Travel Angel
6333 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, California 90036
Get there with Google Maps by clicking HERE
Date Visited: Unknown
This is the “Travel Angel” which is tucked away under a stairwell in a back corner of the famous Farmers’ Market in Los Angeles at 3rd & Fairfax. One of the great things about finding these sites is that I discover more and more information as I continue. It turns out this “angel” is one of approximately 200 angels which were part of a 2001 Los Angeles public art project titled, “A Community of Angels”.
Apparently all the “sculptures” are identical. They are just decorated differently. If you know of the locations of these additional “angels” please let me know. Maybe they will appear in a later post!!!
The plaque pictured to the right (or below, if you’re on your phone) explains a little about the sculpture and the project and identifies the artists.
According to the plaque, after the “angels” were displayed, they were sold at a public auction with the proceeds donated to “raise funds to support vital programs for youth.” Apparently, there’s a book about the “Community of Angels” art project. You can find it at Amazon.
The photos below show more detail and various views of the statue. The body of the sculpture is about 6 feet tall with a “wingspan” of maybe 4 feet at it’s widest.
On the left (or above) is a little closer view of this statue. Notice the stereotypical garb, sunglasses and even a camera hung ’round his neck!!! We are particularly fond of the shirt. Wonder if that comes in our size?
On the right, (or below) is a bit of an overview of the back of the statue. The backside of the wings are covered with postcards and travel photos. Oh… by the way… my friend wanted me to take this photo because, “He’s got a nice butt!!!”
<=====
Over there (or above) is the left wing in a bit more detail. The front side of the wings are covered in maps. It is not one continuous map, but rather a collage of sorts.
=====>
This is the right wing and we can’t really think of anything to say, so this is just a space filler in a lame attempt to “even things out a little bit.”
This photo shows a little more detail at the edge of the wing. Both wings are edged with various stamps. You can also see more detail of the maps used on the front of the wings.
This shot is included solely for the cheap gratification of my friend who was with us the day we visited “Travel Angel.” She was very excited when, upon examining the statue carefully, that she found El Paso, Texas. So, if you look just over the statue’s right shoulder you’ll see El Paso on this particular portion of the wing. So this is for you… you know who you are!!!(See… I do respect other’s privacy). Also, this is the same person that made the “nice butt” comment above… those Texans… sheesh!!!
I’ll break from tradition here and just be myself for a minute though. During the entire road trip, all 5300 miles of it, I traveled alone. Took all the photos, did all the writing, posted all the blogs all by myself. Most likely, it will continue that way for a long time or maybe until “hell freezes over” as some have said. On this particular day, I had the great fortune of being accompanied by a friend, so a shot of me was possible!!! Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, but for what it’s worth… here I am… or maybe… there I am.
I should mention the hat I guess. That’s the same hat that is in the photo on the map pictured on the “ABOUT…” page. My friend Bob (the Wagonteamster [[link]]) gave me that. It’s from a cotton gin company in the middle of Texas in an area called, “Needmore.” So… the cap says… “Needmore Gin.” (If you run into me in my travels, beer or scotch are actually preferred). As for the pose… well, those that know me… and hopefully from the tone of this blog… know I rarely play anything “by the rules.” OK… so on a personal note, this is me.
As always, THANK YOU for the visit. I welcome and appreciate comments (at the bottom of every page/post) and/or EMAILS. Please feel free to SUBSCRIBE (free or voluntary donation) to this site. If you enjoyed your visit, learned anything, or feel like helping the site out a little, I would love it if you shared our site with friends and family. If you don’t like this site ***GASP*** then you should spam your enemies with it LOL. Hey, any traffic helps! You can also DONATE to keep this dream alive. I always give 50% of all (net) donations and (net) profits from any source to charity as my way of giving thanks and sharing my good fortune.
Thanks again!
Joe
