Out of Comission

This calavera had a rough November, and now sits back and enjoys the rest of the year at ease. November proved to be a good month for me. It was my first real month at the firm. I had lots of work, and plenty of exposure on new matters.

One of the things I am really happy about is my 15 minute commute to work. It's amazing how during my Fulbright in Mexico City, my commute took almost an 1 hour and a half from Pedregal to Santa Fe on the Periferico, and now my fifteen minute commute from the 10 freeway to the 101 in Downtown is almost too good to be true.

When I drive to work I listen to National Public Radio - KCRW 89.9 FM to catch up on current events and general news. When I exit Grand, I normally get to hear the first song of the Morning Becomes Eclectic program.

As I drive on Grand Avenue, I get to see the new buildings that have been developed in Los Angeles.

I see the Cathedral on my left, which most people agree is externally unimpressive. But I must admit that the inside of the Cathedral is welcoming. I haven't quite figured out how the Catholic Archdiocese could have spent so much money on such a plain looking building. Although I am not necessarily saying that extravagance or excess luxury is needed to make a building nice, I still think they could have done more in terms of the building materials and the Cathedral's use of light and windows. Also, the Cathedral's main entrace is connected to a beautiful courtyard and small garden. But it continues to baffle me how so many buildings in Los Angeles are not designed to be accessible to the public from the street. The entire corner of Grand is the back wall of the Cathedral. Instead of making an additional entrace here for the pedestrians on Grand Avenue, the opportunity is sealed off as to prevent pedestrians from having easy access to the facility. I wish more American cities had the user friendly town squares of Latin American cities.

But Downtown LA is making a huge comeback. I've met several people that have already moved into the city's center and I am very tempted to follow in their footsteps.