ENDEAVOUR MOVES THROUGH MY OLD NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR INCHED ITS WAY THROUGH MY OLD NEIGHBORHOOD THIS MORNING AND IS NOW WAITING IN THE PARKING LOT OF OUR LOCAL BANK WHILE WORK CREWS PREPARE THE STREETS FOR THE NEXT LEG OF ITS 12-MILE ROAD TRIP TO THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. THE PARALLEL PARKING MANEUVER REQUIRED TO GET THE 5-STORY TALL vehicle INTO IS PARKING SPACE WAS A WONDER TO BEHOLD, AS IS THE SHUTTLE ITSELF.
THE MOVE STARTED SHORTLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT THURSDAY AS ENDEAVOUR WAS TOWED FROM ITS LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HANGAR TO WESTCHESTER PARKWAY AND THEN THROUGH THE HEART OF THE TOWN CROWDED WITH MEDIA.
I WAS RAISED IN WESTCHESTER, ONE OF F THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES’S MANY SMALL NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE HOME OF LAX, WHERE THE SHUTTLE HAS BEEN PARKED FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE TRIP TO THE MUSEUM NEAR THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A YEAR. THE SHUTTLE’S WINGSPAN IS SO LARGE THAT IT OVERSHOOTS THE WIDEST STREETS IT WILL TRANSVERSE. IN SOME PLACES THE SHUTTLE MUST BE ROTATED BECAUSE THE WINGS WILL OTHERWISE HIT ADJACENT BUILDINGS. Four hundred TREES, THOUSANDS OF STOP LIGHTS, STREET LIGHTS, POWER POLES, AND STREET SIGNS HAVE TO BE TAKEN DOWN. THE TREES ARE BEING REPLACED AT A 2 FOR 1 RATIO, BUT THE BUSINESSES AND NEIGHBORS ALONG THE STREETS WHERE THE TREES HAVE BEEN CUT ARE STILL GRUMBLING OVER THEIR LOSS.
A BIGGER COMPLAINT HOWEVER WENT UP WHEN MAYOR Villaraigosa HAD TO BACKTRACK ON HIS PROMISE OF A PARADE WITH THE SHUTTLE. THAT IDEA WAS NIXED BY NASA FOR SECURITY REASONS. IN FACT, THE POLICE ARE RUNNING A ROLLING SIDEWALK CLEARANCE AHEAD OF THE SHUTTLE BECAUSE THERE IS NO ROOM ON THE SIDEWALKS FOR PEOPLE TO WATCH AND THEY DON’T WANT TO RISK SOMEONE TRYING TO DAMAGE IT OR INJURE OTHERS IN THE CROWD. VIEWING STANDS HAVE BEEN SET UP AT OVER A DOZEN STOPS ALONG THE WAY WHERE STREET WIDTH OR INTERSECTIONS ALLOW FOR CROWDS.
THE 12 MILE TRIP WILL TAKE 2 DAYS. THE SHUTTLE WILL CREEP ALONG AT ABOUT 2 MILES AN HOUR – A FAR CRY FROM THE 17,000 MILES AN HOUR IT IS USED TO. BUT WORK CREWS HAVE TO PLACE HEAVY STEEL PLATES ACROSS THE ROAD IN FRONT IT WHERE ENGINEERS HAVE DETERMINED ITS WEIGHT WOULD CAUSE IT TO SINK INTO THE ASPHALT. AT ONE POINT THE SHUTTLE WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE TRANSPORTER AND LIFTED OVER A FREEWAY BY CRANES BECAUSE THE BRIDGE CANNOT SUPPORT ITS WEIGHT EVEN WITH THE STEEL PLATES.
WORK CREWS WILL FOLLOW BEHIND ENDEAVOR REPLACING POWER LINES, STREET LIGHTS, POWER POLES AND ANYTHING ELSE REMOVED FOR ITS PASSAGE. THEY WILL ALSO PICK UP THE STEEL PLATES AND REPAIR ANY STREET DAMAGE. TREE REPLANTING WILL START NEXT WEEK.
THE ENTIRE PROJECT –MOVING THE SHUTTLE FROM FLORIDA TO LAX AND THEN THROUGH THE STREETS OF LA TO THE SCIENCE CENTER IS ESTIMATED TO COST $10 MILLION BY JEFFREY RUDOLF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SCIENCE CENTER. THE CENTER M IS PAYING THE TOTAL COST – NO TAXPAYERS FUNDS ARE INVOLVED. A MAJOR DONOR TO THE MOVE WAS TOYOTA, WHOSE V-8 TRUCK IS BEING USED TO TOW THE SHUTTLE ACROSS THE MANCHESTER BRIDGE (AND WILL BE IN NUMEROUS TV ADS.)
SO WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT THE SHUTTLE MOVE INSTEAD OF BIDEN’S CLEAR VICTORY IN LAST NIGHTS’ DEBATE – AND IT WAS A CLEAR VICTORY. AT ONE POINT RUSS LIMBAUGH TWEETED THAT BIDEN WAS BULLYING THE HAPLESS PAUL RYAN. I AM BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE IS TALKING ABOUT THE DEBATE AND EVERYONE ELSE IS SAYING THEIR SIDE WON AND THE OTHER SIDE LIED. SO TODAY, I DECIDED TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING POSITIVE, AND ENDEAVOUR’S MOVE IS POSITIVE.
IT IS POSITIVE BECAUSE WE DID IT. ORDINARY PEOPLE AND GLOBAL CORPORATIONS, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND PRIVATE WORKERS, AND POLITICIANS OF ALL STRIPES CAME TOGETHER TO DO SOMETHING FOR THEIR CITY – MY CITY. ENGINEERS, STREET WORKERS, NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS, LOCAL MEDIA – EVERYONE HAULED TOGETHER TO MEET A HUGE CHALLENGE. AND BY MEETING IT, THEY ARE ADDING A TREMENDOUS ASSET TO ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST CITIES. AND THEY DID WITH THEIR OWN MONEY – BUT USED THEIR OWN MONEY TO EXTEND THE INVESTMENT PAID FOR BY THE TAXPAYERS WHO BUILT AND FLEW ENDEAVOR- A PERFECT COMBINATION OF WHAT WE CAN DO OURSELVES AND WHAT WE CAN ONLY DO TOGETHER.
THIS IS WHAT AMERICANS DO. ON A DAY LIKE TODAY, SOMEHOW – AND I KNOW THIS WILL SEEM LIKE HERESY TO MY RADIO AND POLITICAL JUNKIE BRETHREN – THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE ELECTION SEEM TO BE IN A UNIVERSE FAR, FAR AWAY.
(pardon the all-caps: is is from my radio prompter script this morning)
Leave a Reply
THE TRIP TO THE MUSEUM NEAR THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A YEAR.
This might be a little off topic but we are looking to move to another city and are in search of an honest moving outfit. We were thinking of using this company, Movers4Less 1992 N Main St Walnut Creek, CA 94596 – 925-309-6130. Is there some kind of movers scam or review resource I could use to do a background check?