Westwood Village, California

After graduating from the University of Hawaii with a BA in Sociology in 1968, I flew to Los Angeles, California to live with a girlfriend. We resided in a very nice, modern one bedroom apartment in Westwood Village, which was located near UCLA. We slept on two twin beds and shared a bathroom and kitchen. There were sliding glass doors in the living room. The apartment was fully furnished, and the rent was quite reasonable.

I was employed as a secretary at the Powell Library at UCLA. The salary was adequate for my daily needs. I made friends at work, but lost track of them after I left the state.

Me on the UCLA campus in 1968, age 22:

I got involved in the presidential campaign of Eugene McCarthy, who was opposed to the Vietnam War and wanted a swift end to it by withdrawing American troops. I disseminated leaflets and tried to get people to sign a petition to have McCarthy nominated on the Democratic ticket. I was there at the airport to hear McCarthy give a pep talk to his campaign workers. He was quite dashing. Unfortunately, he did not prevail, and Hubert Humphrey was chosen as the Democrat to run against the Republican candidate, Richard Nixon. Nixon ultimately won the election. I was unable to vote in the 1968 election, because I had not registered to vote, since I was a transient and not a permanent resident of California or Hawaii.

I dated a white man, who was involved in the McCarthy campaign. He certainly loved to talk, maybe too much. But, he was cute, blond, blue eyed, and trim. Not my type, though.

I attended a concert by the famous sitar player, Ravi Shankar, at the Hollywood Bowl. It was lovely to sit out in the open with the starry sky above us.

I also enjoyed Middle Eastern cuisine, loving every morsel of the grilled lamb shish kebabs I ordered at a sidewalk cafe.

I also visited Disney Land twice with friends. The topiaries, costumes, and rides were amazing. Quite thrilling, actually.

But, the smog got to me. It was difficult to breathe, and my throat hurt with every breath of air.

I stayed in Westwood Village for 2-1/2 months, and then flew to San Francisco, California to live.

Map of Los Angeles, California:

Westwood Village:

Hollywood Bowl:

UCLA:

Disney Land:

David and I visited Los Angeles sometime during the early 1990s. We drove through Westwood Village, which had not changed much. We saw the TV night show host, Jay Leno, perform in his studio in Burbank. That was quite memorable.

The entire Los Angeles county is an interesting place to visit, but I would not want to live there. Too much smog, too spread out geographically, not compact, and just not my type of culture. Too Hollywood.

I have many friends and relatives, who live in Los Angeles. They seem to love it there.