"Okay, I'm eight years old. This is for real now."

It's been far too long since I've posted something, and I'm starting to feel like a negligent parent who has abandoned her child. (Yet another reason not to have kids. If I can't even maintain a blog, how will I ever maintain a living, breathing, humanoid replica of myself?)

It's summer in L.A. and the city is coming alive. I don't mean that it's buzzing with activity - this place is much too spread out for that - I mean Los Angeles is making an honest-to-goodness attempt to be a functioning metropolis by investing in Downtown. It's kind of cute, actually. Like The Little Engine That Could.

First step: expanding Metro Rail to the Westside. When the project finishes, the Expo Line will traverse the distance between Downtown L.A. and Santa Monica, but for now you can take the train as far as Culver City. Since I work in Culver City, this is a fabulous development for me... should I ever feel like walking for two miles in sweltering heat from the rail station to the office. At the end of the day, it'll still be a one-hour commute, but hey, at least it won't be because I was sitting in traffic on the 10.

Second step: opening up a Target at 7th and Figueroa. I haven't yet decided if this is good news or bad news. On the one hand, it's good news because I love Target, but on the other hand, it's bad news because, well, I love Target. I don't know how that store always manages to suck me in, but it's pretty much impossible for me to enter and exit a Target without spending at least a hundred dollars.

Third step: bringing in residents. Many former hotels have been remodeled into studio apartments that are renting out for cheap, in the hopes of attracting people to the city's loft-living lifestyle. I'll be honest though, it sounds much cooler than it really is. My "loft" is more of a tiny-apartment-with-kind-of-high-ceilings, and the only chance of having an upper level here is if I ever decide to buy a loft bed.

Fourth step: bringing in brand-name retailers. There is a huge Guess? ad on the corner of 7th and Grand that appears to be covering up construction of a new store. Unfortunately, it's just an ad, and Guess? doesn't have any plans to open up a store in the area any time soon. But it's the appearance that counts. Maybe it'll be enough to fool other retailers into thinking that Downtown is turning into a major shopping scene. Hey, it worked on Target.

If Downtown L.A. does manage to attract more major retailers, it will lead to even more urban development, more job opportunities, more city-dwellers, more tax dollars, more nightlife, more tourists, more expensive rents, more traffic...

Um, never mind. I can handle the drunks, the tourists, and the possible increases in rent, but I draw the line at more traffic.