The Station

Northrop Grumman
The reason I went to LA was to interview with Northrop Grumman. They do a lot of work for the department of defense. All the Navy's nuclear ships and most submarines are built by Northrop Grumman. They also build aircraft and a laser that can destroy incoming airborne missiles. I visited the Space Technology sector. They construct space telescopes and satellites including the very first nuclear satellite. They're an interesting company because they do a lot of things that no one else does. The opportunities with the company seem endless, and the people are extremely friendly, yet quite professional. They received about 2000 resumes this fall, and selected 107 students to come to the hiring event. For two days we had interviews, facility tours, and numerous opportunities to network with managers. Bruce, the manager that chose me, is a UIUC alum. He's a pretty cool guy who works on composite structures for satellites. It was a different kind of hiring situation. Instead of being asked "why should we hire you?" I was basically asked, "what will it take to get you to work for us?" During a talk with one hiring manager, the conversation somehow got around to him telling me how entertaining it is to chase lobsters around at the bottom of the ocean. Very different, but I enjoyed it. Obviously, it was a success since they offered me a job.

Hollywood impromptu
On Thursday night, despite having three of my four interviews the following morning, me and a student from Purdue went with a local student to Hollywood. I was expecting it to be this glamorous place with snooty clubs and elegant restaurants. I was wrong. Sure, Gruman's Chinese Theater and the Kodak are nice, but most of those stars in the walk of fame are in front of liquor stores and other establishments of a dubious nature. Now that I've seen it though, it makes sense. Don't know why people are so enthralled with it. Never did see the "Hollywood sign," it was always dark when I was nearby.

Santa Monica non-stop
I drove through Santa Monica on my way north, out of the city, on Friday afternoon. I didn't go to the famous pier, but drove down Main Street. There I found a retail district with an interesting store. In the window were all these mechanical gadgets that seemed to have no real function. They looked like something right off of Dumbledore's desk! Unfortunately, that particular establishment is only open on Sundays.

Malibu Sunset
Jeff, one of the managers at Northrop suggested I drive north on Pacific Coast Highway to see some nice scenery. I took his advice, but only got as far as Malibu. The city is 27 miles of shoreline at the bottom of imposing palisades upon which So Cal's elite have built their castles. I parked my rented Cavalier at a state beach. The sand is much darker and coarser compared to Atlantic beaches. Also, 68 degrees and sunny must be too oppressive for the natives since I was the only one there! I also stopped at Zuma Jay's surf shop, where they still hand build surf boards. The kid told me about surfing and also mentioned that it is possible to snowboard and surf in the same day! I bought a sweatshirt from them. On they way back to South Bay, I pulled over to watch the sun set over the ocean as I sat on one of the large boulders that line the roadway.

Navigation systems
I never once got lost. Most of the time I didn't even use a map. God must have been leading me because I ended up in some pretty cool places without even trying. A few words of advice though, avoid the highway! I liked the local roads, though. They afforded me the opportunity to see the neighborhoods and people up close.

Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo Beaches
Driving along the coast, just south of LA, I came to Manhattan Beach. It was the first place I really identified with. The architecture was a little less west coast and the town seemed to have a somewhat Naperville-like appeal. I went into a wine store to pick up something rare for my parents. After the owner, Ron, sold me a bottle with duck on the label, he told me about the area a little. "Manhattan Beach is more sophisticated, and Hermosa Beach is where all the young kids go to get silly."

I didn't feel like getting silly, but Jeff had recommended a jazz/blues club in Hermosa called Cafe Boogaloo. The name alone interested me, so I checked it out. The band wasn't to play for another couple hours, so I didn't stay. I walked around the town and observed that Ron was right, it was a young crowd. In fact, Hermosa reminded me of campustown, but with surf shops and palm trees. I decided to return to Manhattan beach. Before I left, I walked to the end of the pier. Starring out into the inky black mix of night sky and rolling oceanic expanse feels like standing on the edge of the world. A surprisingly strange sensation.

Walking through town again, I ran into Ron in front of his restaurant, the XO Wine Bistro. He invited me in and introduced me to the bartender. I ordered some excellent crab cakes and a California microbrew. Mmm, good stuff. I really should have sampled more seafood while I was on the coast. I started talking to the young guy sitting next to me and he told me he works for Northrop! He told me more about the company and gave me his card so that I could email him if I had more questions. Actually, the next day he was transferring to San Diego and had slacked off on his packing to have dinner and some wine. Apparently, he is good friends with Ron and his business partner, a woman named Charlie. By the time I was finished with dinner, all three of them and the bartender were telling me how great California can be. God really helped me find some great people to talk to. I must say, I was very impressed with how friendly people are on the west coast. I always imagined them being fake and rude, but not so. They're just as down to earth as anyone from the midwest. LA cannot be judged by what is seen in the media.

I also drove around some Redondo Beach neighborhoods, since this is where I would likely live. I really dislike how small and characterless the homes are. It just doesn't appeal to me at all. At night, though, the lights on the hillsides somewhat redeem the lack of enchantment.

To the Valley
The final chore of Friday night was to drive from South Bay through the San Fernando Valley to Sylmar, where my hotel for the evening was located. I didn't realize how big the Valley was, but it took quite a while to reach it and then drive through it. It's quite a site to see all those lights below as you come over the ridge from the LA area.

Magic Mountain
Of course, I couldn't miss So Cal's largest collection of roller coasters, especially when my Six Flags season pass works at Magic Mountain. It was a beautiful day - 70 degrees and sunny. I entered the park at opening time with high hopes of being one of the first to reach "X," their most popular (and most cantankerous) roller coaster. The entrance was not clearly marked however, so I walked right by and halfway around to the back of the park before realizing my error. In the meantime, several hundred people had successfully claimed a place before me in the rapidly elongating line. The operators were dispatching trains at an agonizingly slow pace of one every four minutes (should be every minute). I was getting lonely and anxious to be in a line that moved. Then the ride malfunctioned. I gave them 10 minutes to get it running again. At minute 11, I forfeited my place in line to see the rest of the park. At minute 12, as I was nearly out of the queue completely, I heard the spiteful sound of airbrakes releasing followed by the cheers of those who faithfully remained in line. NOOOOOOO! Gone was my chance to ride "X." However, there were 15 other coasters to ride, and I was still hopeful. Things just got worse, though. The park was very crowded and some coasters were only running one train. I was tired of being there by myself, and after only four coasters in as many hours, I called it quits. Beautiful park, though. Very scenic. And they're not kidding about the "mountain" either. It was difficult just to walk around the park with all the changes in elevation.

Mulholland Drive
On the way back to LA, I took the Mulholland Drive exit because I had heard of this road in songs and movies. At first, I thought it was just some small winding road. Then, after emerging from a wooded area, I was surprised to see that this road winds along the ridge high above the Valley giving an impressive view. I stopped and took pictures, I must have looked like a real dork. I turned around and drove east, passing some extravagant homes, and eventually turning south on Beverly Glenn to head into Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, and UCLA
Before reaching Beverly Hills, I noticed a lot of signs for "star maps" for sale. They tell you where the celebrities live, but I wasn't interested. Really, so what if I know where Cameron Diaz lives? It's not like I can just go ring her doorbell. I drove through some neighborhoods with really tall palm trees lining the streets. I happened across Rodeo Drive so I took it to the famous retail district. It turned into a traffic jam of limousines, so decided to flee the area in favor of the quiet of Manhattan Beach again. On the way back to the highway, I drove past UCLA. Now I know where that is at...

Marina Del Rey, El Segundo, and no war movies
On the way back to Manhattan Beach (yes, I liked it enough to go back) I drove through Marina Del Rey. They have the yachts and such there, along with plenty of charthouses. Must spend more time there if I go back, Culver City as well. I think it was El Segundo that I stopped to walk along the beach and take in another pacific sunset. Nice place, but too near to LAX. After shopping and having dinner at an Irish pub, I drove back to my hotel in hope of catching an old war movie on AMC. The hotel didn't have that channel however, but I did have my choice between the first Harry Potter and Master and Commander. I chose the latter. It was only about 8PM, but I had no energy left.

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