The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-10


fore, which | had been rushing to
make, she was to sail on the 31st.
This meant that we would not have
to rush up the coast, and could go
about bit and see California. WE'LL
we saw little bit of it and from
what we did see I've got to admit
Pm strong for Los Angeles. They
call it the land of sunshine and flow
ers-which is only because they don't
know how to use adjectives. It's
simply TIC garden spot of the United
States and it's the only place | saw
in the entire trip coming across coun-
| try where I'd want to live in prefer
ence to Vermont
The first thing which struck me on
entering Los Angeles was the public
dump, The Standard Oil tanks, q
couple of rendering companies, a rail
road yard and business street out.
side the station that looked about like
Water street in Troy, New York. In
deed, 1t seeme ed uncanny in the days
we subsequently spent there, how
very like Troy the business section Of
Los Angeles appeared to US. Like
many other American cities, you
seem TO enter it from the back door
and it's good thing my first i'm
presslons OF the place weren't lasting.
1t was a far cry from the view of
those railroad yards and Standard Oil
tanks n the early hours of misty
h..
hanging complacently over the fronds
and palm trees of Westlake Park
lIater that same evening. 1t was like
being transported in a day from Ben
Inington Falls to Paradise.
came out of the picturesque
brown stucco station of the Santa Fe
and headed for the business station
through bedlam of cabmen who
wanted to meet the higher cost of liv
ing somehow. The first persons
looked around for we're Charley
Chaplin srC; Douglas Fairbanks for
I'd always understood that to get off
the train and walk up a street in Los
Angeles was to bust into three movie
"sets" to the block But | found the
movie business delusion and
snare. / never saw a soul heave a
custard pie in all the time [ hung
around the place-much less get in
the pathway Of one myself. Some
how | felt buncoed. The wife and
I, when we wanted to see movies in
the making, had to go hunting for
them in q street car-and even then
we didn't find them. We went out
to Hollywood and Universal City
and all VIC saw was buildings about
like you ca? see coming into Roches
ter, New York, with the big sign
across the front labeled, to wit:
PANTS. Not a crazy automobile
ran over Us; not single white-faced
acrobat laid down in front of our
trolley and removed himself in time
to save being mince-meatted. You
pay your money for your movies in
Los Angeles just like you do any
other place. When you hear that
story about looking for a camera
every time you see the fire companies
coming out, don't you believe it. It's
German propaganda to get you to
come to Los Angeles and spend your
money-instead of buying Thrift
Stamps. CHATS about as bad in the
joke line that I can think of today,
being somewhat custardpie-like my
self for obvious reasons.)
Yes, you folks who've been to
Troy, n. Vas far as the city itself
goes, the two are much alike. It's in
: the cool Of the evening far out in the
residential districts that you see the
soul of Los Angeles. Bungalows
palm trees-gardens and flowers |!
There's no other burg in the country
that can equal them. And when l
saw the tropical moonlight white
over the sensuous foliage and the
wierd palm trees against the stars
and one of her dreamy lakes lying
beneath that moonlight as clear as
glass and heard lot of ukalele play
ers drumming in accord with song
e which fo&ted across to the land, it
S seemed as if I'd been carried back
a just for one evening to the land of
I Once Upon-a-T Time. 1t was only
California under the moonlight yet
0 it's worth the trouble and expense to
n travel aill know. Florida is cheap
q sideshow compared with it.
: You come into the city on the
o south. The main residential section
I is northward. To the south is
: eighteen miles of fiat monotonous
n country and then you pull in to Long
e Beach. This is a summer resort
IT about like Revere Beach in Boston
l. excepting that it is a town by itself
o and has many fine residences anc
: some big hotels. 1t takes forty min.
le utes to go out there on the trolley
l. There's one thing l want to put
st you eastern folks right about anc
2 that's this hot-air art about what i
e costs to live in California During
se the past two months / have Travelled
u 1900 miles in 13 states, commencing
II with Vermont and heading steadil!
westward; and paid the current price
st for stuff-for everything from hote
bedroom tn a ham sandwich. An,
ID sorry as | am to say it, | paid highe
I'd prices for things in New England
a Rox1, VoxI- a1J Az aoe+ of Hl,;ooo.