We’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Chester (pictured above) who’s been an L.A. busdriver for 32 years, and is retiring in August. It’s thanks to him that we’ve been kept from getting thoroughly lost while exploring this city. Chester knows everything there is to know about L.A. and, more importantly, about human nature. By sheer serendipity we’ve bumped into him on his bus route in downtown L.A. a couple of times now, and on each ride he’s offered us navigational tips that serve as life guides: “There’s always more than one way to get some place. People always pick just one route… I say, pick 3 or 4!”

Philippe’s is a no-frills sandwich shop in downtown L.A. that’s been around for almost a century. Government employees, famous actors, homeless people and tourists all sit elbow to elbow on communal benches savoring the famous “French Dipped” sandwich. The walls are covered with old sports photos and the floors with sawdust.

The only thing that’s drastically changed about this place in all these years…is the price of coffee. That’s gone from five cents a cup to ten, to the great dismay of some of the old-timer regulars who’ve been coming here for decades.

Recently Elias Barajas, who’s worked at Philippe’s for 39 years, came to the StoryCorps booth with Mark Massengill, whose family has owned the restaurant since 1927. Elias is planning to retire soon and Mark wanted to record some of his stories for posterity. “This was kind of nice,” said Elias after the interview. “We see each other all the time, but we never really get a chance to just sit down and talk.” In this photo, Mark is telling us that Elias, a self-professed workaholic, is planning on taking his first Sunday off in 39 years.

When facilitator Jackie Goodrich arrived at the booth this morning, she found a crumpled dollar bill carefully tucked away in the door handle. Thank you to whoever the anonymous donor is.

Opening week in LA brought clear blue skies and a steady stream of visitors to the StoryCorps booth. Above, 89-year-old Dewey Ajioka stopped by to say Hi and figure out “what this whole story-telling business is all about.” We’ve been amazed by the range of stories we’ve heard this first week. Here’s just a sampling: a “91-and-a-half” year old lady spoke with her son about “Senior Power”, a young Mexican-American woman and her mother recalled the harrowing journey they took across the Mexico/US border, a newlywed couple described meeting at a swing dance class, and a 95-year-old gent named Herman shared his life motto with us: “Never stop talking… I certainly haven’t!”

Here’s an early morning shot of the booth at Santa Monica’s “Third Street Promenade”… our home in L.A. thanks to the local NPR affiliate KCRW, and Santa Monica’s Bayside District. The Promenade is a row of cobbled streets filled with shops and eateries. Once the day begins, it bursts to life with strolling visitors, performance artists, and pan-handlers.

Our first stop in L.A. was “The Village Car Wash.” Here facilitator, Jackie Goodrich, and advance coordinator, Zac Barr, proudly stand in front of a shined and buffed story-telling machine

2006 begins with new facilitators Piya Kochhar and Jackie Goodrich joining the tour for our first stop of the year: Los Angeles. The two feel fully prepared for whatever adventures and stories this city brings thanks to the helpful notes, pack of playing cards and portable picnic basket left for them by out-going facilitators and MobileBooth pros, Karen DiMattia and Sarah Kramer.