Wistful awareness across every part of LA

The lights are still on along Ventura Boulevard heading towards Hollywood.  Billboards loom and storefronts shine in neon. If only there were an audience for this drab spectacle. The energy, the traffic, the crowds are all gone. Only the vacant streets remain, waiting for the actors to return to the stage.

But the thoroughfares have been abandoned. The energy that once crackled along the concrete has eased. The snow-bird tourists, the briskly striding commuters, the obnoxious honking drivers have skittered away.

Look how eerie our landscape has become. The city appears like a rented backdrop in need of a cast and millions of extras. Restlessness and uncertainty lie behind all the closed doors.