UNION STATION (LOS ANGELES)

Show business central

Photos by Yomiuri Shimbun Photographer Kanji Tada

By Katsuo Kokaji

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

The white station building surrounded by palm trees conjures up an image of The Mamas & Papas' megahit "California Dreamin'."

Red and white roses bloom in the Spanish-style courtyard. Inside, the station building is filled with sunlight, beaming in through large windows.

The station has appeared in many Hollywood films.

"You feel like a star walking down here," said Mikey Hirano Culross, a 39-year-old local resident.

Film crews are part of the scenery here--on a weekly basis. The station has appeared in "Criss Cross," released in 1949, "The Way We Were," "Blade Runner" and "The Island," which hit cinema screens last year.

Many of those who use the station are involved in show business. Culross is one such person, being a musician and a newspaper editor. He was once a driver for actors, including Anthony Quinn and Christian Slater.

"Many people have more than one job because there are so many chances here," he said.

Handsome men and beautiful women are easy to spot.

"Of course, it's near Hollywood. The number of people around here who have had plastic surgery or breast implants is probably the largest in the United States," explained Culross.

The station attracts people from all over the world, who come packing their dreams. Wayne Niemand, whose stage name is Taz, is from South Africa.

"I come to the station even when I'm not planning to get on a train. I gain inspiration by looking at the various kinds of people here," he said. Like many others in Los Angeles, the 43-year-old man has two jobs, being an artist and a carpenter.

Taz left his country 15 years ago, and now lives in the warehouse district, where many artists reside. He was a sculptor back home, but now he mainly paints.

"I'm really glad I came to Los Angeles. Energy and ideas flow through me spontaneously now," he said.

Taz said that it is interesting how various cultures meld together in a melting pot. The station is symbolic. Nearby are the Little Tokyo, Chinatown and the mainly Mexican Olvera Street districts. The Los Angeles' County Central Jail, the world's largest jail, is also in the neighborhood. Former prisoners ask pedestrians for spare change after becoming homeless.

Hollywood stars and homeless people pass by each other. "Such chaos incubates art," Taz said.