ahh... i love LA people

Sunday, June 20, 2004, at 01:59PM

By Eric Richardson

Magilla and I just got back from the Ralphs over on the corner of 3rd and Vermont. It's a little ways from downtown, but it's pretty much the closest thing we've got. The trip back from there is cool because coming into downtown the eastbound lanes split off to become 4th street, which then proceeds both above and below the normal cross streets, not intersecting one until Olive.

But anyway, this post isn't about 4th street, although it does take place there.

So we're on the way back, on 4th, approaching Spring. The light's green, which means we're starting to slow to wait for pedestrians to clear. Crossing toward us on one of those three wheeled mobility scooters is a big black lady, probably in her 60s. We're slowing as we approach the intersection, but she sees us and starts jokingly waving an arm and a leg like "oh no, jump, i'm going to get hit!" As she passed she was having a good-natured laugh, and turning the corner Magilla and I just looked at each other in confusion. And then we both laughed.

That kind of thing needs to happen randomly more often.