This past October weekend was busy, Los Angeles busy. It included history, scares, and music. But like so many October weekends since 1958, it began with the boys in blue.
Feeling blue
Friday, October 17, the Dodgers took the field in Dodger Stadium one win away from sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers and reaching the World Series to defend their 2024 title.
Shohei Ohtani was on the mound for this one. He’d struggled offensively against Philadelphia and in this series as well, having only three base hits coming into this evening. Perhaps this game would be different.
He started the game pitching three strikeouts. He didn’t even walk down to the dugout after that because he was the leadoff batter. He just stopped at the top of the steps strapped on all his protective batting gear.
He stepped up to the plate and swung at the first pitch, knocking the ball out into the right field pavilion! A Mookie Betts hit and a few others drove in two more runs.
Back on the mound, Ohtani continued to squash any Milwaukee threats. And when he came up to bat in the fourth, he blasted another home run past the pavilion roof and onto the concrete behind it.
My oldest daughter and I had tickets to go to the Halloween Haunted Hayride at Griffith Park so we’d have to turn off the TV and listen to the final innings from the car.
A tractor ride through Griffith Park
From the merry-go-round at night, to the rusty cages of the old zoo, to the cursed picnic table, Griffith Park is already spooky. That’s why the Haunted Hayride always pulls us in.
We parked at the zoo and had to catch a shuttle to the hayride. When the doors swung open, the driver was blasting Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up.” That’s right, we were the lucky ones who boarded the west coast party shuttle.
The next song on the playlist was “Not Like Us.” And even though it’s been a while, the entire bus jumped in on cue when the “tryin’ to strike a chord and it’s probably A-minorrr” came on. This was all fitting considering the World Series is now set to start in Toronto.
Once inside, it was straight to the hayride and then the three walking mazes. As the real fog blended with artificial fog to create a dark, cold evening, we took some time to enjoy warm cider and a doughnut to close out the night and welcome Saturday.
We got home around 1 and knocked out around 2 AM after sort of watching the Dodger highlights. Still, no rest for the weary because we had a busy Saturday ahead.
The Archives Bazaar uses history to help us in the present
After many years at USC, the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar moved to Cal State Los Angeles. The bazaar is a full day of browsing through tables filled with photographs, books, pins, matchbooks, and much more collected in an effort to preserve pieces of the city’s history.
In addition to the archives tables, the day includes engaging conversations usually around a central theme of the event. This year, the focus was community and it led to two fantastic presentations.
The first centered on the sci-fi fandom in Los Angeles, with a particular focus on the works of Octavia Butler (Parable of the Sower). The panel discussed how shows like The Twilight Zone along with comics and books used science fiction to shine a light on the very real issues of oppression our society was facing. Sadly, it also tied the waning interest in the genre to the reality that many people simply ignored the warnings found in sci-fi works, leading to the present day struggles.
The afternoon conversation was about one person’s efforts, with the support of Cal State L.A. and other universities and governments, to recover and send home human remains held by museums all around Europe and the United States. These are complete or partial skeletons of people stolen or otherwise taken from their native lands to be displayed or simply stored and held as property by the offending nation.
We were there the whole day enjoying conversations and exploring relics of the city. Then it was off to the house for a little bit of rest before the family Halloween event planned for the evening.
Jack-o’-Lanterns as far as you can see
Finding things to do as a family with a little one besides a pumpkin patch can be tricky. A few years ago, my wife found the Magic of the Jack-o’-Lanterns event. This year, the event was held at the South Coast Botanic Gardens in Rolling Hills.
Rolling Hills comes with its own history and Los Angeles lore that I’ll leave for another day of exploration. This night was about strolling through the gardens in the middle of the night, our path lit only by the jack-o’-lanterns and murals of various themes.
Along the mile-plus trek you find usual happy pumpkins, along with creepy pumpkins, Star Wars pumpkins, and much more. This year’s final touch was a Halloween-Christmas mashup complete with snow flurries.
The little one got to make s’mores, drink hot chocolate, and enjoy the light show. But if tonight delighted her eyes, Sunday was about to delight her ears.
One Sunday of loud, fast music
A little over a year ago, Junk Rocker Thrift Shop opened in Huntington Park. The store specializes in rock clothing and memorabilia. They stock posters, signed CDs, VHS tapes, and work with local vendors to stock accessories like rings and bracelets. The inventory also extends beyond rock to hip-hop, movies (especially horror), and sports apparel.
But on this day, it was more than a clothing store. It was a concert venue. The place hosted a concert with local bands. This would be my 9-year-old daughter’s first concert.
Two months ago, she began taking drum lessons and she’s taken to it like she’s been doing it her whole life. And in a way, she has. She was one when she first sat at a drum set, sticks in hand, and randomly slapped cymbals and toms until I pulled her away—crying.
As for the show, it was an afternoon of guttural screams and lightning fast guitar, bass, and drums. I’ve known a few of the members of one of the bands, Canas, for years. Art, their drummer, may not know this but he’s now one of her drumming mentors. She even hung out after the show to get some pointers and watch him pack up his set.
What a Weekend
We got home as the sun began to set, giving the clouds and sky an orange glow. After dinner, I pulled up my laptop to prep for the new workweek. Was I rested and ready to start a new week? Absolutely not.
The week never really ended and here I was, about to start a new one. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Los Angeles Noise 