The rest of the photos from the Union Station day. This is the only time I went to a place specifically to shoot for the project. I could have spent all day there, each photo tells its own story, each person is there waiting for something or someone. The picture of the bride isn’t exactly about waiting, but the image was so compelling I had to include it.
Mother and Son, Union Station, Los Angeles. May 2013
As the project progressed, I developed “rules” for the game. The photos had to be taken with the iPhone. I had to use the Hipstamatic app and the photos had to be in black and white. It had to be a waiting room in which I found myself, and at first, I strove to photograph only empty rooms. We were downtown for lunch one day and decided to break the last two rules by going to Union Station to shoot the beautiful art deco main waiting lounge. Of all the photos I took that day, this one stood out as the best of the lot. The woman and son wait for their train, he dwarfed by the huge overstuffed chairs. She rests warily, her foot on her duffel bag lest someone try to snatch it, leaning as close as she can to her son, still protecting him in her sleep. The activity of the other people swirls around her as she finds a moment of repose in the hectic station. I will post the rest of the select photos in a gallery post to come.
This is where Jake received treatments for his back. The USC Spine Center east of Downtown LA. We were there for his first treatment early in the morning of April 15. There wasn’t a soul in the huge waiting room. It was kinda eerie. While he was getting treated with an injection to his spine, I took these photos and several more. There are dozens of little waiting areas scattered throughout hospital along with larger rooms. When you go to USC, plan to wait for a while, wherever you are. If you look closely at the TV on the wall, notice it is reporting on the Boston Marathon bombing that had happened just hours earlier. Odd how one can capture a bit of history inadvertently. We went back several times for more treatments, but the waiting area was always teeming with people. In these photos, the space waits expectantly for the rush of people that will fill it in just a few moments.
At some point in each of our lives, a doctor will prescribe a medication for us. That means you have to go to the pharmacy to pick up the filled prescription. Happens I have a few prescriptions I take regularly, so I am a frequent filler. At least once a month I make the trip for refills; I have spent an inordinate amount of time in the pick-up line at our local CVS, and other nearby pharmacies. At CVS they have the actual pick-up line, marked by a carpeted red arrow on the floor, and, if you want to wait while they count the pills into the bottle, the waiting area, which doubles for the pharmacy and the “Minute Clinic”. At the Minute Clinic you can wait to get flu shots, wait while your kid gets a physical for sports or summer camp, or wait to have a Physicians Assistant or RN treat any number of minor ailments. Of course timing is everything, some days the line stretched halfway down the isle. Having a 24 hour pharmacy is handy for those 2 AM pickups so you can avoid the wait altogether.
Chili John’s is an institution. They serve authentic all-meat Texas style chili. and have been on the same corner in Burbank since 1946. They make their chili with beef, beef suet, chile, and spices – no tomatoes, no beans, no corn, no BS. You sit at the U-shaped counter which encircles the center island with its steaming vats of chili – beef or chicken, spicy or medium. You can have it over beans, spaghetti, or hot dogs. I was there for the first time in April to meet a friend, Anne, to talk about a screenplay I had written. I did her a favor a few weeks earlier, and she, ever gracious and generous, was returning the favor by giving me some suggestions about my work. Anne is an accomplished screenwriter and director, and I was grateful for her time and input. I took these two photos while I was waiting for her, and could never decide which one I liked best. (Seeing them side by side, I think I prefer the one on the right. What do you think? ) Oh, I had original spicy beef over beans with some chopped onions and oyster crackers. Soupy, greasy, spicy, and eminently satisfying.
Who doesn’t love getting their car fixed? These three shots were taken at a Chrysler dealership that is no longer there. We took T.’s 300 to have a new radiator installed. The old one blew out on the freeway, but with our extended service contract, it was all covered. It is a great car, aside from the persistent rattles in the dashboard, great for touring. We bought it in 2005 after renting one for two summer’s worth of family vacations on Kauai. We had a chance to really put it through its paces, and we liked the car, so when it came time to replace her Acura Legend, the Chrysler was a natural choice. We opted for the V-8 hemi. Yeah, I know, not fuel efficient, but what a blast to drive. While waiting for the service rep, I discovered several waiting areas. I guess Buerge Chrysler-Ford expected that you would be waiting a while for your car, no matter where you were on the lot. Like most car dealers, they have coffee and drinks for you and plenty of reading material in the waiting room. They provided a rental car for the two days it took, and the repair went off without a hitch. She still has the car. 11 years old and it looks and drives like new.
This is one of my personal favorites. Something about the minimalist decor and the expectant angle of the chairs. Taken during the first month of the project. Another doctor’s office, this time my cardiologist for a regular check-up. I have been coming here since before my bypass surgery nearly 15 years ago. That adventure is a story unto itself, suffice to say the operation was a success. Dr. Fallon is one of the best in town, and has referred us to many extraordinary doctors over the years. Both my wife and I literally owe our lives to her.
Acupuncturist’s Office, Marina Del Rey. April 2013
Over the years I have sought acupuncture treatment for a variety of ailments. While not a waiting room per se, this chair in the doctor’s office is specifically for a patient to wait in while the doctor is with another patient. The office has a tranquil atmosphere, each treatment always started with a cup of tea, and Dr. Hsien has a very calming and reassuring air. You can see the doctor’s desk in the corner with another chair for the patient to sit in while talking to the doctor. This chair is only for waiting. To the left of the chair is a doorway with a beaded curtain that leads to the treatment area. I was getting treated for hip and back issues. At the time Jake was living at home and we both saw the doctor once or twice a week for many of the same things. Like father, like son. Jake primarily for his back pain and to help with anxiety. In addition to the traditional needles and hot cupping, Dr. Hsien would attach electric wires to the needles for deep muscle stimulation. I had never experienced anything like it before. Overall, his treatments were very effective, we always emerged calmer and more relaxed. While I no longer see Dr. Hsien, he is still there in his small two-room office in the Marina.
Everybody needs to get their hair cut. By April, I was well into the waiting room project, and began to look for these spaces, and the best photograph, rather than having the image come upon me. I took several shots of these chairs from different angles before deciding on this one. Lincoln Barbers is a no-frills place with cinder block walls and a concrete floor. Most of the barbers are young Latino men, many with tattooed necks and close-shaven heads. Three years ago, the haircuts were cheap, and you could get an old-fashioned hot towel shave for 15 bucks. My guy, Steven, was a polite 24-year old who gave me a great haircut. You can see him in the mirror with his back turned. I began going to Lincoln when I worked down the street the year before, and liked the experience so I continued to patronize them. I took Jake there a couple of times, and he hit it off with Steven, who was the same age. Jake wasn’t with me this day, it was just another haircut. I got to know Steven a little, he had overcome some adversity to get to where he was, and his dream was to open his own shop. He had plans to do so, and told me about them right after I took this shot. I have more to say about Steven in a later post, so stay tuned.
This is the waiting area next to the bar at the Empress Pavilion, what was once our go-to Dim Sum restaurant. We would often go there with Jake on a Sunday for lunch. It is a huge place with a cavernous dining room that was packed with noisy diners nearly every day. On a busy Sunday, you might wait an hour for your table. Red-jacketed ladies pushed steaming carts, laden with towers of gleaming silver steamers filled with translucent dumplings, to and fro between the tables. Har Gow, Chicken with Pine Nuts, Gai Bao, Rice Noodle with Fish, Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf, Chicken Pies, Fun Quor, these were some of our favorites. Many of our best times with Jake revolved around food and eating.
In our family, food is more than just something to eat. It is a creative expression, an act of love. We cooked with Jake from the earliest age, and there are some wonderful stories that involve Jake and the kitchen. He ended up going to culinary school and worked in some of the best restaurants in Venice for a while. Sadly, the Empress closed a couple of years ago due to rising overhead. It has re-opened recently but is only a shadow of its former glory. Its closing propelled us on a quest to find a replacement. We traversed the LA area from Redondo Beach to the San Gabriel Valley, and finally found our new favorite, Ocean Seafood right down the street from the Empress in downtown L.A.
The Waiting Room Project 