Trip to Iran
FEBRUARY 17, 2007 Listen to this Story
- Ali Behdad
- View the Slideshow
For Ali Behdad, all the news from Iran this week has brought a special kind of anxiety. He's the chair of the comparative literature department at UCLA, and he's Iranian-American. He and his wife have been planning a trip back to Iran with their two small children in a few weeks. And now they're not so sure. Weekend America's Krissy Clark visited Behdad at his home in LA.
Notes from Reporter Krissy Clark
Los Angeles, or Irangeles, or Tehrangeles, as it's sometimes known among Iranians, is a good place to get to know Iran if you can't make the trip to the real place. Back in the days of the Shah, Los Angeles and Tehran were sister cities. When the shah was overthrown in 1979, many of his suppoters fled to LA. There are more than 32,000 Iranians who live in Westwood-- the neighborhood near Beverly Hills that's the hub of the community. I went down to Tehrangeles this week, for a Kutlet sandwich (delicious fried and breaded chicken) at Attari sandwich shop, some coffee, and to check out the word on the street now that the talk of attacks against Iran has escalated this week.
The talk was mixed. The manager of the sandwich shop said his customers are taking it in stride. They're busy enjoying lunch and catching up with friends. He hadn't noticed any more anxiety among his diners. But he cancelled a trip to Iran that he was planning this spring.
The head of Pars Times, a website for Iranian news and culture said he's been feeling antsy-- and says he's noticed a lot more military IP addresses have been visiting his pages lately.
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- Music Bridge:
- Astral Travelling
- Artist: Pharoah Sanders
- CD: Impulsive! Revolutionary Jazz Reworked (Impulse)
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