just saw an article in the los angeles times that says hollywood park might be closing.
that would bum me out.
not to mention the bukowski factor (which, in my mind, should make the fucking place a national historical landmark), hollywood park is where christian first took me to the horse races.
i fell in love.
things i love about hollywood park:
1. horses. horses typically scare me a little bit, but these horses are beautiful.
2. beer.
3. cheap gambling. we went to the shitty river boat down here the other night and they had one $10 craps table. gimme a fucking break. you can bet a dollar trifecta all day at the track.
4. history. it has that bygone era beauty that i imagine every corner of cuba must have. i love bygone era beauty.
5. the clientele. cross spectrum of los angeles. the highs and the lows. when the girls are cute at hollywood park, you’ve really got something to work with.
6. the languid pace of a day at the track. get your program. get a beer. walk out to the paddock, check out the ponies. stroll back in. place your bets. find a place to watch the race. lather, rinse, repeat.
7. re-reading number six, i realized hollywood park is one of the few places on earth where i feel relaxed. they can’t take it away … i’ve got a medical condition!
7. heatseeker coming from behind!
8. the time chris and i ended up in the winners circle accidentally. live it like you love it … walk in like you own the fucking place.
9. that same dirty old man who, after every race, cusses out the horses, the jockeys, the trainers, god, the sun, fresh air, you name it, in language that would make a veteran of a foreign war uncomfortable. my kinda poet.
10. christian complaining after every race. no matter how much he wins, something could always have been better. ‘fuck, man, if i’d thrown in the seven horse and bet the superfecta, i’d have won $12,000!’
go here for a blog about saving hollywood park.
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7 responses so far ↓
although i personally like santa anita better, it would still be a sad day to see hollywood park gone. i like the idea that you can go to the races and then play 1-2 dollar hold em next door.
i remember one time christian and i were heading over to the casino after a day at the track, and he was all concerned with being ‘underdressed.’ i was like, ‘man, this place is a total shit hole. don’t worry about it. look at the cars in the valet lot, for fuck’s sake. that’s a 1994 sentra.’ we took two step inside the place and he goes, ‘jesus. let’s get the fuck out of here.’
yeah, notice that i said i like the “idea” of being able to play cards there, as opposed to “i like playing hold em at hollywood park.” if someplace is too fucked up for me to play hold em at, then that place is really fucked up. i always had the sense that i might get mugged at the table. possibly by the dealer.
based on what you’ve told me about the scene at commerce, hollywood park must be real, real, real, real bad. if i recall correctly, one night at commerce you witnessed a grown man intentionally vomit on a card table, did you not? shit, if that goes on at commerce, somebody’s probably taken a shit on a table at hollywood park. ‘here, i’ll see your cum rag, ass hole, and i’ll raise you two turds …’
i did indeed see a man self-induce-projectile-vomit on a card table in the intended direction of an opposing player . it was one of the most astonishing things i’ve ever seen and shortly thereafter it made me reconsider how much time i was spending in the casino.
Shit, I’ll miss Hollywood Park. Santa Anita is definitely the superior track, but Hollywood Park always had the right ratio of scumbags. I’ll never forget the Heatseeker race. One of my happiest moments at the track. I knew that fucking horse was gonna win for at least the last 3rd of the race – an unbeatable feeling.
i know … santa anita is beautiful, but hollywood park smells like home. plus, it’s a shitload closer to the west side. say it ain’t so …