A Trip to Wal-Mart

Normally, a trip to Wal-Mart wouldn't justify a blog entry, but the Wal-Mart closest to our house is definitely unique.



As the only Wal-Mart in Los Angeles, it's actually located in a former department store on Crenshaw Blvd. The parking lot is - of course - a parking structure. You can waste 20 minutes trying to find a spot near the entrance, or just park at the periphery and walk five minutes - your choice.



How does a three story Wal-Mart work? Our kids liked the escalators especially designed for shopping carts -





and the HUGE elevators - you could drive a small car into these babies!



Otherwise, it was like any other Wal-Mart: a focus low prices and (on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm) crowded. They had plenty of empolyees out on the floor, so that was nice. It was actually smaller than I expected in terms of total floor space - those "Super Wal-Marts" have significantly more selection.



A lot has been written about the economic effect of Wal-Mart on the U.S. economy and individual communities. This is actually the only Wal-Mart with a "Los Angeles" address. The three other Wal-marts in the City of Los Angeles are located in the San Fernando Valley: Panorama City, West Hills, and Porter Ranch.

Living in Los Angeles is certainly different. As a Christian, I've found it an exciting and often challenging place to live and work.

The New Testament uses words like "stranger" or "alien" to describe our brief stint on earth (I Peter 2:11). Whether the city, the country, or someplace in between, there's a danger in becoming too comfortable in any place we're living.



Amazing how even a trip down to Wal-mart can remind me of that.