420

It seems like I am constantly surrounded in Hollywood by marijuana or it's symbolic representation. Also known as "420" (the police code for weed), there are dozens of shops all around selling bongs and other paraphenalia designed to aid in marijuana consumption. On January 1st 1976, Danny Finegood (& friends) climbed to the top of Mt. Lee with four 6 x 12 foot sheets. Using only stones and rope Danny and friends were able to change the Hollywood sign to "Hollyweed" without even having to climb on it (see photo). This amazed me. On the eve of the prank Danny and friends notified certain members of the press to ensure coverage of the event. The changing of the sign made front pages around the world. See this website for more information.

I have walked into clouds of pot smoke throughout Hollywood and I always think how brave people are to just light up like that in public. I don't think the police are doing much about it as they have other things to worry about. There use to be a sign at the transition curve from Los Feliz Blvd to Western which read "20 ==>" and was then defaced to read "420 ==>" I had intended to take a picture of it for this blog but ironically it was all cleaned off after the big fire a few weeks ago. Last weekend I was walking up the stairs to my apartment when some lady called to me from the sidewalk below in broken English. She said she needed to ask me something but just stood there like an idiot. Finally she said, "You got any 420?" and after a few seconds to process, I laughed at her and said no.

My favorite "420" story is when I was walking past the LA Cantina on Hollywood Boulevard. A short balding man was walking in front of me, then suddenly turned around to read the menu board on the sidewalk. All of the sudden, right in my face, was Cheech Marin, of Cheech and Chong. He wasn't smoking any pot or anything, but his name and marijuana are synonymous. As for me, I hate pot. It does nothing for me. I don't crave it, it smells awful, and it makes my lungs burn. Personally, I don't understand what the attraction is.