WHILE IN CALIFORNIA
back at home i spent quite a bit of time in the local library - haha… yeah, the library i used to go to while in high school. found some pretty interesting books i would otherwise not come across in dublin.
this one by david brodsly: L.A. Freeway: An Appreciative Essay, 0-520-04068-6 was particularly moving. for me, native southern californian and resident of the satellite sprawl of los angeles, some things about this book rang so true. with references to joan didion, los angeles history, and plenty of striking photos of soaring freeway interchanges, it perfectly captured the best and worst of los angeles, and how the freeway is central to any discussion of life there.interesting points focused on the antecedents to the freeway system, the original native american footpaths, courier trails, and later the train and trolley systems which laid out a radial blueprint stretching out from the l.a. city epicenter, showing that even things which are popularly believed to spring out of nowhere actually have a lengthy and developed past to draw upon.
i loved the attention drawn to the hidden vistas of los angeles. the ones only visible when driving and in motion, while cruising along at 70 m.p.h. or gliding through an interchange. some of the best views of l.a. are only seen from the freeway, brodsly comments, and this i know is true from my own experience. most of those views are breathtaking, but perhaps what is more interesting here is the concept of things which are only visible while moving - and only viewed while in motion. brodsly manages to describe the experience of flying on the freeway in such a visceral way, it’s almost possible to feel the rapidly shifting and yet continuous perspective provided by an interchange - a transition which takes place on a macro and micro scale - as if you were immediately experiencing it.
but back to this idea of things that are revealed only in motion - i like that… very topical actually, to umbrella.net and oscillating windows…
either way, i love this book.