Atwater Village News - blog

But Saturday, the water traveled leisurely amongst the rocks and the plant life that only occur on this particular stretch of river. Here the bottom of the river is not sealed with concrete. Here there is depth to the river and as a result evidence of growth and life.

My father and I have spent a lot of time here. I have photographed him here several times before. Today, there was a new addition to the backdrop, a mural. It was a painting of a Pacific Electric Red Car, part of an extensive system that had once served numerous areas of Los Angeles. It is while we were sitting here talking that a man approached with a small digital camera in his hand.

His name is Bob Wildman and he is a member of the Friends of Atwater Village. They were responsible for the mural, which was painted on the concrete supports that had once held up the weight of the rails and the cars as they traveled back and forth between Downtown and Glendale. Though I had known about the Red Car route that went down Broadway and Hollywood Blvds, I hadn't known about the route that passed through Atwater. I had never thought much about these stands of concrete, though they seemed strangely out of place, serving no obvious purpose. But like so many things, I never thought to look into what purpose they had or did serve.

As Bob told us about the groups efforts in the community, I imagined the red car rumbling over the tracks. With traffic in Los Angeles become increasingly worse, it was sad to think of the demise of a public transportation system that had once been one of the most extensive one's in the country. With the rise of the automobile, the rail cars days were numbered. What need would there be with such a system when "everyone" was going to own a car?

Fifty years later, we see the result, a city struggling to move its populace if not with improved efficiency at least with reduced anxiety and frustration. Suffice it to say that things are less than successful.

Looking at the mural, which is located just below the Hyperion Bridge, I see many things. I see a community reclaiming a piece of a city and a bit of it's history. I see a glimpse of what moving through this city was and should be. I also see a little stretch of river that means many things to many people.

Saturday, I got to claim just a lit bit more of Los Angeles for myself.