{"id":350731,"date":"2025-11-02T16:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/350731\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T16:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:58:13","slug":"susan-orlean-explains-to-la-library-audience-why-she-dives-deep-daily-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/350731\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Orlean explains to LA library audience why she dives deep \u2013 Daily News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Curiosity is what drives Susan Orlean<\/a>, author of books on the trade in orchids (\u201cThe Orchid Thief\u201d), the first canine movie star (\u201cRin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend\u201d) and the nocturnal portion of the week\u2019s sixth day (\u201cSaturday Night\u201d).<\/p>\n

\u201cI am genuinely curious. I find a lot of ordinary things really interesting,\u201d Orlean said during a talk last Tuesday at the Los Angeles Central Library<\/a>. She was promoting her memoir, \u201cJoyride.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Assigned to write about Macaulay Culkin as an example of a typical 10-year-old, Orlean talked her editor out of it and instead found a typical 10-year-old, whom she profiled in depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do they think about? What do they talk about?\u201d Orlean recalled wondering. \u201cIt was extraordinarily interesting to describe what a 10-year-old boy was like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her 1992 Esquire article was published under the title \u201cThe American Man at Age 10.\u201d Its\u00a0first line: \u201cIf Colin Duffy and I were to get married, we would have matching superhero notebooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was in the audience for the free program in the library\u2019s Mark Taper Forum, organized by the Library Foundation. Orlean was introduced as \u201cthe patron saint of the Los Angeles Public Library\u201d to knowing laughter due to her 2018 bestseller, \u201cThe Library Book,\u201d a history of the city\u2019s library.<\/p>\n

That book was spawned by Orlean\u2019s curiosity about how libraries function. She had taken a similar tact in a 1992 New Yorker story about a grocery store, telling us she had visited daily for four weeks to understand how each department worked and how the store fit into the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould you make anything interesting?\u201d moderator Madeleine Brand teased her.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think one could,\u201d Orlean said, slightly deflecting. She added: \u201cDon\u2019t challenge me on it!\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the questions from the audience asked her thoughts on the future of local news. Orlean, who lives in L.A., said she\u2019s a daily newspaper reader (not of ours, sadly).<\/p>\n

Most people, she said, get their headlines from Apple News or Google News feeds, not publications in their city or region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost a sense of wanting to know news in the communities we\u2019re in,\u201d Orlean said. \u201c\u2026 We lose a whole lot.\u201d She added: \u201cFor me, think of all the murder stories we wouldn\u2019t get!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pre-LA<\/p>\n

At lunch that day in Montclair, I was filling my fountain drink when a senior woman, holding an empty cup and looking befuddled, turned to me for assistance. Interrupting herself, she exclaimed: \u201cMr. Allen!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nice to meet a subscriber, someone who still wants to know news from the community she\u2019s in. Of more immediate and practical assistance, I explained the water dispenser function.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m surprised to see you here,\u201d she remarked. \u201cI thought you\u2019d be at the World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just finished tomorrow\u2019s column<\/a>,\u201d I explained. \u201cNow I\u2019m on my lunch break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hours later, I was at the Central Library, a few miles from Dodger Stadium. Like I said, the program was free, unlike a World Series game.<\/p>\n

And given how the Dodgers fared that night \u2014 they lost 6-2 \u2014 those of us at the library may have had a more satisfying time of it.<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s last days (cont\u2019d)
\n\"Cole'sCole\u2019s P.E. Buffet, seen here Tuesday, has extended its planned closure again, this time until Dec. 31. It is the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles. (Photo by David Allen, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin\/SCNG)<\/p>\n

Anticipating the library event, I took the 3:30 p.m. Metrolink train from Claremont rather than the 4:30 to allow for a relaxing dinner beforehand. That was at Cole\u2019s French Dip, the 1908 tavern and restaurant about which I wrote in August<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll recall that Cole\u2019s, the oldest restaurant in L.A., had been set to close Aug. 3 due to slow business, news that prompted a mad rush of customers. That boom in turn led Cole\u2019s to announce it would stay through Sept. 14.<\/p>\n

In that interim period, I\u2019d gotten right in, at noon on a Sunday, to enjoy one last meal at an old favorite.<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s planned close was later extended to Nov. 1. There had been no update since. Perhaps this would be it.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t necessarily need a second last meal there, but since I would be downtown anyway, four days before the alleged last day, why not?<\/p>\n

At 5 p.m. on a Tuesday, seating obviously wasn\u2019t hard to come by, even with the Dodgers on the TV.<\/p>\n

I got a half French dip, pork with Swiss, and cole slaw, plus an espresso martini. Did I want to keep the tab open? Yes, but not for drinking purposes. After my sandwich I went for the gusto with apple pie a la mode.<\/p>\n

This was more food than strictly necessary, but there might not be another chance, right?<\/p>\n

As I settled up, a little after 6 p.m., I asked if Saturday would be truly the last day. The answer was no. \u201cWe\u2019ll be open through the holidays,\u201d a bartender said. \u201cIt\u2019s being sold and we\u2019re waiting for the sale to go through.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s good news.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got plenty of time. Come back as many times as you like,\u201d the bartender said.<\/p>\n

If this was a scoop, it was short-lived. On Thursday, Cole\u2019s announced on Instagram<\/a> that its last day would now be Dec. 31, \u201cbased on continued support from our guests and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

One popular comment: \u201cYou\u2019ve closed three times this year lol. Best marketing ever!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Another: \u201cI\u2019ve never been in a situationship with a restaurant before.\u201d Cole\u2019s replied with three crying-laughing emoji.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s overview of the term: \u201cA situationship is a romantic or sexual relationship that lacks clear definition, commitment and a consistent future outlook.\u201d Sounds about right. But the longer Cole\u2019s can stick around, the better.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on the other coast<\/p>\n

The New York Times put out a quiz titled \u201cAre You a True New Yorker?\u201d<\/a> What the heck, I clicked the link to test my knowledge of the Big Apple. Out of 25 multiple-choice questions, I got 16 correct.<\/p>\n

In school, a 65% score would net me a D. In this case, it was good enough to qualify me as a \u201cNew Yorker in Training.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ve learned the basics,\u201d the Gray Lady told me approvingly.<\/p>\n

This is based on a mere three visits to the city, occasional fiction and nonfiction reading and some lucky or educated guesswork. I don\u2019t expect to ever live in NYC, but it\u2019s nice to know I might be able to survive if necessary.<\/p>\n

(I could announce that I\u2019m bicoastal, but some of our local school boards might take that the wrong way.)<\/p>\n

I sent a screenshot of my score to my friend Franklin. He grew up in Upland but has lived in New York City for three decades.<\/p>\n

He took the quiz and reported back: \u201cI got a 15!!\u201d<\/p>\n

David Allen, who has an IE state of mind, writes Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, and follow davidallencolumnist on Facebook or Instagram, @davidallen909 on X or @davidallen909.bsky.social on Bluesky.<\/p>\n

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