One of my favorite houses on the Eastside, it’s on Fourth Street overlooking the bridge. I hope it never has to face the stucco monster!
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!
Click through for Greeks and geeks, Love and Rockets, Son Jarocho and protest remembrances.
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Hand-tinted photograph of the Plaza and the Plaza Church, as seen in 1869 photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library. The Eastside can be seen in the distance.
The City of Los Angeles was founded September 4, 1781 which makes our little pueblo 227 years old today.
The indigenous residents of this area, of Hokan and Uto-Aztecan ancestry have a history stretching back between 6,000-10,000 years ago.
Just another day in Lincoln Heights photo by Mecatli Acatl
(see what happens next at the bottom of the post)
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!
Keep clicking for artistic Eastsiders, punk podcasts, East Los radio, businessmen on bikes, forgetful fires and slanguage!
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The smoke cloud from the Station Fire as seen from Lincoln Heights.
I watched the fire dance over the mountains last night, every minute it leapt higher and moved at an amazing speed. When I woke up it felt as if there was a BBQ grill going inside my house. So is this what it feels like to smoke two packs a cigarettes a day? I can barely breathe. How about you all? How have you been coping with the smoke and heat?
Amazing photo taken from Highland Park can be seen here.
So this is what it looks like when the Eastside becomes a demographic. I first spotted this campaign in a men’s magazine and I was like “Whoa, finally representing the kind of people who actually wear Dickies!” Thanks to LA Eastside reader Perry who passed on the video link, much appreciated!
When I was a teen, I was into the hardcore punk scene and interestingly our fashion wasn’t all that much different from the vatos in the neighborhood. We’d wear Dickies, those canvas shoes you could buy at Woolworth’s or Thrifty’s (both stores now defunct) and plain black cotton jackets. The difference was, we were all a lot scruffier looking and had colored hair. I’ve shopped many a dime store aisle with a vato/vata next to me.
Nowadays, my friends will head to Cesar Chavez, North Broadway, Figueroa, Huntington Park or swapmeets for their Dickies wear. You can cut them off at the knee for the classic vato look, wear them to work a la your favorite mechanic or even pass them off as dress slacks. I remember once Dickies even had a “Working Class Hero” contest which I thought was hilarious! As for me, I’ve since moved on to girlier clothes.
Strike at the Pabst Brewery on North Main St, Lincoln Heights, 1954
Photo courtesy of LAPL
It’s called The Brewery for a reason, it used to be home to Pabst Beer. A beer reviled by people with good taste everywhere and now has surprisingly made a comeback with the Los Angeles bar crowd. How? Why? There is no answer that will stop my eyes from rolling, so keep on drinking the swill fellas, I’ll be enjoying my Craftsman brew!
Oh, did I mention that The Brewery is in Lincoln Heights?
The photo caption reads:
“A lone picket parades across the entrance of the Pabst Brewing Co. plant at 1920 North Main street as workers went on a strike in wage dispute. More than 1100 men were idled when picket lines were set up around this brewery and another in Van Nuys by AFL International Union of Operating Engineers. Photograph dated September 27, 1954.”
Victorian house on North Broadaway, Lincoln Heights. A perfect place for a Lincoln Heights Historical Museum, dontcha think?
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!
Click thru for a stories about the hardly-working class, DIY cheese, firme rolas, Flamenco therapy and ghost trains. Woowoo!
Update 8/21: Honk 4 Health Care Vigil 5pm Today Cesar Chavez @ Soto
Honk For Health Care Barrio Vigil Rush Hour Today 5pm – 6:30pm at Cesar E Chavez Blvd and Soto Street – help rally Latino support for Health Care Reform – Support President Obama against right wing attacks!
Someone (cannot remember who at the moment) once remarked on the lack of historical memory in our city and used the example of how we’ve taken our original city name, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del RÃo de Porciúncula and reduced it down to the abbreviated: L.A. It’s sort of telling and profound, no?
At one point in my life, I ceased using the term L.A. and switched to Los Angeles. At least for myself, a fourth generation Angelena, I felt that I should acknowledge the history of the city by using the official name.
How about you dear Eastside readers? What is your term of choice for our fair city? El Lay? Tongvaville? Trafficstan? Chalinotitlan?
Quetzal-This Is My Home
Take a trip through the Eastside with our homegrown talento, Quetzal.
A Mexican woman buys a jade bracelet from a Chinese woman in front of La Placita Olvera. A cultural exchange that some say has been happening for more than 500 years.
Redondo Beach, Summer 2009
Okay, I’ve been meaning to ask this question since the beginning of summer but work, parties, conferences and all sorts of other life events have gotten in the way of posting. And although summer is sort of almost over (at least for the academic crowd), Los Angeles summers really don’t start kicking in until mid-August and sometimes into September. There have been 100 plus degrees days in October too.
When I head to the beach it’s usually Hermosa, Manhattan or Redondo. Getting there is not too bad, 110 south to 105 west and then a short drive down the coast. There’s also a freeway bus that heads in that direction from Downtown Los Angeles. When we were kids, my dad always took us to Manhattan Beach. Lots of sand, fairly clean, nice vistas. And I admit, I’ve always appreciated the many bathrooms and showers. I prefer Hermosa for the ability to park quite close to the sand but the bathrooms are far and few between. In fact, are there any restrooms at Hermosa? Redondo is also nice, easy parking, lots of restrooms, lots of sand but the walk down the ramps can be hard for older folks (sorry, mom!) This area also has lots of places to eat but I’d stay away from the bars. Once I went with a group of Eastsiders to a Hermosa Beach bar and I thought we were gonna get lynched on the way out… I’m only sort of kidding.
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My grandfather Atanasio Garcia, circa 1940
While going through my grandmother’s family photos, I came across a few prints that had this curious commemorative Los Angeles border. They look to be some kind of souvenir stock for the 1932 Summer Los Angeles Olympics. One of the symbols is the Los Angeles Coliseum which I imagine was quite the accomplishment for our city during this time. I also like the motif of the bears and poppies.
The Games of the X Olympiad started almost exactly 76 years ago on July 30, 1932 here in Los Angeles.