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L.A., Town of Zombies
It's happening already.
With Thanksgiving literally hours away and Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa mere days from occuring, the normally dedicated attitudes of workers citywide has slowly been overtaken by a strange blank stare some may have seen in the movie Day of the Dead in which oblivious zombies take over a town and start eating each other.
The same goes for Los Angeles during the holidays.
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Being a town filled with transplants from all over the country (because really, who would grow up in LA and actually decide to STAY HERE) -- November and December results in a mass exodus of people leaving town to celebrate the holidays with their families elsewhere. Those who remain, unsure of what to do with their time as there's no one around to do anything with -- wander aimlessly throughout the echoing halls of mini-malls, movie theaters and frozen yogurt shops, trying to give meaning to their meaningless holiday season in a town filled with people who will walk around like zombies until January 2nd.
The town of zombies gets even worse come the last week of the year, when studios and other entertainment companies and the companies that serve them shut down so that everyone can sit at home watching their Academy screeners, go to LA and NY-only movies that have been released at Century 14 for Best Picture consideration, and eat sandwiches. Yes, LAist has noticed that the zombies love sandwiches during the holiday season. Usually roast beef. Sometimes turkey.
Mostly it's a hot pastrami sandwich at Nate & Al's.
Which, in a town of zombies, is the only safe place one can go without being in danger of coming in contact with the blank-stared Holiday zombies of Los Angeles. Here, in a place that has been around longer than Jerry's and Koo Koo Roo (gasp!), those who eat are older than any transplant wandering around the city. Here, a warm cup of coffee and a hot cheese blintz just may save you from holiday meltdown.
The zombies are coming -- and if you're going to risk your sanity by staying in town, you'd better know where to go when the going gets tough.
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