I have this friend, Assaf, who is always beyond appalled when an LA landmark or east side hipster place comes up in conversation, and I haven't been there. So when he suggested we take the Metro to The Black Keys at Staples Center the other week, I wasn't going to tell him I'd never ridden the Metro. But then I realized that he might be reading this blog, (against all odds, because he's beyond opinionated about blogs too,) so I fessed up that it would be my virgin journey to eye rolls, huffs, puffs and the usual "What's the matter with you?"
I actually love public transportation and I always take trains, buses and subways when I travel, but for some reason I've never tried the Metro in LA. I had a lot of assumptions about it, most of which turned out to be untrue. "It doesn't go anywhere I want to go," "there's not a station anywhere near me," and "only weird and creepy people take the Metro in LA" to mention just a few. Turns out it's pretty convenient if you are going to a show at Staples Center, and there's a station within walking distance from my apartment.
How many Israelis does it take to buy a TAP card?
You get a TAP card, which is like an Oyster card for those of us who ride the Underground in London. And you fill it up and tap it and go. Pretty easy, although Assaf struggled a bit to get his out. (Pun intended). And for whatever reason it only worked once, so I got in by doing one of those cool jumps over the steel bar that you see in the movies, when there's a chase through a New York street and the killer all of a sudden runs into a subway station. Assaf thought it was overly showy, since there was an open gate to walk through, but my flair for drama and being cool got the best of me. Planking we call it in Swedish. Getting in somewhere without paying.
The ride itself was like any other Metro Ride in any other city I suppose, and lucky for me I got to be right about something - that weird creepy people ride the Metro - when a toothless guy in a wheelchair offered his complete set of rules for how to make a marriage work. As if he had read my mind, he proudly held his hand up, and sure enough, there was a shiny wedding band on his ring finger. "Four years" he exclaimed excitedly, so I figured I should listen to perhaps finally understand what I should have done differently, but alas, there was no new information or special magic trick he knew of that shed light on my marriage failures. Although I did like Number 6, and decided to try it out at least once before I die. "Let the man be right once a month."
Before we got to Staples Center, we had sausages at Wurstküche, which was also a first! People who know me well know that my passion for sausages (hot dogs) knows no bounds, especially in conjunction with sporting or music events. I will proudly mention that my record for most hot dogs eaten in 15 minutes is four Dodger Dogs, which I think is pretty impressive for someone of my size. I could obviously never do that at a Laker game, their wieners are way too big.
Not a first. Not because I've had these before, but because I don't ever want to.
So obviously, this was the perfect thing to do before the show and Wurstküche's sausage selection was different than anything I had ever seen; buffalo, duck, bunny rabbit, alligator and rattle snake, to mention a few of their exotic flavors. I played it safe, ordering a smoked chicken & turkey dog with sun dried tomato & mozzarella. Having worked up a bit of an appetite drinking beer, I enthusiastically sunk my teeth into the sausage, which was loaded with sauerkraut and some other delicious things that I can't remember, but that ultimately contributed to the party taking place in my mouth. A few days later, I had the pleasure of recounting my delicious experience to Tyler, one of the owners of Wurstküche, at a friend's birthday party. He seemed genuinely humbled by my enthusiasm.
Next up. Staples Center for The Black Keys. The third first of the night as I had never seen them live before. We had good seats courtesy of friend and co-worker Shana Stein, who after purchasing her tickets, had been upgraded to fancy seats and backstage visits by and with some very influential friends.
The Black Keys are really really awesome. I love their music. And they looked cool and sang all the good songs. A great time was had, I enjoyed it all thoroughly; drinking beer, singing and dancing. But, I will say - because I'm spoiled when it comes to concerts, having seen some of the most incredible artists in the world play arenas both here and in Europe - that because it's mostly just the two of them on stage, and they don't put on a crazy big show with a lot of cool visuals, or have a stage presence that reaches 20,000 people...that perhaps a smaller, more intimate venue might be a better fit for them. So there was that. But again...great night.
It was cool to not have to find a car, and try to get it out of a packed parking lot after the show, but to just be able to walk to the subway. And plank again. It reminded me of taking the subway to see shows at the Globe Arena in Stockholm growing up. The difference being that on nights that there are shows at the Globe, they have a train coming every minute, so that you don't have to wait. In LA, not so much. We waited a loooong time. And it was hot and clammy and full of hipsters. I've never seen so many women in high waisted short-shorts and heels, and hope I never have to again.
All in all, a great night of firsts. Three to be exact. תודה רבה, Assaf.