In reading The Kidnapper Bell and City Of Commerce you can see how the writers used the individual landscape in Los Angeles to give the reader a mental picture of the city. In The Kidnapper Bell the story starts out with the main character in a seedy bar in Chinatown. Many big cities on the west coast have a Chinatown such as San Fransisco, and San Jose to name a few, so this isn't a distinguishing factor as a sense to being in Los Angeles. The writer then takes us on a brief trip through the city to get to the L.A. River. Describing places in the story like Echo Park, San Fernando Road, and the L.A. River, these do however give us a sense of the landscape. The writer at one point describes the L.A. River in great detail. The book states "it has Graffiti covered cement. A hint of water. Chain link, barbed wire, and corrugated steal."(The Kidnapper Bell) Knowing the area it makes it a little more interesting to be able to place where they are, it kind of gives you a better picture to visualize what is taking place in your mind.
In the book City Of Commerce the writer uses a lot more Los Angeles related mainstays, he describes the 5 and 110 freeways. Sates how the main character meet his wife at a Santa Monica beach party. The main character describes his feelings for the landscape of Los Angeles when the book states "This town, to me, isn't notable for it's candlelit, leather bound night clubs or fancy gallerias. Like anywhere else, it's the outlet malls and truck stop Arby's, pathetic little trees dwarfed by ten foot freeway sound walls."(City Of Commerce) Also the main character mentions L.A. sports teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as mentioning The University Of California Los Angeles (UCLA). The writer even goes as far as describing the brutal traffic conditions Angelinos have to deal with on a daily basis. I think that both stories create a sense of place, City of Commerce did a much better job of distinguishing that the story took place in Los Angeles. The Kidnapper Bell described one landmark in Los Angeles with great detail, where as The City of Commerce made you feel a little more at home.
