no artwalk like norwalk
Dan Caroselli
A middle-aged cultural tourist from Palo Alto has just arrived at Union Station, downtown Los Angeles. The year is 2030--and he has stepped out of a blue and yellow bullet train.
He eyes the Metro map in front of him.
Should I head out to LACMA on the purple?Meh, they had the same Joaquin Phoenix retrospective in SF last week. Culver City on the aqua? Heard its all condos now.. Chinatown on the gold? As if that was still relevant.. hmm.. Norwalk? Where did I read about that? oh, right… New Yorker. Could that really be an art capital? Down… there?
Our intrepid traveler takes a chance and spends the 5 bucks and 5 minutes, during which he checks his reputation online. One of his friends has seen that he is headed to Norwalk, and his points have gone up. “Ldygagadyd4u likes this!” Stepping out of the train, he is immediately blinded by the sun. He comes to, only to find a trolley waiting in front of him. The young driver tells him it’s from the old Grove mall.. can you believe they were just throwing it out?
Gliding aside old car parts and industrial spaces converted into workspaces, he catches glimpses of fascinating projects taking shape inside. He passes old bungalows—some perfectly restored, others a jumble of color and curios—making his way to Front street. Miraculously, there’s a sizeable crowd already mulling about the storefronts, wandering onto and off of the street. He steps off, and immediately is glad he came. After all, there’s no art walk like Norwalk.
Aaron Baseman
Aaron Baseman
