I love visiting historic places, and Hollywood certainly ranks up there with its history, especially music, movies, and television. That made Hollywood a definite stop when Jim and I went traveling on National Train Day (May 11).
We probably would have seen more of Hollywood if we weren’t admiring the many Los Angeles Metro subway stations. Following are some pictures of subway stations on the Red Line from Union Station to the Highland/Hollywood Station (North Highland Avenue at Hollywood Boulevard) in Hollywood.
Of course, “subway” does not mean a place to eat. It means going underground.
Underground was unique. Metro Rail serves an average of 363,000 people on a weekday, yet everywhere I looked it was clean, shiny, and beautiful.
I looked around for people cleaning, shining things, sweeping, picking up trash….
No one.
Maybe Los Angelenos are naturally clean people?
Maybe they simply like living, working, and riding in a clean environment?
Or……………………………..
You can’t do anything within the subway environment without risking a $250 fine.
No entry without valid fare….
No littering….
No eating or drinking….
No smoking….
No spitting or chewing gum….
No skateboarding or scooters….
No loud or rowdy activity….
No rollerblading….
No playing of sound equipment.
I can see mommy and her little child:
Child: “Mommy, I want some chewing gum.”
Mommy: “No!”
Child: “Mommy, can I turn my iPod on?”
Mommy: “No!”
Child: “Mommy, can I have my sandwich?”
Mommy: “No!”
Child: “Mommy, can I have a Coke?”
Mommy: “No!”
Child: “Mommy, can we go home?”
Mommy: “YES!”
Hmmmm. I think I’m understanding why I didn’t see any children on the subway. I think the youngest people I saw were college students on their way to classes. Interesting.
Murals were everywhere:
Anyone know what this doohickey is?
How about these doohickeys,
which were all over the walls and ceilings at one station?
If the rest of the Los Angeles Metro Rail routes — Blue, Purple, Green, Gold, and Expo lines — are anything like the Red Line, I look forward to exploring Los Angeles by rail in the next few years. No reason to stay away simply because of the traffic and lack of parking.
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I guess if you keep the food and drinks and the gum out of those areas, that would really cut down on the litter. It looks nice.
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Thank you for sharing the Californian underground! It’s so different to ours in London, which still has that Victorian quality despite upgrades. Mind you, some of our newer stations are very stainless steel like – especially at Westminster and, of course, the Leytonstone station has the Hitchcock mosaics 😉
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Hitchcock mosaics? Where are the pictures?……..lol
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they’re going up in a later blog!!!
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Great pictures! I’ve never lived in a city big enough to have a subway system, but the idea of there being this whole unseen underground world has always fascinated me.
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Loved it Russel, excellent shots. I like the stylised palm trees ( columns ) and the mosaics. great stuff.
Cheers
Laurie.
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Each station has a different theme, the North Hollywood station which is the one closest to my home is dedicated to Amelia Earhart and the San Fernando Valley. Amelia worked for AT&T at their building a few blocks away and lived near here before she took off from the Grand Central Field in Glendale.
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Very interesting! I have some more underground pictures coming up. I just through the whole Metro Rail thing was extremely well done!
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I enjoyed the tour of the subway.
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What a beautiful place…a subway! Unlike any I’ve ever seen! Thank you for your artistic photos and history lesson!
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