Damn - it's the falling masonary sound that was heard around the world. One of our favorite buildings of all time, the building that I had for many of my years visiting and living in Los Angeles, imagined to be the control tower at Los Angeles International Airport, LAX, (I might've gotten that idea from Thunderbirds but it just seems like it should be) but which is instead the adroitly named and unparalleled, Encounter Restaurant, is collapsing under the weight of neglect. At least one 1000lb piece of plaster or whatever the white parabolic, curvy arched X bits are made of, dropped down onto the roof of the Encounter in recent days. Much more of that and it will be LA/. That's a visual joke for you. Sort of, like the nearest keyboard character to represent half an X.
The sad iconic Encounter is as old as me, but it I think has had only had one major facelift.
The encounter is such a great place to go, so much so, that I took Walt Disney there for lunch on his birthday. Fantastic for meeting people. They have the most excellent valet parking, where you kinda park yourself and then wander over to the valet, who'll be sitting his Chevy with the A/C running, to get a parking ticket he hands through a crack in the window, while you pass the keys the other way. Okay, I made that last bit up, but the parking is secretly really good. The best there is at LAX. Fine for either the United or SouthWest Terminals, should your friends or family be so unfortunate as to be traveling with those guys.
Encounter's jet age elevators are neat fit, whizzing you up two stories while playing space age lounge music. It's such a Los Angeles treat.
The interior of Encounter is a Disney delight and so it should be, it was designed by their imagineering department. Kidney shaped recessed lighting and bubble lamps abound. Cast a look around this city and you'll quickly realize LA should hire them far more often.
The vaunted view from Encounter of the entire airport is in that Vegas way great. Where you see the vents above the casino floor from the balcony at the Luxor and whatever the magic was, is sort of lost. Mmmm yeah, Encounter during the day a little like that. Since the glam went out of flying not long after the jet age began, oh well so what.
The Encounter will survive but it's going offline for at least three months while it gets retrofitted, I think, the best way to describe it. We can't wait to welcome it back.
Superfantastic and not to be missed website: (Replete with some of the most appalling typo's - they should revisit those while they're at it) www.encounterlax.com/
