Life's Persistent Questions

April 6, Newport Beach/Anaheim/Santa Ana

It was good to catch up with my friend P. He is getting married soon after all these years of “resistance.” My time in town is short, really about 36 hours, got in about midnight on Friday night and leaving at noon today. Yesterday I rode the buses to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, which took about 2 hours. For a long time, I had an aversion to public transit, partly because my disappointing experience with it in San Diego where buses sometimes run every HOUR. Also with public transit, you are at the mercy of others when it comes to the schedule and I am a stickler for promptness. However, with my recent experience traveling in China, I have a new appreciation for this mode of transportation.

The 2 hour long bus ride was uneventful. At around the time we rode past the South Coast Plaza Mall I noticed that there was not a single White person on the bus. Most passengers were Latinos. I later found out that the South Coast Plaza happens to be one of the ritziest shopping centers in southern California. As I strolled through the mall this morning pass the Tiffany’s and Armani's, I can’t help but think back to my fellow passengers on bus 57 the day before.

The Angels played the Texas Rangers last night. Our seats were by the first base side, but on the very last row (Section 528, Row 8).

Another pitcher’s duel, and the Angels won 2-1. Unlike the Oakland A’s, the game was nearly a sell-out, and most fans wore the home team’s color, red and white. Someone once asked me why I refer the teams I cheer for “my Niners,” or “our A’s.” This is a good question. As far as I know, only the Green Bay Packers is the only major professional sport team in America that is a public holding company. So I don’t own the A’s. The major league baseball players on average are finally making $3 million a year after years of subsistent living. When I am buying that $7 sausage, I think how lucky I am to have the afternoon off to watch My Team in action. I can only hope that some player on the team is thinking how lucky he is to be playing a child’s game while carrying the hope of a city on his shoulders.

Off to Union Station in Los Angeles. The next leg will be a 37 hour ride on the Sunset Limited line to Houston, which will include two nights. I haven’t decided whether to shell out the money for a roomette, which has a bed. The plan is to rough it out in the coach seat for one night, and maybe ask about an upgrade during the second night once the train leaves San Antonio.

posted by hedgehog @ 8:02 PM