AGE OF EIGHT OR NINE YEARS OLD, I REMEMBER THEM PULLING UP THE TROLLY TRACKS FOR A NEW AND IMPROVED TRANSIT SYSTEM WHERE THEY USED GASOLINE AND DIESEL DRIVEN TROLLEYS CALLED BUSES. I THINK MANY PEOPLE REALIZED THAT THE END OF AN ERA WAS CLOSE. SOON ALL THE TROLLEYS AND RED CAR TRAINS WERE GONE AND ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS BROWN SCARED DIRT AND WEED STREWN MEDIANS THROUGH OUT THE CITY. SOON EVEN THEY WERE GONE REPLACED BY ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC LANES FOR CARS AND BUSES. I SADLY REMEMBER THE OVERCROSSING AT VENICE BEING TORN DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR A FUTURE FREEWAY OVER PASS (BTW THE SAME OVERPASS THAT FELL DOWN IN THE 1994 NORTHRIDGE QUAKE).

TERESA STREET SEEMED LIKE THE LARGEST STREET IN THE WORLD TO THIS TWO YEAR OLD. THE PENTICOSTAL CHURCH LOCATED DOWN THE STREET WERE WE WOULD SNEEK AT NIGHT TO LISTEN TO THE HOLY ROLLERS AS THEY WERE REFERRED TOO YELL AND RANT IN THE NAME OF RELIGION, WOULD GIVE WAY TO THE NEW TRANSIT STATION OF TODAY. THE BIG STEAM LOCOMOTIVES THAT CHUGGED DOWN THROUGH THE CANYON AND ACROSS FIGUEROA WOULD BE REPLACED BY THE DIESEL SANTA FE SUPER CHIEF PASSENGER TRAINS AND LATER BY THE LIGHT RAIL THAT NOW RUNS TO PASADENA.

MANY THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE 57YEARS SINCE, BUT THERE AGAIN, HAVE THEY? THE ORANGE LINE LIGHT RAIL FOLLOWS THE LINE OF THE TROLLEYS THAT WE USED TO RIDE AND PERHAPS SOME DAY, THE LIGHT RAIL WILL TAKE PASSENGERS TO ALL THE PLACES I TRAVELED AS A YOUNG BOY.

THANKS FOR WALKING WITH ME DOWN MEMORY LANE. (AKA TERESA STREET). AS ALWAYS,

DAD