Had 1 of the worst weeks of my life in Van Nuys by booboobabies
My Mother lived on Haskell Ave in Van Nuys for many years and passed away on Oct. 27, 2009. Mom & I did not always have a good relationship because Mama would not allow me or my immediate family to visit. (Although Mama was always very happy to talk to me on the phone.) Every time I had a trip planned to California, Mama would give me a lame excuse as to why I should not see her.
After Mama died, my husband & I went out there to clean out her apartment. Not only was the apartment total squalor, but I was horrified by the neighborhood. Graffiti was everywhere – notably on trucks parked on the street, and all over the bathroom of a Mexican restaurant right down the street from Mama’s place. I saw concertina wire on the roof of a house within a block of Mom’s apartment.
After the first day of cleaning Mama’s place, we stayed in a Comfort Inn on Sepulveda Blvd. not far away. This was not the best night I’ve ever had in a motel. A sign in the parking lot said “No drugs. No drug dealing.” In the lobby, a sign was posted saying “No prostitution or pandering. No visitors allowed in rooms.” The next day, I told a friend of my Mother’s about it, and she said “Sepulveda has always had a lot of prostitutes.” I cashed some travellers checks at a Bank of America on Sepulveda, & it felt like a detention center – armed guards inside & outside the bank and the tellers were surrounded by bulletproof glass.
Had I known how run down Mother’s neighborhood was, I would have begged her to move! Whether or not Mama would have listened to me is anyone’s guess – the woman was very stubborn. I miss Mama a lot, but I’m sure she’s in a better place now. Any place is better than her old area in Van Nuys!
over 3 years ago
