Follow My Bliss: The Women's March in Los Angeles January 21, 2017

Although the focus of the day was the Women's march in Washington, many people attended the hundreds of "sister marches" that occurred around the US and the globe. The following is what I experienced marching with my friends and family. It was a feeling and an experience which I will never forget. An exhilerating day of unity and solidarity with so many across the nation and the world.

The plan was to meet at 6:50 at my house and drive with my cousin Nancy and my friends Lynda, Sherri, Donna, Fran, and Judy to the metro station in Long Beach. Everyone arrived as planned and soon we were ready to ride the rails to downtown Los Angeles.

On our way...

End of the blue line and exiting to the street level 7th and Hope

We are waiting for my sister Jocelyn and her husband Vicente to arrive with their friends Alison and Al.

We make a short stop at 7th and Grand (Bottega Louie pastisserie and restaurant) en route to Pershing Square.

We spot Joce and friends across the street

All hats knit by Jocelyn for Vicente, Joce and Nancy

We head to Pershing Square for the beginning of the march the time now around 9:00 a.m.

The Same Same sisters ready to march with Vicente

This is the intended route to march from Pershing Square to the City Hall and back to Pershing Square. We situated ourselved at the first bottom red arrow in the middle of the block on 6th street between Olive and Hill.

We met up with our friend Kay.

Vicente and Joce with their friends Al, Alison and Jack

A beautiful chilly but sunny day in downtown.

from our comfortable vantage point on the sidewalk of 6th street we watched people arriving...we were early so we had a comfortable position with plenty of room on the sidewalk.

Directly above us was this guy perched on a ledge watching the people below

The atmosphere was joyous, friendly and peaceful...

many signs depicting varied political stances...

The crowd in front of us and in back of us grows larger by the minute. At it approaches 10:00 we find ourselves now wedged into a huge human gridlock.

I see my friend Etsu with her cousin Betty

in front of them my friend Jenny

I am feeling what a sardine must feel crammed into a small can. We cannot move. It is a sea of bodies as far as the eye can see.

In this group the diversity is vast. Every race, age, height and girth represented.

Looking upwards the guy in the window now has friends joining him.

Below we have held our position having not moved in more than an hour. The march was supposed to begin at 10 and it is now 10:35 and we hear from a few people squeezing by us that they have come from the corner and the streets are filled with people so much so that there is no place to go further. Our little group decided to retreat but now we are like salmon swimming up stream. We must face the masses and go the other way. A big, difficult challenge for our group of six.

We make our way back to "Bottega Louie" by 11:45. It has taken us a little more than an hour to inch our way two blocks. With no telephone service we are biding time to get in touch with my cousin Nancy, sister Jocelyn and her husband as we have become separated hours ago.
We are fortunate the restaurant has a table for us and we are feeling relieved to sit and relax away from the huge crowds. Later we will come to learn the crowds never moved. The crowd of more than 750,000 people far exceeded the expected numbers in attendance. All surrounded streets of the appointed venues were immobilized because of the number of people. So in fact, we had made a wise choice to go against the crowds and head back. Once we were seated and within minutes we could see hoards of people walking by the restaurant heading toward the metro station. Very soon a line formed for tables to the now full restaurant.

Bottega Louie holds many treats...

our group of happy marchers ready for food and drink

Time to toast to Peace and Love and Equality for All.

We finally reach our friends Karen and Jo and they are able to meet up with us for awhile

Nancy texts us. She is able to join us at the restaurant. Time for coffee and some macaroons and a chance for us to reflect on the wondrous experience we have all shared.

The metro was packed but fortunately we were able to find seats on our ride home to Long Beach.

My family and friends marched with me in various parts of the United States as did supporters around the world.

my grand-daughter Sofia and her mom and dad marched in Columbia Missouri

my friend Mitra at the L.A. march

Cousin Pati and friends in Montpellier Vermont. She said "You should have heard the crowd roar when Bernie Sanders got up to speak!"

My niece Celina with her sister Rosie.

Arial view of downtown Los Angeles march

My friends who marched in L.A. Ana

Kim

Cousins Lisa and her daughter Emma

friend in Washington D.C. Sara

As we stood shoulder to shoulder in the massive crowds the chanting around us resounded:
"What does Democracy look like?"
and the crowds all around us yelled:
"THIS is what Democracy looks like!"

These pictures tell it all!

Los Angeles