People in Three Continents Share Their Idea of Escape

The library is eight floors, and I’m in the basement. We don’t see sunlight down there. But half an hour before the library opens, I sneak up to the literature collection, near the top floor, with my coffee. You’re looking down at the entire library, and you can see the sculptures and the chandeliers. The light filters in through these tall windows. Having this half-hour of absolute quiet — I like that a lot. GLEN CREASON, 72, MAP LIBRARIAN, LOS ANGELES

Photograph by Tanyth Berkeley

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I work for American Airlines , so I can fly as much as I want on standby — 
anytime, anywhere. I’ve been to six continents, all the Disneyland 
theme parks, and all Seven Wonders of the World. My favorite place is Victoria Falls in Africa. I travel by myself. I try the food, see the main attractions, then I come right back or go somewhere else. MIKE “CHEETO” CHEATHAM, 32, BAGGAGE HANDLER, LOS ANGELES

Photograph by Tanyth Berkeley

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I wish I could go back to Charlottesville, Virginia, when I was 8 or 9 years old. I would be sitting on my great-grandmother’s porch, and I would be snapping green beans with her, because that was the one cooking job she trusted me with. We would always snap the beans very particularly — first one end, then the other end. We’d sit on the porch swing, and she would push the swing gently because my legs weren’t long enough. If I could, 
I would listen to all of her stories more carefully than I did the first time around. NINA SHAW, 65, TALENT ATTORNEY, LOS ANGELES

Photograph by Lester Guijarro

READ THE REMAINDER AT CALIFORNIA SUNDAY