  Towards the end of the 1974 film "Chinatown", John Huston's character explains to Jack Nicholson's character, Jake, his vision of the future of Los Angeles. "Either you bring the water to L.A. -- or you bring L.A. to the water," Huston says. Well, it turns out, both happened. Drive a few dozen blocks on Sherman Way and you can see the result of an unlimited supply of water to the desert, thanks to the Owens Valley Water Project that brings water from Northern California to Los Angeles. The the San Fernando valley, originally a suburban paradise for the modern American family, is now a concrete jungle of apartment complexes and strip shopping centers filled with some of the best tropical eating on the planet - Peruvian, Thai, Cuban, Indian and hundreds of Mexican restaurants will tempt you. While often derided, the hot, smoggy Valley - home to cops, the porn movie industry and recent immigrants - is actually the soul of Southern California. It's like Brooklyn with 300 days of sun and swimming pool in each backyard. |
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