City Watching

View Out Our Window Looking North Up Main Street

City watching is my new hobby.

It is a term I have given to the activity of staring out our beautiful windows, spying on people to make it sound sexy and less creepy.  Although downtown Los Angeles will never compare to the flow of humanity in Manhattan, our surrounding streets are full of city hustle and bustle.

Some of the hustle and bustle consists of homeless individuals.  Well, the interesting hustle and bustle consists of homeless people.  Although I feel more uncomfortable "watching" the homeless people and drug addicts than the other individuals, I do not feel bad enough to stop city watching.

For instance, one homeless man particularly intrigued me earlier today. Directly below my window he began laying out his blanket under a tree.  At first, I though well that is an interesting place to post up for the evening. Then he began to unroll his possessions, reorganize the three items he had and fold up his life back into a blanket hobo bag.  He was only missing the stick from the old movies.

Sitting in my "tower" watching someone whose whole life is wrapped into a small square of a blanket and lives on the streets truly puts life into perspective (and saddens my heart).  Such city watching heightens the gratitude of the life I have... It also makes me wonder how we as a society allow other individuals to live like this...Or what an individual can do to help those who truly want to help themselves...

View Below  at Night