Across the California desert I drove, and through the tangled freeways of the Los Angeles suburbs. With time to kill, I took the off-ramp to Long Beach and pulled out the camera. My first targets were the two major office buildngs, one covered with blue and orange glass and the other a grid of small cubic windows. My attention then turned to a stylish residential complex next to where I had parked. Exploring that, I came across a whole other area of interest that was obscurred by the fashionable apartment-condominiums.

Before me, my eyes caught glimpse of the Long Beach Convention Center and the cluster of small shops at the Pike. I quickly maneuvered my car down into this area, parked and started walking around. The Pike, which I gather used to be an old amusement park, still carried signs of its former life, particularly by way of a structure that mimics the old roller coaster that was once on this site. Now, the Pike is a shopping complex, with restaurants and a motion picture theater.