“In episode 2 of In Like Cyn, Cynthia Troyer (that’s me) and Robert Gold continue their exploration of downtown Los Angeles. The opera ends and a new adventure begins! Hey everybody! As promised – here is Episode 2 of In Like Cyn on Christmas!!” – Cynthia Troyer
In Like Cyn – Season 1 Episode 2
Published to YouTube December 25, 2014
Union Station part 2
by Robert Gold
In the kick-ass second episode of In Like Cyn accomplished screenwriter Cynthia Troyer launches her latest project. An awesome new YouTube channel chronicling an epic day in the life of one of Hollywood’s next rising starlets. In a dazzling second installment co-hosts Cynthia Troyer and Robert Gold, that’s me, introduce us into the world of Aztec culture.
It was midnight and the moon had reared her ugly head. Cynthia and I had just finished seeing a beautiful opera at Union Station in Downtown, Los Angeles. We thought the night was over but as we stepped outside of the building ready to make our departure back home we heard the sound of a beating drum in the distance. As we followed the rhythmic chime of the tribal music we walked several blocks down Alameda Street before coming upon a strange site.
A Dias de los Muertos celebration. The dancers were garbed in feather costumes, peacock headdresses, hand woven sandals and golden armor modeled after that of an Ancient Aztec warrior. I felt as if the 21st Century had slipped far from my grasp. For the world that I knew was all but gone. I had entered a time machine and traveled back to Ancient Mesoamerica in the era of the Incas. The era of the Mayans. I was like Daniel Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans, only with less Oscars.
Dias de los Muertos {or Day of the Dead if you speak American, Yee-Yah!} is actually an international holiday observed and around the world in other cultures. Focusing on family gatherings to pray for and remember friends and loved ones who have passed. It’s primarily considered to be a Mexican Holiday although after Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th century, the celebration date was shifted to conveniently coincide with the Roman Catholic festival Hallowmas. Kinda sounds like the awkward love child of Halloween and Christmas, am I right?
See, now it all makes sense! Day of the Dead and Hallowmas {more commonly referred to as All Saints’ Day} which have nothing to do with one another, fall on the same day because the Spaniards changed the date to coincide with their own holiday. And the ancient Latin concept of giving a sacrificial gift to a spirit that knocks at your door became the basis for the American commercialization of the Mexican holiday known as Halloween.
You see how educated I am? And I’m usually just the guy who likes sticking to his rap music, his yoga and his annual tradition of eating so much food on the Fourth of July I ralph up my over mayonnaised hot dog into a Porta Potty stall. But I guess I’m so much more then that now. Yay for me!
Scholars such as Merlin the Wizard, Hitch the Love Doctor and Morgan Freeman our Lord & Savior have all traced back the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances that worshiped the ancient Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl Aztec goddess. The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed within other deep traditions for honoring the dead. Similarly themed celebrations appear in European, Asian and African cultures.
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of Central Mexico who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica from the 14th to 16th centuries. The Valley of Mexico was the pinnacle of Aztec culture. Its rich and complex mythological and religious traditions, resulted in the development of remarkable architectural and artistic accomplishments. Aztec culture and history is primarily known because of Spanish conquistadors such as General Hernan Cortes.
After the Dias de los Muertos celebration Cynthia and I stopped for a bite to eat at The Original Phillipe. A French Dipped sandwich joint in Chinatown established in 1908 by a man named Phillip Mathieu who claimed to be the mastermind innovator behind the concept of the French Dipp. Allegedly the actual brilliance behind the concept came about completely by accident. In the winter of 1918 Phillip inadvertently dropped a sliced French roll into the roasting pan filled with the juice still from the oven but served it anyway. The patron he served it to came back the next day asking for the same thing he had been served yesterday. That was when Phillip realized that his simple kitchen mistake was going to make him a millionaire.
As we concluded the night and made our way back home I ran into a very cute puppy that belonged to a very friendly homeless man. He let me pet his dog for the meager price of one dollar. I tried to pet the homeless man as well but he said that cost a little extra.
All in all it was quite an adventure and I had a wonderful time co-hosting the first two episodes of In Like Cyn with a dear friend and colleague but alas it is my last appearance on the series for some time. But as a recurring character in the life of Cynthia Troyer I may return again for a future episode. For the following few installments you will have the opportunity to meet a wide array of friends that Cynthia has acquired over the years during her time in Los Angeles.
Catch Episode 3 of In Like Cyn when Cynthia Troyer and the esteemed author of Face of the American Dream Chris Varaste adventure to Catopia, a festive night of esoteric and mystic cat entertainment.
IN LIKE CYN – SEASON 1 – EPISODE 2
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In Like Cyn – Season 1 Episode 2
Union Station part 2
Published to YouTube December 25, 2014
[Key: Cyn: Cynthia Troyer; RG: Robert Gold]
Cyn VO: Last time on In Like Cyn, Robert Gold and I were exploring Union Station, and attending an opera.
Cyn: Welcome to In Like Cyn.
Title: UNION STATION part 2!
[Title: 800 N Alameda Street]
Cyn VO: Union Station was inducted into the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980. The Opera was over and we went exploring. The ceiling appears of wood but it is actually steel. The lower part of the walls are covered with marble. And the upper part an early form of acoustical tile.
RG: Busy right now. Wow, well there are a lot of fancy restaurants. Ah, this is where the film Boardwalk Empire. Oh I don’t know if you knew that. They don’t actually film in Atlantic City. They film it right here in motherfucking LA.
Cyn: People having fancy dinners right here in Union Station, which is pretty fuckin’ cool.
RG: We weren’t even actually able to get seats while we were in there. We had to stand at the back.
Cyn: We sat on the floor.
RG: Yeah, well the first minutes we stood up, and then we sat on the floor.
Cyn: But it was – it was – but the sound was great.
RG: Sitting down for like two hours. Goddamn, dude.
Cyn: Your back is screwed up?
RG: Yeah. I’m gonna Wetzel my – I’m gonna wet my Pretzel.
Cyn VO: Instead of the food court in the Union Station we headed out into downtown LA, to see what else we could find.
DRUM BEATS!!
RG: This is why downtown is so awesome! Because you can see ancient Aztec warriors time traveling through history just to be here, downtown LA on this very night.
TEXT SCROLL: “For Meso-American indigenous Nahua traditions like Aztecs, Toltecas, Tlaxcaltec, Chichimec, Tecpanet as well as the non-Nahua Maya… Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos is yearly celebrated during the last days of October through the first week of November – death becomes a colorful dance, where souls never die, they rest in… Mictlan.
TEXT SCROLL: “In Aztec (Mexicah) mythology, Mictecacihuatl (pronounced ‘Meek-teka-see-wahdl’) is Queen of Mictlan, the underworld, ruling over the afterlife with Mictlantecuhtli, another diety who is designated as her husband. To the Mexicah, souls exist after death, resting in Mictlan the land of the dead, until the day each year when they could return home to visit their loved ones.”
TEXT SCROLL: “Mictecacihuatl is known as the Lady of the Dead and she is represented with a defleshed body… a skeleton… and with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day.”
Cyn VO: We went exploring in the nearly empty Olvera Street.
Cyn: That’s like one of the first churches.
Cyn: Burritos. Speaking of Day of the Dead, this place is looking a little dead right now.
ANNOTATIONS:
Instagram> @Cynthiatroyer
Facebook> /troyerthewriter
Twitter> @Cynthiatroyer
www.inlikecyn.com
Cyn: But it seems like it’s going to be fun in a couple of days for Dia de los Muertos!
Cyn VO: From the sawdust on the floor to the railroad museum in the back, Philippe’s French Dip is something special.
TEXT: 1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-3781
Cyn VO: In this town it is hard to stay on the hot restaurant list even a minute, but Phillipe’s has been doing it since 1908.
Cyn: French Dip! Sawdust on the floor!
Annotation: “Started by Philippe Mathieu in 1908, Philippe The Original was located at 300 N. Alameda Avenue in L.A.’s traditional Frenchtown neighborhood. In 1951 Philippe’s moved to their current address as their building was razed to build Los Angeles City Hall and a freeway section of U.S. Route 101.
Cyn VO: We tried to think of something else to do downtown, but it was getting late. So we decided to head back to Hollywood – and one more musical surprise awaited us.
SAXOPHONE MUSIC
RG: This is an average day on Hollywood Boulevard.
Cyn VO: In the coming future Union Station is planned to be a major hub for the California high speed rail system. Upon completion it’s projected that passengers will be able to get from Los Angeles to the TransBay Terminal in San Francisco in just 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Cyn quote “If you follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” – Joseph Campbell
Cyn VO: You never know what you’re going to find out there in the City of Angeles.
RG: Oh that was so cool. Thank you so much. Have a good one, man.
Amish Buddha Filmworks
Cyn VO: Join me next Thursday on In Like Cyn, Chris Varaste and I are taking a trip to another dimension – Catopia! Don’t miss it!
Cyn: Hey everybody! Thanks for watching the video. I hope you liked it. Click subscribe! There – click the social media. A new episode every Thursday. Thanks a lot!
END TRANSCRIPT
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