Edition:
June 16, 2006
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Teen Reporter
There’s something about the urban feel of a city that makes it just as beautiful as nature to me. It’s the graffiti and the old buildings, and even the litter and cracked pavement. It’s that sense of knowing it’s “lived in” that makes the city unique. It’s the personality, or the many different personalities, that emanate from the city. The cool thing about living near LA, or any big city for that matter, is you can visit another country and not even have to pay for airfare. The personalities are formed from these small areas, these cities within cities, that are tucked away and totally unique.
Originally, we didn’t know how to get to Chinatown, so my dad didn’t even feel like going. But my mom and I wanted to go so badly that we ended up convincing my dad to drive there. I must tell you, it was well worth it. Chinatown is full of crazy little shops and really great restaurants. There were restaurants with ducks hanging in the windows and there were shops filled with bright and colorful Chinese decorations. On top of that, it probably isn’t as crowded as the real China, and it is much closer.
Despite the delicious authentic food and the video stores that only sold Chinese action movies, it wasn’t much of a cultural experience. It was, however, a fun experience. We walked around the little markets and in and out of shops that sold everything from jewelry to swords. Some stores even sold little turtles . . . real ones. I wanted one, but then I remembered I can barely take care of my goldfish. My brother, Dylan, on the other hand, wanted a big ninja sword so he could “hang it in his room.” But really, he wanted it so he could play with it around the house and scare me.
I really enjoyed going to Chinatown. It wasn’t a place where I could plug in my ipod and walk around with indifference. Chinatown was alive, and I had to pay attention to everything. I had to pay attention to the free samples of Boba drinks, which I didn’t try and still don‘t know what they are made of. I had to pay attention to, and laugh at, these crazy pointy shoes my mom and I found. I had to pay attention to my dad having a really hard time eating with chopsticks.
At the end of the day, we all came away stuffed with Vietnamese food and cheesy tourist stuff. I got some great pictures too. Like I said, it wasn’t like going to China. But it wasn't like being in LA. It was new and it was exciting, even if all we did was walk around. It was like leaving home without actually leaving and getting to experience something completely unique.
This week, I figured instead of writing about how there’s no more school, I would write about my trip to Chinatown in LA. There are quite a few reasons for my topic change, but mostly it’s because everyone in this entire area knows it is now summer vacation. That is unless, of course, you have been away in a different country like Zimbabwe or something. We all know it, so for me to summarize our feelings in this article would be a little redundant. Plus, Chinatown is different, and it's infinitely more fun to write about.
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