After driving through Los Angeles on the 405, I get really really neurotic. I decided the only way to relax is to go back in time to a world free of crazy drivers and gridlock. In the 1930's, I would have taken the "Red Car", the trolley line which ran out to Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro every weekend during the hot summer months. I would go to the bathhouse, rent a swimsuit and a towel for ten cents and dive into the cold Pacific.
After my swim, I would go back to the bathhouse and take a hot shower; then grab the picnic basket I brought with me and go back to the beach for an afternoon in the sun.
This beautiful Mediterranean-style bathhouse is still being used today. It was declared a historic landmark in 1989. Of course, you can no longer rent towels and swimsuits, but the showers and bathrooms are still free and last week while I was there, loads of people were using them.
While I was taking pictures, an old woman walked out of the bathhouse in a bright red swimsuit and yellow bathing cap. I followed her to the beach, intending to ask her permission to photograph her, but she ran into the water before I could catch up. I bet she is one of those legendary Cabrillo Polar Bears. She looked so at ease in the water. Thirty years from now, that is going to be me. Ninety-years-old and swimming in the ocean. Every single glorious day.
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