I’d been to this eatery maybe a year or so ago, when it was simply called La Tia and they were trying to specialize in tamales (no doubt to compete with the Eastside institution next door known as Tamales Liliana) but the food was just okay and it seemed like they were still getting things in order. About a month ago a friend told me that they now carried “all kinds of moles” and that it was under new ownership. Could it really be the same place? Only one way to find out!
I was waiting for the bus today after work listening to music thinking of how bad I hate my job sometimes. As per usual I was craving some sort of treat for a hard days work and from the corner of my eye what do I see ? A paletero walking up behind me ringing his magical bells like a pied piper. I quickly grab my board and catch up to him. Making my way to him I noticed the killer dubs on his carrito. I grab myself an ice cream sandwich and I compliment the vendor on his tricked out ride. I ask if I could take a picture of his carrito and he agrees. Seeing the huge smile on his after I asked, I knew this was a man who took pride not only in his carrito, but in his job too. I took a bite of my sandwich and wished him the best. Ring, Ring, Ring is all I heard as he continued on his way selling paletas and ice cream in one pimped out carrito.Â
That sandwich hit the spot.Â
Hmmm, the Spanish Basketball and Tennis teams have a weird sense of humor. I wonder if this goes over well at the Beijing Olympics?
“Estamos preparados para China” was the quoted caption on this pic.
For once I’m speechless.
Botanitas is an ongoing feature bringing you stories and news from various sources, upcoming events and other bits of ephemera that might be of interest to LA Eastside readers. Suggestions welcome!
Now I know that I’m stretching this post a wee considering this event took place in Downtown so please bear with me. No matter where you live, there is no shortage of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and other religious advocates preaching the word of their savior. I have no objections with their views or criticize their religion in any negative way. We all have the right to worship who ever we want without being burned at the stake. I just don’t appreciate it when they choose to take that love out of their homes and feel like sharing it with others, whether we like it or not. Continue reading
For sure, everyone reading this blog cares about keeping up with local happenings, not just of cultural or artistic significance, but also of social and political—of human-life—consequence, which the commercial media coverso poorly on the Eastside (a problem exacerbated over the years with the disappearance of once-competing newspapers and the continual downsizing of the Los Angeles Times). So even if the Times doesn’t shed much light on the life and times of the people of Boyle Heights/East LA (we really are a single entity, you know, despite the city’s borderline at Indiana), I know many of you have heard about the struggle to save our homes at Wyvernwood Garden Apartments (most recently, the marching hundreds on two separate occasions last month) and that you might be hoping to get a little more background on it all. Here is this piece, which I hope answers some basic questions about what Wyvernwood and this fight are all about. I hope to write about the actual struggle being waged by tenants in a subsequent posting in the near future. Â
While walking in Echo Park today, I discovered this little free fold-out map & shopping guide…. Continue reading
There is a trend among immigrants that shows that more and more of them are moving to more mid-western areas of the U.S. rather than living in major cities like Los Angeles. My family is proof of that. This weekend I’m visiting my parents here in the greatness that is Utah after leaving the nest egg to find my own way through life a year ago. There’s nothing like a 14 hour road trip to calm the mind and spirits. It’s also a good time to reflect and rethink things in life like school, work, relationships and all that good stuff. The change of scenery and clean air certainly are a welcomed changed as well. Life in L.A. is hard and fast. It’ll drain you of your youth and spirit and leave you a husk of a person bitter and brittle. That’s why they decided to move.
It’s pretty common for me to have to explain the placement of Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles. Â Most are oblivious to its very existence. Â After the jump is a sample conversation:
If you take even a casual interest in some of the literature about Los Angeles (you know, like in books) you’ll eventually run across references to the Eastside that are properly located and don’t play around with those coy and “fluid” demarcations that have been the rage amongst the newbie set; its East of the river, y punto. I come across these references every once in awhile and I get a tiny jolt of satisfaction seeing them in print, an insignificant validation of what most of us already know. That glee quickly turns into a sigh when I think about it for a second; this shouldn’t even be an issue. Que se le va hacer?
Well, this is what I plan to do: instead of getting angry about yet another careless use of the term by people that don’t matter, I’m hoping to occasionally post some quotes, references, or pictures that give the communities East of the River the respect they deserve. Easy enough, que no?
My friend “Bagel†sent me a link today to an article that breaks it down about hipsters or as “Bagel†calls them hamsters. ADBUSTERS’ main article and cover title are “HIPSTER: THE DEAD END OF CIVILIZATIONâ€
You can read the entire article HERE.
Side Note: My man aka “Mi Osito” mentions, “When hipsters move in, property values go up but so does rent unfortunately. Hipsters are much better protected by police which could make it safer for everyone in the hood. Culture, however, is under constant threat.”
Shit is going down in Cudahy in the name of keeping the political status quo.
Since 1999, Cudahy did not have contested elections until 2007, when two newcomers, Daniel Cota and Luis Garcia, ran for positions in the City Council and lost by a few dozen votes. A third newcomer, Tony Mendoza, was forced out of the race after receiving death threats against him and his family.
A year after that election, Cota and Garcia decided to run for office again and set up their 2009 election website a few weeks ago. Last week, Garcia’s house was firebombed (video taken by a security camera), burning the outside of his home and one of his trucks. Below is a picture of Garcia and the damage done to his truck, from the L.A. Now blog.
What’s incredible is that this is the SIXTH time since the past election that he has been vandalized at home. His truck has been showered with gallons of paint four times and two weeks ago, a brick sailed through his window. Continue reading
