Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 4

As I first stepped on the #1 Blue Bus
(Prior to the screaming man)

For this week's adventure, my friend and I took the Big Blue Bus to the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade and pier. I rarely venture anywhere by bus, and this was probably my 3rd or 4th time I've ever been on one. I had always heard bus horror stories and about the strange people that ride on them, but I had also heard that busses in the UCLA area are safe and mostly consist of students. However within the first 5 minutes of my ride, a man carrying a bicycle ran into the middle of the road and stopped in front of the bus as it was taking a right turn. The driver and screaming bicycle man then proceeded to have a 2 minute yelling match while blocking traffic. The man wanted to get on the bus in the middle of the intersection, but the bus driver continued to yell at him to move unless he wanted to be run over. I was quite horrified and ready to get off the bus when I noticed a man talking to himself, another man staring at my friend and I, and then my thoughts wandered back to the last time I had been on a bus and had seen someone vomit. I've decided that it is true that busses may be a melting pot of diversity and interesting individuals, but it is definitely not somewhere I would like to be.

Bus systems and transportation led to the decentralization of the concentric ring model, and created the ability to have a personal center (such as the home). However, it also creates a difference in physical access in regards to urban mobilities - those who can afford to have a car and drive, in comparison to those who must take public transit (or those who strive to be green and eco-friendly). Busses and public transportation may have become known for its negative aspects rather than the positive due to the difference in classes and people that use them. [added 12/9 - transportation seems to be another type of cultural or floating signifier; those who have wealth and status would never use public transportation. Since public transportation may symbolize low-income as a signifier, many cities do not offer busses or trains. For example, my home city of Camarillo does not have public transportation, and I rarely see taxis or shuttles either. It prevents those who cannot afford cars or means of their own transportation from moving into, or living near our city - a form of restricting physical access as discussed in the 'Theorizing Socio-Cultural Difference' lecture]

But to discuss my destination on the bus; Santa Monica is a popular destination for many people - shoppers, tourists, college students, couples, etc. It's a beautiful place to explore, especially on a sunny afternoon with its close proximity to the pier, beach, outdoor mall, and restaurants. It's an area perfect for a day out, a nice location to visit but not necessarily to live in. The traffic is bad, there is little parking, rent and living costs are high, and some streets don't seem too safe either (I would not want to walk around by myself at night).