Last time I was in LA (only time I've been in LA as an adult actually) we were walking to Vermont/Sunset metro as the hapless Europeans without a car, and it was roughly outside that massive Scientology temple that we got accosted by the archetypal insane guy. Possibly a future scientologist, and completely off his head. Middle of the day, bright sunshine, traffic everywhere, yet when he started talking all the noise around seemed to evaporate - like the Mystery Man scene in Lost Highway, if the Mystery Man hadn't made any verbal sense, only hypnotic sense. It was bizarre and terrifying, managed to unlock ourselves thankfully after a few upsetting minutes....but then walking around LA in general l found utterly surreal. Unique place.