Greetings from LA
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- May
- 5
Greetings from one of my least favorite spots on the tour. I’m not a big LA guy.
In a cab now heading to the hotel. Then to the park. I confess liking Dodger Stadium.
Oliver Perez tonight. Considering how bad he was last time, a good start wouldn’t be shocking. He is due.
I’ll talk to you later.
This entry was posted
on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 4:09 pm by John Delcos.
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John: Is it the traffic you hate or just LA in general.
I have family in LA and my trick for dealing with LA
is to realize that to A New Yorker nothing in LA makes sense.
Once you realize this everything makes sense.
Personally San Diego is my favorite city to go to see the Mets.
John if you like Mexican you must go to Gilberts El Indio in Santa Monica for the Mexican breakfast. Its very cheap and very good.
OP may put up better #s than Pelfrey this season, and maybe Maine too when all is said and done, but there is no one on the Mets that is more painful to watch when he's going bad. Sosa just lacks talent. Heilman I believe has the mental toughness, if not control of his changeup. Perez just goes out there to surrender sometimes, it's terrible.
Here's thankin' the good Lord I'm physically imposing enough to not get my ass handed to me for wearing a Reyes jersey to the game tonight…
I hope.
As a person who grew up in rural northern New York State, LA makes so much more sense to me than NYC.
We had to drive forty-five minutes to get to anything up there, we have to drive forty-five minutes to get to anything out here.
It's just… instead of forty-five minutes in fifty-five miles to Albany, it is forty-five minutes to get to something five miles away.
It is all better than that horrific burnt-hot-dog and urine smell on the subway, y'all.
make sure you stop at Canter's Deli on Fairfax. There's a lot to LA not to like, but that and Dodger Stadium are two of my favorites out there.
I love LA…it's just the people I can't handle.
http://www.myteamrivals.typepad.com/mr_mets_daily
Easy John. Give L.A. a chance. As a transplanted New Yorker, I've really taken a shine to Los Angeles even though I came out here with an attitude similar to yours.
To employ a baseball analogy, coming from New York to L.A. is like "taking the donut off the bat." It's just so laid back here that it's nearly impossible for a hard-charging New Yorker not to thrive. Granted, this may be difficult to perceive on three-day press jaunts, but I'd really suggest you keep an open mind.
Also, as with any big city, you need to find your comfort zone. If you're hanging out in West Hollywood or even in parts of Santa Monica, you'll find yourself surrounded by the typical plastic L.A. caricatures… However, if you spread your wings a bit you might be pleasantly surprised.
The worst thing about being a Met fan in L.A.? TIVO'ing games at 4 p.m. and then spending the next 6 hours of your day trying to avoid the score.
And, I do have to admit, no good pizza.
Hi Sidd: It is a plastic culture here, but in some ways that's not any worse than the gruff NY culture. The pizza is part of it. Plus, the driving. But, I am curious by nature, so I'm willing to give LA a chance. I've just never thought of it as being a homey place.
I don't know how much this plays into it, but I['ve always gone Celtics over Lakers. Maybe it stems from that.-JD
I've lived in New York all my life. I have been to California a bunch of times on business. The people acted like there head is filled with air and they are so shallow. I'm waiting for that big earth quake to hit and the land to sink to the bottom of the pacific ocean.
I can't take Perez anymore, frustrating to watch is a understatement. It wouldn't surprise me if he pitches in to the 7th inning tonight only allowing 2 runs, that's oliver Perez. It's like lets make a deal. Which Perez are we going to see?. Is it behind door #1, door #2 or door #3. Where door #1, is like his last outing, door #2 is a little better, makes it barely to the 5th inning or door #3, he pitches 7 innings and gives up 2 runs.
Sidd,
I disagree
there is good pizza in los angeles, it just takes some looking to find.
i defy any new york transplant to taste a slice from
Village Pizzeria (either the original location on Larchmont or the new one on Yucca in Hollywood)
or
Robano's (in Toluca Lake—and operated by one of the former Albano's guys)
and tell me they don't hold up.
John – i highly recommend you grab a french dip sandwich from Philippe's. It's very close to Chavez Ravine and it's outstanding.
I'm with you John—especially Celtics over Lakers. The need to drive is undeniable as well. If you've ever seen Steve Martin's "L.A. Story", the Los Angenlino aversion to walking is parodied to great effect.
Working in Beverly Hills as a film exec, I can attest to the fact that people's greatest fears about L.A. can be realized if you travel in the wrong circles, but it's just as easy to find some truly special qualities to this town if you make the effort.
If you have free time (and I doubt you will), my suggestion would be to forget about restaurants and landmarks and simply pilot your rental car up the Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu up past Pepperdine University. There's something about that drive that makes it "click" for people, i.e. you have that moment where you think to yourself, "Okay, now I get why people have been coming out here for the last 100 years."
Then, if time allows, hit a neighborhood like Venice (specifically around Sleater Kinney) or even Silverlake. You'll certainly stumble upon a Greenwich Village sort of vive—albeit with palm trees and better weather.
You know what the absolute worst part of living in L.A. is for me? Having to record every Mets game (which starts at 4pm out here), avoiding the final score until I get home, and then just STARTING to watch the game at midnight. You think you're frustrated with Aaron Heilman. How do you think I feel when I have to watch him give up another walk-off bomb on my TIVO at 3 a.m.????
Alex-
Granted. I'm sure that pizza is good and I'll give it a shot ASAP. That being said, unlike NYC where you can fall out of the sky and find yourself a good slice, it's like a needle in a haystack out here.
I'm sure you'll agree.
-Sidd
Alex: Man does not live by bread alone. Pizza? Maybe. Tell me where in LA.-JD
I disagree about the falling out of the sky thing. I work near grand central and have not found a satisfying place for pizza.
Yes, there used to be that little place on Vanderbilt, but it's gone now.
Trek on up to 56th and 3rd and check out Ray Bari. Like Janet Jackson once sang, it'll "be worth the wait."
Tiffany
Ill try Bari's. Think I have done it before but ill walk there next week.
thanks