Loving L.A.

Last week The Hubby and I were in downtown Los Angeles to see Lovely Daughter #2 be officially inducted into City Year.

After the ceremony was over, the three of us walked a few blocks to lunch. I was struck by how beautiful parts of my city are.

Honestly? I hadn't seen this area from the street, on foot, for 20 years. When I used to work downtown, most of these buildings were just holes in the ground, filled with earth movers and ugly rebar-and-cement pilings. Now, this area is modern, verdant, and very pedestrian friendly. Here are some of my favorite shots.

A long, low, almost-still fountain with an "infinity" edge, eastern side, looking west:

The same fountain, partway down. What a cool, shady place to sit and contemplate the water:

The western edge of the fountain, looking back toward the east:

This lively fountain reminds me of the Egyptian step pyramids:

I love how the window frames of this building make a network of curves as they move away from its rounded edge:

A closeup of the same building, reflecting one of its neighbor high-rises:

Another version of the same:

Here's a handsome outdoors sculpture:

I love the differing lines in this photo--circles, verticals, diagonals, and random squiggles made by the bushes:

These guys all look like they're leaning their heads together and having a tete-a-tete:

We ended up at the Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels, the official seat of the Catholic Archdiocese in L.A. This is Robert Graham's monumental statue of Mary, above the main entrance to the cathedral:

I love how the artist made her looks young and strong and not any one race in particular, but a wonderful mixture of all types. What a powerful symbol of strength and beauty.

Kind of like my city.