Downtown's Coffee Sipping Rats

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Today's First Thing Friday post at LA Observed links to a post by Peggie Archer about Downtown rats drinking coffee.

Tonight, I left my light* for a few minutes to pee and make a sandwich (not simultaneously). When I came back, I saw a really big rat.

A really big rat perched on the arm of my camp chair (with nifty built-in cupholder), daintily sipping my coffee (I still can't figure out how he got the plastic lid off the cup).

In case you were wondering, flapping your hands and yelling "Shoo!" does not frighten rats in downtown Los Angeles - in fact, it barely makes them look up from their coffee.

We do have some big ones. Saturday night my roommates and I were walking back from the Broadway Bar. We were coming up Spring just south of 7th when we saw a large rat dart out into the roadway and instantly be crushed by the wheel of a passing car. It was quite a loud thump. I thought about going out into the street to take a picture, but didn't. I laughed for a bit, though.