Glendale Blvd. & Glenfeliz ~ Atwater Village
Senior citizens wait for a downtown bus at the corner of Glendale Blvd and Glenfeliz in Atwater Village on a sunshiney Tuesday morning. They mostly cross their arms and stand in shady spots but also exchange some words in Tagalog and wave at me as I stand on the center divider on Glendale and photograph them and the formerly-known-as Atwater Village Ranch Market Mural behind them. Word on the street is that what used to be the Ranch Market is now being touched up and transformed into the following businesses: a pizza takeout place with no seating, a wine bar (yummy), and please, I beg of you, be surprised when you read this: a Starbucks. I’m sure those frappuccinos with whipped cream will go deliciously with my Bikram yoga class a few doors down. Oh well, at least the mural stays!
I run across the street toward my new grey-haired friends while dodging cars whose drivers look anxious and repeatedly honk at me on their way to the 5 FWY after the blinking red hand has turned into a solid one for some seconds. The group cheers for me when I finally get my foot on the curb. I pant after I’ve nearly been hit by a 1992 Honda, and they ask if I, too, am Filipina. I am sorry to disappoint them with my Mexicananess, but I am happy to see them adjusting fanny packs and identification cards hanging around their necks all while pacing in front of the mural conceived and primarily funded by Netty Carr in 1999 and painted by mural artist, Rafael Escamilla. The bus arrives, and while the senior citizen honeys hop on, the two featured gentlemen pose for a photo and the bus driver is kind enough to wait while I thank them for being such handsome subjects.
