Anecdote

It was my second day in LA, and my first major stop on my journey. Up until now, I’d only stopped in places long enough to sleep and grab a bite to eat but this was a time to indulge my curiosities. I still only had one whole day to do all these things so I had to prioritize, but one thing I desperately wanted to see was the Ennis House. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it is an icon of American architecture and constructed in an unusual Mayan style, sometimes referred to as Mayan Revival Architecture. For me, there is an aspect that was far more exciting though. Blade Runner. What is in my opinion the pinnacle of dystopian science fiction, and my favorite movie, has a healthy dose of scenes featuring this house as the residence of the protagonist. Despite being a national landmark, it is still a private residence though, so you can only hope to try and peek through the gate. This was only to be a minor sightseeing stop. After scaling the winding, steep narrow roads of Los Feliz, I was confronted with a bustling scene of contractors. The usually locked gate was wide-open and I asked if it would be OK to walk out onto the balcony to take a picture but the foreman promptly denied me. I stood and watched these people walking in and out, buckets of grout and loaded with lumber, not one of them showed an iota of interest in this breathtaking building.

A testament to architecture is brimming with uninterested people, and the one appreciative soul is made to stand outside. Everything in my trip had been so positive, signaling the changes to come. But this wasn’t in sync at all. I thought about the future I’m chasing, and the situation I was faced with. Freedom from the oppressive thumb of my Uncle, normal consequences suddenly seemed quite boring. Trespassing? I’ve survived worse than that. Let’s analyze this and see what I can do. Keeping with the perpetuation of stereotypes, basically all of the contractors were Latin American. What’s another brown face? I’d have to do...