los angeles in 15 dollars

is very possible--that's how i roll. i awoke in my comfortable westwood bed only to behold through my window showers and grey skies. normally such weather determines how i end up spending rainy days--in bed. but alas, it was sunday and i would not let my weekly ritual of dragging myself out of bed to go hang out at the melrose trading post be profaned by said terrible weather. and now, loyal reader, i will show you how los angeles is done in less than 20 bones.

i stopped by the wells fargo atm on kinross and gayley, as is the custom before going to fairfax high for the swap meet. since my income and replenishing of the bank account has been nonexistent, i've been on a tight budget and only let myself take out 20. i hop on the 10, drive up fairfax and park right in front of the greenway theatre. meter parking is free on sunday. (total spent: $0.00)

i pay one dollar admission (students and those with the la weekly coupon get in for a buck, regular admission is 2 dollars) and make my way to the northwest part of the parking lot to visit my man cal, the 70 year old ex-private investigator who sells books (from kerouac and castaneda to joyce and camus, and so much more), 12" records, old cameras with accordion flashes, and my favorite, photographs from estate sales. these photos date from the 40s to the 80s. i've accumulated quite a few photos from cal that i plan to rearrange into an album one day, like nino quincampoix. a few weeks ago cal's box of photographs was empty, and i asked him about it.

he looks around, then motions for me to come closer; he lowers his usual baritone, points to a nondescript manila folder sitting next to him and says, "look in that folder; there are a few in there of a naked woman. i can't put those out or i'd be let out of here." it felt like a drug deal.

anyway, i ended up spending 4 dollars on a few photos. total spent: $5.00

walking around is free. that's the best part.









at 5pm, the vendors begin to close shop and pack their wares. the sun was peeking its head through the clouds, so i decided to walk the boulevard and people watch. that was free.


i pick up peggy and we go to oki dog. this was my first time there--cindy always raves about the oki dog. as she promised, the oki dog did not disappoint. at first glance, it looks like a burrito and you tell the man at the counter that you ordered an oki dog. but unwrap it and you find not one but two hot dogs topped with pastrami and drowning in chili. peggy was grossed out when she saw what was inside, perhaps because she eats none of those meats. she had chicken tacos, which she speculated to be the menu-item with the least heart attack inducing potential. she's probably right. total spent: 10.00.






after dinner we drove a few blocks down to the new beverly cinema; when you are in los angeles and have five dollars to your name, this is the default place to go.

we didn't stay for 12 monkeys; the night concluded after brazil. my favorite line: "how about some necrophilia?" only two people laughed at that, me and the guy sitting in front of us. grand total: $15.00.

good night.