(08.01.08) Recommends:

Admitting That Driving In Los Angeles, Though We're Convinced It's Giving Us Ulcers, Still Occassionally Makes Us Happy.

Those who do not live or spend a significant amount of time in Hollywood probably think of it as a very glitzy and glamorous place. And there are certainly places in Hollywood -- e.g., the area around Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. -- that give off what one might presume to be the Hollywood Feel (even though we imagine when people think they're thinking of Hollywood they're probably actually thinking of either Beverly Hills or the Sunset Strip in the incorporated city of West Hollywood, neither of which are Hollywood The District). So a dirty local secret is that Hollywood - the Physical District as opposed to Hollywood - the Idea is, not necessarily dirty, but very utilitarian, with lots of non-descript big box buildings that house the sets and stages that create the glitzy and glamorous images. Hollywood is where the sausage is made and we're told from the time we're Very Young that one need not see where the sausage is made.

The point of this story is that often times we find ourselves driving around Hollywood, in the shadows of cavernous yet unmarked buildings and wondering what is going on inside. And then other times we find ourselves driving around Hollywood, stopped by a red light at the intersection of Bronson Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd. only to turn our heads to see these gigantic tiki head statues. There's usually about a dozen of them. Just lined up neatly along the side of the road. As if it's completely normal to see gigantic tiki heads on the way to work. "There's the neighborhood coffee shop, newsstand, tiki head statues." With little tiki head statue seat belts (which are supposed to defy inertia but we have our doubts).




We see these once or twice a week. Whenever we see them we think of the episodes of the Brady Bunch when the family goes to Hawaii. For some reason we also always think of the Price is Right. But mostly they just always cause us to giggle -- partly because they're gigantic and funny looking, partly because it reminds us that we're just country folk from Kansas now living among tiki-heads and weirdos in Hollywood.