1: Union Station, Downtown L.A.

1: Union Station, Downtown L.A.
Designed by: Los Angeles Music and Art School
Piano type: Full upright
Playability: Good
Weather: Indoors
How I got here: Metro Gold Line

I spent the greater part of the evening of Wednesday, April 11 in Pasadena, at KPCC radio's Crawford Family Forum complex, attending a panel discussion, "Views on '92" on the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots, which are being commemorated at the end of this month. The week previous, I had attended a focus group as part of the same 1992 Riots anniversary program, it was important to me as I had witnessed the fires first-hand in my own neighborhood.

Because the venue was in close proximity to a Metro station, I took the Metro Red and Gold Lines to the event. On my journey home, after disembarking the Gold Line train and walking down the pedestrian tunnel at Union Station en route to the subway, I saw it:

I thought this thing wouldn't start until tomorrow. But here it was, open and accessible. Should I do it?

It said, "Play me, I'm Yours..." after all.

I admit I was a tiny bit hesitant. Which was soon quelled by the fact that I'm probably one of the first people to play this thing. But being that it was pushing 11:30 p.m.,  I played some mellow improvised chordal stuff for the passengers kicking back in the large 1939-era station chairs. I'd been busy the whole week, I never had the opportunity to play music, until right now! 

Being this was already a curious sight for the sitting passengers and the contant flow of late night commuters passing through the station, people passed by and took pics/video. Waiting passengers asked, "What song was that?" One woman was so grateful for hearing the music, she gave me a kiss (an innocent one on the forehead, that is). Another guy came up, and I asked him if he played. He said yes, and so I gave him a chance to try out the piano, and he played some Brazilian ballads and an Air Supply song. He told me he was spending the night at the station, waiting for the next train to Lancaster early in the morning.

If this thing was meant to initiate human interaction, then, it's working already!

One person spent a good amount of time taking video of me on his cameraphone. So I handed him my digital camera and asked to have a pic and video of myself:





Union Station is a place where journeys begin and end. So here, I just hopped on for a journey that will last for the next three weeks. All aboard!