My Bombay Beach Adventure

If you have never heard of Bombay Beach, you might think the name would be fitting to a place that is similar to a tropical paradise.  You would be right, except that it no longer is the thriving community that it once was in the mid century.

I've always been curious about the Salton Sea and the surrounding areas and decided to take a visit a few years ago to wander around neighborhoods and see what I could find.  As I turned the corner to the community of Bombay Beach, it was as I imagined it to be.  Very few of the homes are lived in today.  When I visited a few weeks ago, I heard an explosion and once I headed in the direction of the smoke, I noticed that one of the trailers was engulfed in flames.  I asked a passerby what happened and if everyone was ok and he said that the owner crossed the wires to the propane tank, and he's ok...as he walked by me and disappeared around the corner.

I came to visit the town alone with my dog, Max.  At the time of the explosion, we were exploring abandoned homes and walking around the streets.  Because I was in my car near the fire, one neighbor came out and yelled at me to get away.  I decided to drive the car to a safe distance and I parked it while I jumped out and headed to the fire with my camera in tow, not really knowing what I was doing.  My natural instinct was to photograph what was happening at that moment.  Most residents were in their homes with a few people standing around.  I heard sirens as trucks were approaching to help.  Right before the fire truck arrived, I man pulled up and jumped out of his car 50 feet from me and yelled, "hey you!! Better take that camera away!" I slowly put the camera down and ignored him while he was standing there staring at me while making a gesture of his hand slitting his throat then pointing at me.  At this time, I was the only person standing out in the open so I decided it might be best to head back to the car, which I did.

Eventually, the fire was put out and nobody was hurt.  I don't know the entire story of what happened, but I am still intrigued by this area.  After this visit, I watched the documentary, "Bombay Beach" on Netflix.  It portrays life in this area pretty well.  I would recommend it.  Also, Anthony Bourdain took a trip here a few years ago and ate at the Ski Inn.  I have yet to eat there, but I plan to go back.  Believe it or not, I would love to live here for a while to document the neighbors.  In the meantime, here are a few photos from that day.

Life In New York City

Yesterday, I spent the day walking around the city.  I've done it a few times before, but yesterday was a different experience.  What I loved to do best was to sit in a park, on a bench, or a stoop somewhere and just watch people and feel the energy all around.  Of course there are tourist spots and places where locals only go and I hope to do a little of both.

The day was spent in the Bryant Park area and Times Square.  I look forward to doing it all over again today.  Here are a few pictures I took as I wandered around.  To see more, please click HERE.  

Be A Tourist In Your City

Yes, you've heard it before. Of course you know your city, you live there! How dare "they" tell you to tour it some more...

It's easy to get stuck in a rut and not do things that are so close to home. Going to the same restaurants, same places, parks, etc. Yesterday, I spent the day doing something that many tourists do on their trip to Long Beach. I took the Aqualink to the Queen Mary and then to Shoreline Village. I love being on a boat so for me, $5 was fair to spend to have someone take you for a ride across the port without having to clean the boat at the end. If you want to make it really special, they also sell snacks and drinks for the quick 20 minute tour.

As for me, I started snapping away before we even left the harbor. I was so excited to be on a boat! The boat left at noon with me and one other passenger on board (shown above). I stood outside the entire time snapping away at everything...the water, the oil islands, boats, buoys, houses, and the shoreline. It was a bit hazy outside but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Once I arrived at my destination, I walked around Shoreline village for over an hour watching people. You can't help but put a smile on your face when you sit in the sun, watching the water and observing people enjoying the day. Even though I have been to this place many times before, I saw it in a different light yesterday. We are lucky to have such nice weather right now so it was a shame not to get outside.

I will be touring different places in the area and sharing it with you. Here are some pictures I took of my afternoon of being a tourist in my hometown. I hope you find something new in your town that you haven't seen before.







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