I Am A Student - A Field Trip to Angelino Heights

I remember when I was in elementary school at St. Patrick's Catholic School in Kent, OH I always envied the kids who were the "Publics," those kids attending public school.  I was jealous because they went on Field Trips.  With green eyes I would watch their school bus pass by on their way to the zoo or a museum...someplace in the neighboring big city of Cleveland and I longed to be with them!

Well, a while ago, as students "of a certain age" Jay and I joined our Omnilorean Learning-in-Retirement classmates on a Field Trip.  Once a year we have the opportunity to venture on a walking tour to someplace in our big city of Los Angeles.  The day is planned and led by our wonderful, John Taber.  Over the years John, a seasoned walker/hiker has exposed us to the history and various sites of our city.  This time we were going to see the area of Angelino Heights one of the oldest neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Getting there was half the fun!  Because we come from various parts of the South Bay, because the freeways and parking can be such a nightmare and because part of the adventure is getting there, we take public transportation, mainly using the Los Angeles Metro Rail system.  We started out from various points and met at the junction point of Wilmington Station.

Jay with others at Wilmington Station Junction

Then we rode the Blue Line to the Seventh Street Station, changed to board the Red Line to the Pershing Square Station where, after a "potty stop," we caught a local bus that deposited us in Angelino Heights.

John has always walked the tour in advance and done extensive research on what he is going to show us.  This time he had "tour guide in training," Dennis Eggert accompany him on his dry run and assist in the day's outing.

Dennis explaining something to the group.

We started at the old Fire Station where John shared the history with us.

John relating the history.

Andrea, Steve, Berthe, Jim and Janet.

From there we walked toward our real destination, the old historical Victorian homes that look down on the city.

We had all heard of Carroll Avenue but most of us had never seen it before.  So while we did not have to hold hands with our "buddies" we did make a rag-tag looking bunch of senior scholars as we ambled down the street to get a closer look at each of the houses.

We did not walk single file, nor with partners!

One home owner saw us ogling through the iron fence and she invited us in to her backyard for a closer look.

Viewing one home-owner's back yard.

It was a fantastic, clear day and we enjoyed seeing these homes.

We don't care to bring brown bag lunches so Dennis had located a restaurant where we hoped to stop for a bite but due to the lunchtime crowd they were unable to accommodate us. So being resourceful, we regrouped, checking a map that Jay had brought with him for an alternative destination.

We ended up taking a bus to the old Angel's Flight Landmark funicular, newly opened for use again, and rode the smallest railway in the world up to the California Plaza.

Riding the Angel's Flight funicular.

California Plaza

Here we ate our purchased lunch alongside the beautiful rooftop gardens and pools

and were even treated to an impromptu concert by a young man who sat down at the outdoor piano.

After lunch we headed back to the Metro Station at Pershing Square where we posed for a group picture.

The Motley Crew!

We returned home, tired and happy from spending the day with old friends, making new friends and seeing a unique part of the Los Angeles...a great Field Trip! Good news...we do not have to write a report on it for class tomorrow.

 It is never too late to have a happy childhood!