All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown) And the sky is gray (and the sky is gray) I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk) On a winter's day (on a winter's day) I'd be safe and warm (I'd be safe and warm) If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.)
Sad but so true. As I grow closer to retirement, I fear much of the travel I still want to do will be much the same as you describe. Places don’t seem to be what they were. Such an absolute shame. We need to really address this homelessness problem….We need more humanity. It makes my heart hurt.
It was truly the Golden State, and I remember piling into an Uncle's borrowed convertible with cousins, headed to Malibu. (Probably Zuma) Really no traffic. At the time, there was easy public access. Now, I'm not sure how much of the beachfront is walled off. Property near to the beach area was still within reach for my uncle and aunt. I can remember our family meeting them at a property they considered buying up off of PCH. In the end, they ended up not moving from the Valley, but I bet they wished they had. It was a phenomenal place to grow up...limitless and full of promise and beauty. Although much of my family still resides in SoCal, it's been years since I've been back...not sure how I'd feel. Probably a little heartbroken.
My mom used to love visiting relatives and friends in California but stopped going almost twenty years ago. Were she alive today she would be heart broken to read your article. We have similar problems with the homeless here in Canada, in spite of a wider social safety net (and higher taxes to pay for it). I know that Vancouver is no longer the city it used to be due to open drug use, etc.
Steve, you and I are separated by more than twenty years, but like me, you were once tall, thin and not too shabby looking. Now we're just tall! Be mindful of long term effects of those sunburns. I was also too young and dumb to use sunscreen and got some pretty bad burns on my Dutch/Irish skin. In my fifties I was rewarded with skin cancer and now have to be checked every year. Watch moles and sunspots.
Thanks for sharing your love of a truly beautiful coastline and an attractive but badly managed state.
Sad but so true. As I grow closer to retirement, I fear much of the travel I still want to do will be much the same as you describe. Places don’t seem to be what they were. Such an absolute shame. We need to really address this homelessness problem….We need more humanity. It makes my heart hurt.
It was truly the Golden State, and I remember piling into an Uncle's borrowed convertible with cousins, headed to Malibu. (Probably Zuma) Really no traffic. At the time, there was easy public access. Now, I'm not sure how much of the beachfront is walled off. Property near to the beach area was still within reach for my uncle and aunt. I can remember our family meeting them at a property they considered buying up off of PCH. In the end, they ended up not moving from the Valley, but I bet they wished they had. It was a phenomenal place to grow up...limitless and full of promise and beauty. Although much of my family still resides in SoCal, it's been years since I've been back...not sure how I'd feel. Probably a little heartbroken.
My mom used to love visiting relatives and friends in California but stopped going almost twenty years ago. Were she alive today she would be heart broken to read your article. We have similar problems with the homeless here in Canada, in spite of a wider social safety net (and higher taxes to pay for it). I know that Vancouver is no longer the city it used to be due to open drug use, etc.
Steve, you and I are separated by more than twenty years, but like me, you were once tall, thin and not too shabby looking. Now we're just tall! Be mindful of long term effects of those sunburns. I was also too young and dumb to use sunscreen and got some pretty bad burns on my Dutch/Irish skin. In my fifties I was rewarded with skin cancer and now have to be checked every year. Watch moles and sunspots.
Thanks for sharing your love of a truly beautiful coastline and an attractive but badly managed state.