Different quakes seem to shift the ground differently. The '86 O'side quake felt like a wave under the floor with a definite rolling sensation. The SD quake about 10 years ago felt like a series of small rattles and then a sudden jolt, like a really big truck approaching and then bumping into the building.
This one felt like a wave here/
the one i enjoyed the most was the norwalk in 1987, altho there were bigger ones, such as the 8.1 lander.
i was waiting for a our company van to pick me up in torrance. i was reading the l.a. times and eating a bagel and cream cheese outside.
i heard the birds take off. i felt the ground move, and decided to get away from the exterior of the building, in case something from the roof fell.
i walked across the parking lot and my knees kept buckling. the asphalt was wavy. i thought at the time "i'm walking on water"!
immmediately afterwards the dogs and car alarms went off.
my boss arrived and didn't know anything about it; an auto's suspension does its job.
there were a couple of aftershocks that night, i remember. it awakened me.on the 2nd floor of my apartment you could feel and hear the wooden frame give and take. it was like being on an old freight train.