Expo Line Opening Day

For over 20 years now (since the first Blue Line trains began running in July 1990), LA has steadily built a modern mass rapid transit network practically from scratch. The latest extension to the Metro Rail system is the first segment of the Expo Line, which opened to the public April 28, 2012. Although almost 2 years over its original opening date (and with 2 stations still under construction), it nevertheless marks an exciting westward push toward the Westside of Los Angeles County.
The initial segment of the Expo Line was free and festive that sunny Saturday as I joined thousands of fellow Angelenos to explore. Even before I had boarded the train, I was excited to see the new Metro system map in the station. The Aqua colored line branching off toward the center-left is the new Expo Line. Four years from now, in 2016, this line will extend all the way to the ocean's edge in Santa Monica.

For now I was happy to ride as far west as I could, to the La Cienega station in the Baldwin Hills community. From this elevated station, I could do what had previously been unbelievable- look upon Century City from the platform of a Metro Station. Century City, (the second largest business district and skyscraper cluster in LA after Downtown LA itself), will get it's own Metro station sometime in the future. For now, it was satisfying just to be on a train so nearby.
 From the vantage point of this La Cienega station, I could see Central LA in it's near totality, from West Hollywood's Sunset Strip, to the Miracle Mile area along Wilshire Boulevard to Downtown Los Angeles looming large through the afternoon smog, in the distance above the palm trees.

And of course the entire scene backed by the Santa Monica Mountains, dotted with mansions.

After I had surveyed the vast cityscape, I descended to street level to get sliders from a food truck and listen to the rockabilly/country western band playing on a stage. I reboarded the train heading back toward Downtown LA, and exited at the Expo Park/USC station. Here I saw an impromtu improv group show on a lawn in front of the Fischer fine art museum, and sat in the Rose Garden eating fruit with lime and chile powder while people watching.
 
LA's Rose Garden is an excellent place to see the variety of the city. I was happy to see all kinds of ethnic backgrounds and age groups as well as families and couples, all enjoying the sun and the serenity of the garden, with the lovely and exciting exteriors of the Natural History Museum of LA County
and the California Science Center, as backdrops to the 20,000 rose bushes of the garden. The Expo Line has made Exposition Park more accessible, and made its public space, the "living room" for South LA, a nice southern counterpoint to the historic Plaza of El Pueblo/Placita Olvera on the northern end of Downtown. Many people are quite surprised that this area is in fact South LA (also known informally as "South Central"). And despite efforts to define the Exposition Park/USC area as a southern extension of Downtown LA, doing so would be a great dis-service to the people of the South LA community.

The day was hot and I felt sluggish so I got back on the train to cool down in a movie theater at LA LIVE, the recently completed entertainment complex of sports venues, clubs, theaters, restaurants, bars, and other attractions. While exiting the Metro at Pico Station, I was interested in the perspective of the Downtown skyline, which had shifted to make some buildings more prominent than others, including the US Bank Building (the tallest building in the Western United States), which was barely visible to the right, behind the Aon building (LA's second tallest).
From the LA LIVE cinemas, the perspective of the skyline was futher shifted, with the white 777 Tower and the bronzed TCW building looking prominent.

Heading home on the Metro Red Line later that night, I was pleased to have had a new way to explore, vowing to myself to check out some businesses I had passed along the Expo Line, and very happy to see the city come together in the Rose Garden, as well as the vistas from the La Cienega Station, and as always, different views of the Downtown LA skyline.