June 21, 2015 Metro-rail station MacArthur Park
MacArthur park is the oldest park of LA and was one of LA’s most popular outdoor retreats a century ago. During the 1980s it became the place for immigrants who fled from civil wars in Central America, to learn how to get around in LA and also to get a false ID or, in the 1980s, to become a gang member. Although parts of the neighborhood has gentrified, the adjoining streets are still packed with street vendors, homeless people and families shopping around. The park is the busiest and liveliest one I have seen in LA until now. Even the metro has a certain vibe of “hanging out.” I assume you could still call MacArthur Park an “arrival city” (Dough Saunders).
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