long may you run.

dear los angeles:

i don't usually start love letters by complaining. just bear with me.

one of your most troubling traits is your dependence on the automobile. you were practically built for the car. the car. back when it was a luxury item and it gave a sparkle of hope and a glimmer of what-might-be to a generation who believed in invention.



most big US cities were designed and developed before the car and so do not depend as wholly on cars for transportation. but you, you were different. you were big-skied, golden-sunsetted, mountainous, warm and vast. and so rather than cramming a whole lotta city into a small space, they decided to use all of you. and gift your people with the car to get from one side to another. from ocean to mountain to valley and back.

the car soon became as commonplace as a vacuum cleaner or telephone [thanks at least in small part to you, los angeles] and the multitude of people arriving at your borders realized quickly that they would most likely need one to live here. and your freeways backed up and your blue skies were lined with smog. before i go any further, i feel like i should apologize to you on behalf of those who came before me for making you this way.

you are resilient and generous, los angeles. for you sensed our addiction and gave us: the car chick. you knew we'd need her. we could only go so far before something started to hiss, squeal, steam or stall under our hoods. enter car chick: bekah.

her website is ultra girly [but also cheeky] and you almost think you've gotten the wrong url: www.carchick.com but if you'd never seen the website and you wandered into her almost-sherman oaks shop, on first glance you'd never know the difference between her place and one run by a greasy dude [okay, it's cleaner. and there are pretty birds in cages.] trust me, it is different.

if you have had your fair share of car trouble, you know that it can be difficult if not virtually impossible to find someone to alleviate that pain. someone you can trust. someone who will not talk down to you. someone who goes above and beyond.

bekah is just what the doctor ordered. her eyes crinkle into a warm smile when you walk in. she speaks warmly of her beautiful family and hugs you when you go. she will tell you straight up: your car needs this NOW, these things can wait six months and you'll need to do the rest within a year or two. and then she and her team [who seem more like family] set about doing the work so that you are never without your mode of transportation for long.

i have sent many a friend to bekah. they all rave about her customer service. one friend got bad news from her: his car was not worth reviving. she didn't charge him to look at it, she evaluated a car he was considering purchasing later that week and told him it wasn't a smart buy, and the following week called him to say she found a car he might be interested in. WHAT? where does that happen? i don't think she made one cent off the exchange.

you are looking for a mechanic you can trust, a mechanic who does the job right the first time, a mechanic who never tries to sell you up and who treats you like someone who can retain information about their car and who it seems like you never have enough time to chat with.

and let's be honest: how badass is it to say that your mechanic is a chick?!

so, thank you los angeles, for giving us bekah, when all we gave you was smog and traffic.



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cars are not endorsed by the author. some ways to green your life, your city, your world:

tonya kay's tips
converting to vegetable oil
ecoagile.com [t-model photo above]
ride the metro