...a grand adventure

A few months ago I posted about making a big change in my life. I'm not quite ready to go totally public with all the details just yet, but...on the way to that GRAND ADVENTURE I had a grand adventure that warmed my heart and reaffirmed that people everywhere are GOOD. Get a cup of your favorite wintertime beverage, and settle in for the story:

This past Tuesday I got up at 3:00 a.m. to make sure that I was at the {somewhat} local airport for my 6:15 flight. By 6:00 my fellow travellers and I knew something was up. Then the announcement came: due to mechanical difficulties, the flight had been cancelled. Oh dear. Next flight out was at 9:15. Since I live in Podunk, there are no direct flights to LA--we must go to Seattle first, change planes, then to LA. (It was a beautiful day to be up in the air!)My plan had been to arrive in plenty of time to change my clothes, fix my hair, and...breathe. Instead, I changed clothes in the restroom in Seattle, landed in LA at 2:15, grabbed a taxi and pulled up to the hotel just in time for my 3:10 appointment. Whew. (My hair looked fine, but I sure could have used that time to breathe!) The interview was over and done with before I knew it, and I staggered out to the street, feeling like I had really blown it. (I didn't, but that's a later post.) The kind doorman put me into another taxi and I headed to my budget motel.

It has been many years since I have seen the beaches of California, and I really wanted to experience the boardwalk at Venice Beach. After changing into jeans and walking shoes I asked the motel clerk the best way to get there. He said I could take another taxi, or...walk down the street, take a right at Burger King, and catch the Big Blue Bus at the bus terminal. It would take me right there. So off I went. I walked, and walked, and walked...and saw nothing that looked like a bus terminal. A woman was waiting to cross the street and I asked her if she knew where it was. She gave me a look that made me think, "Oh no, she doesn't speak English!" But then she pointed down the street--we were almost there. I stood in front of the information board, trying to get my bearings when the woman hurried over to me. "There's your bus--run!" So I ran, and got onto the Big Blue Bus that was seconds from pulling away, only to discover that I needed a one dollar bill or change. I had a $5 bill, a $10, and a $20 and some change--but not a single $1 bill. I dug in my purse and dropped coins in while asking the driver if I was on the right bus. "No, but for 50 cents more, I can give you a transfer." I looked in my coin purse with dismay--all that was left was a bunch of pennies. "I don't HAVE 50 cents," I wailed. So the kind driver gave me a free pass for the next bus, and told me when to get off. He pointed out the bus I needed and said to run!

I sprinted across the street and made it to the next bus. "What an adventure!" I said to the driver. She glanced at me and dryly said, "Uh huh." (She later said she thought I was a stewardess when I got on! ha!)

Then a delightful elderly man and his dog got on and sat down across from me. He had a wonderful Italian accent and told me how the dog had saved his life--he had been all alone and contemplating suicide when he was given the dog. Everyone on the bus was listening and joining in on the conversation. He asked me where I was going, so I told him--Venice Beach. Then the bus really came alive. People were telling the bus driver not to let me off--it was too dangerous on Venice Beach at night. A young woman came up from the back of the bus to tell me where it was safe to go. A man behind me got a map for me to use. Everyone was offering suggestions when the bus driver told them to be quiet--she knew where she was going to drop me off. Finally, she pulled up to a stop and had me come up and stand by her. She was letting me off at the Santa Monica pier--it was lighted and safe there. She pointed out landmarks and made sure I knew my way back, and where to stand to wait for the return bus. I thanked them all profusely and got off.

I didn't see the sunset over the ocean, and I didn't get to walk on the boardwalk at Venice Beach, but I did get to walk on the Santa Monica pier. I did have the incredible experience of having a bus load of strangers take care of me in LA.

It was cold on the pier, so I bought something warm to drink and ducked into this mall to get out of the wind. A man saw my reaction to the floor-to-ceiling display of old sewing machines on this store front and offered to take my picture. Another friendly stranger!
Oh, and I made it back to my motel just fine, and went to eat in a fabulous Greek restaurant--Aliki's Greek Taverna.

Spicy feta cheese appetizer

Comfort food after a long day: Pastitsio