Blogging Social Difference in L.A.: Week 5

      For this weeks blog i decided to stay local. I went to have dinner in Westwood, the city right outside of UCLA. Westwood is more on the high-scale end in regards to other cities. It is often labeled as a college town, but many  non-students live there as well. Westwood spans out for various blocks. The city is surrounded by shops, restaurants, coffee stores, and places to lounge. It can be recognized as a "center" where people often go to work. Hundreds of people are either employed by UCLA or work in the cities myriad of businesses.

      A major sector of the city is transportation. Buses, taxis, vans, and cars are constantly seen running up and down the city at all times of the day. There is the free Bruin Bus, the Big Blue Bus which charges $1 max rate, and free van rides provided by the school as a safety measure. Evidently the city must have a lot of money in order to afford giving its residents these opportunities. Not all cities can afford these economic expenses. Although the city has plenty of means of transportation, the parking in Westwood is ridiculous. On several streets, like the one featured on the right, people are only allowed to park on certain days of the week. On other corners there are loading zone or time limit restrictions and on several occasions cars are parked on sidewalks. Parking enforcement is always on the move.

      In addition, the roads in Westwood are often congested. The picture on the left shows a four way crossing street that was most likely implemented because of the large number of people that are found walking around. One can run into people of various races and class groups. Many are found to be students and others visit the city for it span of restaurants. We cannot forget about the number of homeless people as well. During the day one will most likely see people in business attire walking out to lunch and the streets are not as congested. During the evening when traffic hits starting around 5:00 pm, both work and school commuters are heading home. However, during the night people are seen walking the streets enjoying the night life, perhaps waiting for the a movie at the Bruin Theater (picture below).

      In my opinion Westwood does not compare to many other "college towns" that I have visited in the past. Although recent crime rates have increased, I have learned to feel safe as long as I am in a group. The apartments near the city were constructed close enough for a late night walk home. I would consider Westwood to be a sort of minor "center", as cities are described in some of the articles we discussed in class. People are often traveling to the city and it has a busy L.A. lifestyle feel.