Trolley Problems At The Americana

The whimsical trolley at The Americana has broken down. I've stopped by the development twice this week and both times the trolley was locked up. I called The Americana today to ask when the trolley would be running and they said they hope to have it operating again this weekend. It's supposed to run every day.

The Americana: The Trolley

I hate pointless mockeries of public transit systems that don't actually go anywhere. I loathe the stupid two story trolley at the Grove. Ridiculous! Excessive!

My first glimpse of the Americana's trolley came as I was biking north on Brand. I heard the USC marching band, and looked over to see the trolley chugging along alongside Brand with Rick Caruso and a bunch of dignitaries on board. I couldn't help but laugh at how surreal the whole scene was.

Like so much of the Americana and Caruso-land, the trolley plays to our collective fantasies of an idealized past and "the way things used to be". And you know what? IT WORKS. Much to my surprise, I absolutely love the trolley.