The After-the-Trip Letter

After five+ months of zigzagging the planet, Helen is back on U.S. soil.

A longshoreman's strike gave us one day instead of the five we'd expected in Los Angeles. I was taken on a mad dash across county to see everything at once: Hollywood, the Troc, the Brown Derby, Wilshire Boulevard, the University (U.C.L.A.), the oil derricks, the beaches. 

Side note: Unthinkable that a person could mad dash anywhere in Los Angeles, especially to so many places in one day. That, and they first had to get to LA from the port in San Pedro or Long Beach, and then go back to the ship (about 25 miles each way and in 1938 cars didn’t go very fast).

Here’s a cool aerial view of UCLA in 1938 and look how tiny it was! Also look at the creepy oil derricks she likely saw. Their more recent iterations are no less creepy though, as oil derricks are creepy by nature.

Day-to-Day Journal

Sat. Mar 19: At 6:00 a.m. the anchors groaned up and we went inside the breakwater. I got up and pressed some clothes before the doctor and immigration officer came aboard. Everyone keyed up at being back to U.S.A. 

At 8:30 we were piloted in to Long Beach. Ruth's husband, Mr. MaGuire's son, the Dunhams were waiting on the quay. There was a gardenia corsage for me with instructions to get in touch with Virginia Lyon.

Side note: To alert people that you would be arriving from across the sea in 1938, did you send a letter or telegram from your last stop (in this case Manila, some 20 days earlier) with a guesstimate of your arrival? Maybe the recipient could call some ship whereabouts number to find out if it was on course? Or maybe there was a ticker? The internet won’t give me a straight answer.

Had my bag packed to leave the ship when the word came around that on account of the strike we would stay only long enough to take oil, and would leave for San Francisco tonight. Gnashing of teeth! What to do? 

Drove, can I begin to say where, places whose names had become very familiar during 5 months among Californians. Santa Monica, Wilshire Blvd., Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Ventura Blvd, saw the Troc., Grauman's, The Brown Derby, Clara Bow's "It" Café, Westwood, some Africa­-ish looking hills, an observatory. Lunched at a curb service place - chefs salad bowl and a tall glass of milk. 

Side note: Perhaps the observatory she visited was the famous Griffith Park Observatory… the super-cool art deco dome, perched up in the Hollywood Hills, that had just opened three years prior?

The curb service she mentions was likely a drive-in restaurant.

Called George Bunyan and found him home. To a dentist to have my tooth cemented back on the plate. Away again to ... marvelous food: thick steak, real vegetable soup, stewed tomato, deep dish apple pie.

Side note: After 5.5 months away, I bet even the most worldly traveler would miss some food from home, if only for the familiarity. In 1938, you could not yet sneak off to a McDonald’s whilst traveling, and then pretend you didn’t.

George Bunyan was Betty Bunyan’s (Helen’s cousin / bestie) younger brother. As children, his family and hers lived side-by-side, first near Albany, and later, in Brooklyn. George was about 8-10 years younger than Helen and Betty so likely a pest.

Below is a picture of George in his Flatbush, Brooklyn backyard, circa 1914. The picture below that is of what looks like two grandmas flanking George, Betty (scowling), Helen (about 12 years old), Mary (my adorbs grandmother), and then below that it’s the same folk, but rearranged and minus one grandma.

Dash back to the ship for 6 p.m. sailing, to learn it would not leave before 10: Took Shag uptown to get a haircut, came back to the "Pussywilllow", chatted with Sam. Brot oranges on board, super colossal's for 25¢ a dozen ... the man had large, jumbo, mammoth, colossal, and super colossal sizes! Stayed with Shag until sailing at 1O. Mrs. MaGuire learned her 2nd son died in Feb. Helen D. found her oldest sister dying. Sam gave me some advice.

Side note: Helen noted earlier that Mrs. MaGuire was a widow from Portland who had three sons. And one of them was there waiting for her at the dock. How horrid.

Large, jumbo, mammoth, colossal, and super colossal are a very American range of sizes.

Sun. Mar. 20: At sea again, the 1st day, chill breeze, salt spray, California hills on our starboard side. Spent all off watch hours with Shag. Wrote 5 business letters and a long one to the family. Everyone dead as dodos, lolling around all day. Kept in the air as much as possible. Jim came over at 10:30. Anchored early in a.m. and rolled all the rest of the night. Had a toothache to help matters.

Side note: I wonder if the long letter home to family is the one I’ve been transcribing. That one doesn’t end on March 20th, but she could have added more later. Oh, I bet she was drafting a letter, like by hand. People used to do that. For college papers, too. Olden times.

Next up, Golden Gates and Stockton!