Taking the Greyhound
For cost and scheduling reasons, I took the Greyhound instead of flying or taking the train. I had heard horror stories about the rides and the stations, but they actually weren’t so bad. The station in Los Angeles was in a sketchy neighborhood, but the place itself was fine – but I was also there at 11:00 in the morning. Aspects I didn’t like:
1) Length. The trip took 10-11 hours one way. I didn’t eat or drink much of anything on the rides, because I didn’t want to use the bathroom.
2) Transfers. We transferred in Phoenix coming into and going out of Tucson. Seats are on a first come, first serve basis, and people are not willing to move over sometimes…so you need to run to the entry door and put your luggage down or stand in line for the hour layover in Phoenix in order to get a decent seat. This is not fun at 3:30 AM.
Other than that, it was a good ride. I sat next to two friendly Latina women both times, so no scary encounters. The scenery was also interesting to watch on the trip, and it was strange juxtaposition of landscapes sometimes:
There are definitely certain classes of people who take the Greyhound: lower middle class, lower class, and some students. The ride back to Tucson had people from the lower middle-class; you could tell by how they dressed and behaved. These people also spoke mainly Spanish, but they were very helpful and friendly nonetheless. They also joked with driver (especially when we met the Arizona/California border patrol), which made the atmosphere more relaxing.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad experience, but I’m not too keen to get on another bus. Dehydration and fasting takes a lot out of you.
Roscoes
My friend Tanner and his fiancé Adrienne picked me up at the LA station, and it was so good to finally see them! We headed over to Roscoes, where we met Mike and his girlfriend Alison for breakfast.
Roscoes is a popular place in LA. They serve deep-fried chicken and waffles. It sounds like a diner from the Deep South to me, but you know…they probably have every kind of variety in LA.
The Science Center
During the day, we visited the Los Angeles Science Center. It’s a beautiful facility built mainly for families. I would classify it as a small version of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
My two favorite exhibits were the solar-powered house built by CalTech student engineers and the special exhibit on Islam. The house was just cool: the insulation is full of used jeans and you can lower the deck curtains by waving your hand from your bed. The Islam exhibit was a tad cliche honestly, but it still had all kinds of information on word history, herbal medicines, and food (like figs and yogurt!).
I am not obsessed.
For Old Times' Sake
What is a Turkey Tour Reunion without a traditional game of backgammon?
Wurstkuche
For Old Times' Sake
What is a Turkey Tour Reunion without a traditional game of backgammon?
Wurstkuche
For dinner, the four of us met up with Sherman and his girlfriend Leslie at Wurstkuche. They have all kinds of brats and beers here…Wisconsinites would LOVE this place. I split a Mango Jalapeno brat made with chicken and turkey with Alison, who ordered the Rattlesnake and Rabbit brat. Both were probably the best brats I’ve ever had in my life. The rattlesnake and rabbit brat in particular was savory and rich. I recommend this to anyone feeling adventurous enough to try it.
The snake brat is on the right and Mike's buffalo brat is on the left.
Group Photo!
After dinner, we headed out to the One-Eyed Gypsy Bar, where we took group photos of the Turkey Crew.
From left to right: Tanner, Mike, Sherman, Me.
And then there was the boxed water: an up-and-coming trend in LA.
I headed out to a suburb of LA to spend the night at Mike's place. Mike’s home is pretty cool: he and his room mates have a house that sits on a hill and you can overlook the city. They also have citrus trees in their yard (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit), where you can actually eat the fruit…unlike Tucson. I think down the road I’ll have a home where I can grow citrus, because that’s just the coolest thing to me.
I only stayed in California for about 24 hours, but it was the best 24 hours I’ve spent in a long time. I’m so glad I made the trip and it was really great to see everyone again. I hope to make another trip out to California soon.
More photos from the trip can be found here on facebook.
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