Katie Mollica -- Genius Loci: "A Rose for All Occasions"

As I began to prepare for this final blog project I find myself at a loss for new, great, and interesting ideas.  Therefore, "drive!" I told myself. So I did. My expedition led me down Lincoln and onto one of the streets I use extremely often, though have never stopped to look at (something that we all do with streets we frequent).

Rose Avenue - just the name conjured up feelings of historical antiquity for I immediately thought of The Rose Bowl, the Rose Parade, the Tournament of Roses all which take place in Pasadena, far away from where I sat in my car.  The idea then came to me: roses, a special flower, game, and float to many Angelenos, are not just appreciated in the wealthy suburban areas of Pasadena.  People everywhere love, value, and build around the theme of roses; proven right here on Rose Avenue...

Rose Avenue, located just a few miles north of the LMU campus leads travelers in two separate and very different directions: a residential neighborhood to the east and into Venice and its views of the beach to the west. 

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Creativity led to this sign. Like the game "picture worth a thousand words"? Me too! So when I saw this in the parking lot of Whole Foods (a very trendy and modern grocery store) I found it appealing. It was amusing to see the face of a great president next to the rose, an unlikely paralleled relationship but one that works for city planning, in this case at least.

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This little shop, located on Rose Avenue, had its door wide open welcoming in any passerby.  I liked this picture because of the colors, the openness, and the sole human in the center.  A woman simply walking by but wearing the same shades as the building she is so cluelessly passing up. The roses here are warm and beckoning, a very casual approach to such a formal flower.

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This small cafe is on the corner of Rose and Main Street. Asking a man out in his front yard directly across the street from it how long it had been there he replied, "Not sure, but a long time." Though his response was blunt and most likely full of disinterest and sarcasm, the sign itself shows its age.  It's pastel colors and curved lettering looks like it dates back a couple decades. Another clue as to the neighborhood's long time value of their street and the flower it stands for.

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Heading east on Rose Avenue my car winds up and down the road in between quaint cottage like homes bordering Santa Monica and Venice.  I stop at a light, determined to ride out the avenue for as long as I can, and see a large hill ahead of me.  I venture up it, quite steep and narrow and am interested what lies at the top. To my surprise, the peak was a nice view of Venice, a little league baseball field and an intimate community garden.  While there were many different species of flowers, the rose sticking up in this picture caught my attention.  It was one of few and to me began to substitute the palm tree.  The palm tree has always been the scenic spotlight, the background or foreground in a picture with an amazing view.  This time though, it is the rose that stands for this focal point. 

--Katie Mollica