Samantha Page []

CRA staff relax outside their offices on 4th street.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Outside the CRA offices at 354 W. 4th, a group of CRA planners and public affairs people are sitting in a park. They are not actually representing CRA. They are just a group of employees that heard about something cool going on in the neighborhood and wanted to join in. For "legal reasons" CRA is not officially sanctioning this display. (However, for the record, CRA is officially involved in the permitted park on Winston, around the corner).

Richard Bush, of Corona, is relaxing on a bench the CRA employees have put out. He took the train in to LA this morning to check out the Park(ing) Day displays.

"I read blogdowntown to see what I'm missing," he says. "I have to catch a train today by 5:30 to get picked up." His lament is an extension of the issues that Park(ing) Day LA is trying to bring to people's attention. It's not just the city proper that has an unhealthy relationship with cars. If anything, it's even worse in the suburbs, where mass transit isn't as much of an option. Still, I'm glad he was able to take the train in. That's one more parking space still available for me!