navigate la
As I sit in the turbulent metropolitan red line a sense of déjà vu passes over me. My body dances back and forth swaying in harmony with the other people occupying my cabin. For many of these people the sudden accelerations, sways, dips, and turns are all expected, every move is anticipated; they do this dance habitually and know how to eloquently shift their body with the expectancy of the next oscillation of the cabin. But for me, the newcomer in this cyclical pattern of travel, I sway awkwardly through the cabin trying painstakingly to not smash into the person on either side of me. The clumsy shuffling of my feet as the track jogs suddenly to the left is what sparks within me a sensation of déjà vu, or rather a reminiscent feeling of a past experience.
My mind has immediately conjured the inclination that I have switched locations. I feel as if I am now traversing the Bay Area Rapid Transit system rather than the Los Angeles Metro. The swaying and rocking of the cabin has brought me back to the memories of my first subterranean experience. Deep within I hope that this train has somehow shifted locations and when I reach the next stop I will be transposed to the Bay Area. Quickly reality settles back within me as we approach MacArthur Park, the stations next stop. As the cabin decelerates and the decrepit and lifeless station comes into view I am filled with disappointment. It is at this moment I realize what I am longing for…
