L.A. Adventures

UHP 401. One semester to see as much of L.A. as possible.

[la-inasemester]

April 23, 2015. 4:30 P.M.

Mount Wilson Observatory

In 1904, George Ellery Hale, an astrophysicist who studied chemical and physical processes in stars, founded the Mount Wilson Observatory. His first work on top of the mountain was done with the Snow Solar Telescope, a telescope that was relocated to Mount Wilson after Hale left his job at the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin. Four years later, Hale, with the financial help from the Carnegie Institution of Washington, built a 60-inch telescope that would later be used in major discoveries, such as showing that the solar system was halfway out towards the edge of the galaxy. In 1917, Hale was able to create one of his most impressive telescopes: The Hooker. This 100-inch telescope was credited for helping astronomers accurately measure the speed of light. It also showed astronomers that Andromeda, along with all other spiral nebulas, were so far away from us, that they must be galaxies in themselves. The Hooker was known as the largest telescope in the world until 1948, when it was beat by a 200-inch telescope at Palomar Mountain.

On Thursday, Keegan and I decided to take an impromptu road trip after work to this observatory, in order to receive credit for our classes. He needed to visit it for extra credit in his astronomy class, and I saw it as an opportunity to take the pictures I needed for Theater 122 and use this as a blog post entry. Killing three birds with one stone is a good idea, right? Wrong. Though I knew this place was far, my lame self didn’t realize that I would actually have to drive up a mountain that day.

Despite heavy traffic and my gas tank being nearly empty, we made it to the top of Mount Wilson around 4:30, with about a half hour left before closing. The view was absolutely breathtaking, and for a second, I found myself being nostalgic and romanticizing about how great it would be to live away from the city. It made me realize how easy it must’ve been for Americans in the past to long for a “simpler, better life” in the midst of war and chaos, and what a deep hole that desire could dig for themselves.

After resting for a bit, Keegan and I decided to adventure around the grounds. The telescopes were massive, and we were even able to climb inside some of them and explore the interior. One of my favorite parts of the observatory was the “Bridge to the Stars”, which was a long bridge that connected the 100-inch telescope to the “Galley,” an area where the astronomers ate, drank, and waited for clouds to pass. I liked how the name of the bridge fit into the literal image I had in my head of how astronomers went about their work at night.

Once we finished up with the telescopes, we quickly headed back to my car to take pictures of the dress I had sewn. We spotted a backdrop we liked, and Keegan patiently took pictures of me, as I awkwardly smiled and twirled around. I am not good with selfies; never have been, never will be. I’ve always enjoyed being behind the camera, but I struggled being in front of it. So when we finally got a few shots that were good enough for my “Theater Wedding Costume Shoot,” we headed out and made it down the mountain before the sun set.

[southoftehachapi-blog]

On Saturday, before dropping me off at Union Station for the class field trip, my sister and I decided to stop for breakfast. We ended up at Homegirl Cafe, two blocks from the train station down Alameda. Homegirl Cafe is one part of Homeboy Industries. I’d heard of it before because my uncle frequents the cafe in LAX and because one of my high school teacher volunteered as a GED tutor for the organization. For those of you who have never heard of Homeboy Industries, it is a nonprofit organization meant to give former gang members and the previously incarcerated a second chance.  It was started in 1988 by Father Greg Boyle as part of the Dolores Mission Parish in Boyle Heights. Fr. Greg wanted to create something as an alternative to the cycle of poverty and jail time gang members and convicts from the area usually go through. It’s gone through some ups and downs but today the organization is flourishing and is used as a model across the country. Those that go through the program can receive legal aid, educational services, mental health services, and tattoo removal. They can also get job training and experience at one of the organizations businesses. 

We accidentally walked into the Homeboy headquarters and a man waiting to start tattoo removal redirected us through the merchandise shop and into the actual cafe. Inside, it looked like a trendy brunch place that could be found on second street or in some other upscale beach community. The menu was predominately hispanic dishes but they also had traditional brunch items and baked goods. Art from the homeboys was up on the walls for sale. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it was an interesting experience. As we ordered, Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” played quietly over the speakers. The family of five behind us in line were all blonde with blue eyes and looked like people from the stock photos they put in frames. They fit in well with the rest of the patrons. In a sharp contrast, our cashier was a Mexican man with a huge, blue, LA tattoo standing out from his heavily tattooed neck. He also had tattoos all over his forearms and across his eyebrow. My sister and I ordered scones and a plate of machaca to go.  The machaca was good but definitely not the best i’ve ever had and the scones were delicious. I plan on heading back to actually eat there soon.

For more information on Homeboy Industries click here.

[la-inasemester]

Wow this place sounds pretty awesome! I’ve never heard of Homeboy Industries, but after reading your description, I definitely want to check it out. I appreciate the history you tied into the place, and how you didn’t only present it as always be a “huge success.” -Michelle Dresser

[philips-la-encounters]

Last Sunday, in an effort to get musically inspired, my mother and I attended an organ concert/recital at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. This was quite a new experience for me as I had seen several plays and shows prior in the main Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, but never in the adjacent building known as the “Concert Hall” which houses the magnificent organ. Upon entering the venue I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the sheer size of this instrument which was built upon the front inner façade of the hall. This organ was literally massive from floor to ceiling, and that small space you see on the lower right is where the organist would control this behemoth with just the touch of his fingers and feet. The artist performing in this concert was a musician named Hector Olivera who was a native Argentinian from the city of Buenos Aires. In 1965 he had been given a scholarship to study organ from the Julliard School of Music in New York and has since been touring the world performing on this magnificent instrument. The concert was filled with scores from great composers such as Mozart and Bach which really gave one the feeling of the organ’s extremely versatile nature. Mr. Olivera was a gentleman to say the least, as he bowed proudly after each song modestly giving thanks to the crowd of listeners down below.

After the concert I decided to learn as bit about the Segerstrom Family who I knew were a prominent family similar to the Irvine’s in Orange County. As it turns out, the Segerstroms were a pioneering family from Sweden who had originally built their empire through the agricultural business. Strangely enough their cash crop was lima beans! Later the family focused on retail development and ended up creating what is now known as the great South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. This mall does over $1 billion dollars in sales annually! The Segerstroms ended up creating several charitable foundations, one of which built the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts. It’s amazing to see a family who literally created the foundation for what we know now as Southern California is still making an impact in every which way.

[la-inasemester]

Waaah, I love this instrument! At my church, we still have our original organ in our sanctuary, and we use it every week for the first service worship. Our first service primarily consists of people 70 & older... & me of course haha. It’s awesome that you got to experience such a beautiful instrument played professionally. I enjoyed your post, and learning about the history of the center’s contributing family as well. Great job! -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

March 28, 2015. 7:23 P.M.

The Last Bookstore

For my friend Claire’s birthday, we decided to take her to various spots in L.A. One of the places she had been dying to visit was The Last Bookstore. Claire has always been a book worm, so the idea of this place completely enticed her. She is also a design major and had heard that the interior of this place was incredible, so she was hoping to see some interesting artwork inside. She was not disappointed.

The entire layout of the bookstore by itself was amazing. From flying books to book tunnels, this place was decked out from top to bottom. On the first floor, they mostly sold books, records, and old movies. If you went up a floor, there were collections of $1 books in an area they called the “Labyrinth.” Along the outer walls were small independent businesses that sold everything from old trinkets to crotchet clothing patterns. The whole place was like a huge organized mess, and it was for this exact reason that we couldn’t seem to leave. There were so many different nooks and crannies we wanted to check out, and we kept getting distracted by all the various sections of the store. We stayed till closing, and ended up leaving with 15 books, 1 record, and 6 movies.

Before the store first opened, owner Josh Spencer began by selling his books on Ebay in 2005. As his business began to thrive, Spencer was able to open up a small shop on 4th & Main. Eventually, The Last Bookstore became so popular, that he had to move to a bigger location on 5th & Spring St. in order to accommodate his large inventory. 

The Last Bookstore was named ironically, because not only is it the largest independent bookstore in California that buys and sells used & new books, but also one of the very last. It has become an icon in L.A., and has played a large role in the efforts to revitalize the downtown district. I think part of the reason why people love The Last Bookstore is because it reminds them of a romanticized past. The old, vintage feel of the store brings on a nostalgia about the time before technology infiltrated our everyday lives. It makes people think of the past as a simpler, better time, where people could sit around, enjoy their books, and listen to their vinyls. Ya know, “the good ol’ days.”

[willmetscherlastory-blog]

The city life can be overwhelming and fast paced, and it can be difficult to find a nice spot just to relax. My friends and I have discovered the best place to go and take in an amazing view of the city. It is on the top of Palos Verde and it has a view of the entire L.A. basin. It almost looks like a shimmering city with all of the different colored lights in the basin. Sometimes it can be hard to get perspective of just how large our awesome city is. School can be stressful and my friends and I usually go to the chill spot at least once a week. This particular spot also has a unique view of LAX airport, so it is easy to see all the airplanes begin their landing descent. It is really crazy how many planes land there day in and day out. Whenever we go there are other people of our same age group usually hanging out there talking about school or life. From this area the ocean over by Redondo Beach can be easily seen, it really is amazing how close metro L.A. is to the ocean. It is not that far of a drive, only about twenty minutes from CSULB. Sometimes we get a map of Los Angeles and try to divide out the city borders, it’s easier said than done. I would have taken a picture but the last time we went there it was overcast and dark, so my phone camera wouldn’t stand a chance. I will just post a picture of the same view from google images! I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good spot to hang at!! :)

[la-inasemester]

AHH P.V. is seriously the place to go for spots like these. Weirdly enough, I think I know where this is.. (If it is on top of a hill at the dead end of this neighborhood I’m thinking of...) if not, I love a place really similar to this! You should check out the cliffside on Paseo Del Mar if you get the chance. It’s a nice place to go if you just want to sit on a tree & relax, and it has such a beautiful view of the ocean. Anyway, awesome shot! -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

March 22, 2015. 4:15 P.M.

San Clemente Camping Trip

Over the weekend, my church college group took their annual camping trip to San Clemente State Beach. The trip started on Friday at 2 p.m., and ended on Sunday around 11:30 a.m. Total, 32 people came down, but only 26 of us stayed till the very end. Unlike retreats, our camping trip was completely unstructured, which was a wonderful change of pace. I serve on the Core Leadership team for my college group, so it was nice not having to spend the weekend running around, setting up various activities. We spent most of our time in San Clemente eating, sleeping, playing games, going to the beach, and adventuring around the land. One of my favorite moments on the trip was at night when we were all sitting around the campfire talking, singing songs of worship, and hanging out with one another. Now, I’m not going to lie; since I spend most days city hopping or trying to take advantage of every “free moment” I have, it sometimes hard for me to know when I need to just take it easy. (Yes, I am THAT type of person) But this weekend allowed for so much relaxation time, that it forced me to stop, step back, and take a break for once. It was nice getting to just sit around (literally and figuratively) and spend time with my church family.

Now the site itself was absolutely breathtaking. We always get the lots closest to the ocean, so that the walk between the beach and our campgrounds is a short one. Surrounding us were many trees, cliff sides, and beautiful views of the water. At night, the were always brilliant stars shining overhead, because the skies were so clear. Though, besides the small information I knew about the geography of the land, I admit that there wasn’t much more I actually knew about San Clemente. So, when I got back home on Sunday, I searched for its history to see what I could find. To my surprise, the land that San Clemente sits on was virtually uninhabited until 1776. It was then that Father Junipero Serra founded the San Juan Capistrano Mission, and encouraged Indian and Spanish settlers to set up nearby villages. The area itself, though, was scarcely built on until 1925, when former Seattle mayor, Ole Henson, bought the land and designed a 2,000 acre community. His intention for San Clemente was to build a luxurious haven for those who were tired of the “big city.” Ultimately, his goal was to recreate the American “Spanish Fantasy.” All the buildings were built in Spanish style with red tiled roofs, which later became the reason that San Clemente was known as the “Spanish Village by the Sea.”

"I vision a place where people can live together more pleasantly than any other place in America.... the whole picture is very clear before me.... I can see hundreds of white-walled homes bonneted with red tile, with trees, shrubs, hedges of hibiscus, palms and geraniums lining the drives, and a profusion of flowers framing the patios and gardens... I want plazas, playgrounds, schools, clubs, swimming pools, a golf course, a fishing pier and a beach enlivened by people getting a healthy joy out of their life... I do not want people repulsed and sent away by ugliness in other communities... I have a clean canvas and I am determined to paint a clean picture." -Ole Hanson

[drew-mirk-blog]

On Thursday March 12, 2015 I had the opportunity to go to The Ellen DeGeneres show. This was my first time going to a talk show and I was pretty excited. I got out of school around 12:00 and made my way down to Burbank with my friends. The filming of the show was at the Warner Brothers studio...

[la-inasemester]

I got to go to the Ellen Show 2 years ago and it was so much fun! Ellen is such a good host, & does a really good job at making her audience feel involved during the show. It’s awesome that you got chosen to go to on the day that the first lady was guest starring. That’s such a rare opportunity, and I’m glad you got to enjoy it! -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

March 15, 2015. 11:23 P.M.

“Raise Your Voice” Movie

When we were talking about our favorite L.A. movies in class a few weeks ago, I was reminded of a movie I have not seen in years. I mentioned it briefly in class,  and the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I realized how truly cheesy this film really was.

The film sets out with a brother and sister living in a small town with their parents. The young girl, Terri (Hiliary Duff), has a wonderful singing voice that the brother, Paul, recognizes, but the father fears. The father, who is portrayed as overbearing and overprotective, used to be an amazing football player in high school. When him and his buddy got full rides to go play for a school in L.A., he turned them down, while his buddy when to L.A. to become a wild and crazy drunkard/drug addict. Due to this, when Teri tells her father she wants to apply for a summer music program in L.A., he ultimately says no. Paul, who is never seen getting along with his father, gets into a huge fight with his dad and gets grounded. Despite this though, Paul still ends up secretly sending in Teri’s application for the school anyway. Later that night, Teri and Paul sneak off to a concert for his birthday, where a drunk driver hits them on their way home. Paul dies, leaving Teri feeling guilty for his death.

The rest of the movie is pretty straightforward. Terri’s mom and aunt convince her to go behind the father’s back and accept the admission, even though she is still grieving over her brother’s death. She goes to L.A. and finds that the city is a scary, mean, and dangerous place. (Her purse gets stolen in her first few minutes of arriving in L.A.) The people at the school are initially all rude and unwelcoming, and she begins to doubt her ability to even fit in. Then, she falls for the troubled, British bad boy Jay (who is Hapa, I might add) and everything turns around. Her music gets better, there’s support when she goes through PTS from the car accident, she makes new friends, and even is able to build a breakthrough relationship with her African American roommate, who was initially harsh and cold towards her in their first encounter because she desperately needed the cash from the grand prize. Of course, things have to get worse, so the jealous ex girlfriend kisses Jay, Teri retreats back into her loathing self, her music suffers, and her father finds out that she’s been at the school all along. In the end, when the father comes to take her home, she convinces him that this school was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and he allows her to go perform with Jay. It’s an incredible, tear-jerking performance for her whole family, and though she doesn’t win, it still a happy, feel-good ending, because the ex girlfriend also loses, and the struggling roommate wins.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I did love this movie as a kid. There is still some sentiment when I re-watch this scene and remember my sister and I sitting together on the couch, hoping with all our might that Teri and Jay would win. Yet, even now as I review everything I typed, I realize just how stereotypical this movie was. My cousin, who was about my age and studying African American history and injustices at the time, absolutely hated watching this movie with us. I remember my sister and I getting mad at him when he would comment “Why do they have to make the black girl, the minority, the poor one?” or “Of course she gets over her PTS, the realization of the L.A. dream would obviously override any pain from the past.” At the time, I didn’t understand what he was saying; I was just irritated he kept talking during the movie. Now, though, I get it. What he was trying to explain to us was that this movie was nothing more than the L.A. fantasy. Here was a small town girl who, despite all odds being against her, was able to come out on top and realize who she truly was in L.A. It was in the tough city that she found the opportunity she was “destined” for, and the people who understood her best. This movie completely plays up the fantasy of the L.A. dream by also making sure the minority, who portrayed as lucky to even get accepted to the school, was able to make a name for herself. This movie emphasizes the dream that if you want to be famous, adored, and accepted, L.A. is the place to be. It highlights all the “opportunities” of L.A., and the possible success that awaits all hopeful musicians.

[urbanspace401-blog-blog]

March 15, 2015 | 2:00PM | Huntington Beach, CA

There are specific identities and cultures that make up southern California. In many coastal California cities, there is a surf culture. Specifically, Huntington Beach is also known as “Surf City, USA.” The history behind the “Surf City, USA”...

[la-inasemester]

Huntington beach is one of my favorite beaches. I grew up closer to Manhattan and Redondo beach, so going out to Huntington used to be our fun “far away”  beach day. I definitely understand what you mean about the surf culture, and found your post really interesting. -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

February 28, 2015. 6:40 P.M.

Palos Verdes Proposal

On Saturday, Keegan and I helped our good friend Danny propose to his girlfriend, Carissa. He proposed in Rancho Palos Verdes, on a cliffside along the street Paseo Del Mar. The history behind Rancho PV dates all the way back to when it was first inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians, before it was "discovered” by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. The area was later given in as 1846 as a Mexican land grant by Governor Pio Pico to Jose Loreto and Juan Capistrano. It is now known best as an upperclass, affluent neighborhood in Los Angeles, surrounded by large, beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.

 This exact location was the place where Danny first asked Carissa to be his girlfriend, so he thought it was only appropriate to return to that same location to ask her to be his wife.

We visited the spot the night before, and ran into some major technical issues. The city of PV by itself is not very well lit, so the cliffside we were on was pitch black. We anticipated Carissa to get out of class around 5, so we knew by the time I picked her up, lighting was going to be difficult. In hopes to solve this, we had bought many candles (COVERED candles; didn't want to be responsible for burning down PV), but even with that, it was still too dark. Danny and Keegan both had work the next morning, so if anyone was going to pick something else up, it had to be me. We struggled to think of something bright, affordable, battery powered, and available at this time of year. All night I scoured the internet for battery powered christmas lights that I could pick up in store, with no luck whatsoever. Finally, around 3:45 a.m., I found a listing for stone LED battery lights at Bed Bath and Beyond, and went to sleep happy, knowing I had to be up in roughly 4 hours.

The morning of the proposal was complete chaos. I picked up the lights and lanterns in Torrance, drove to Carson to go visit relatives, drove to San Pedro to pick up the cameras, then met the boys at the spot in PV. The plan was that as the boys were setting up, I would drive back to Torrance to pick up Carissa. At the time, she believed we were going to PV to film for a project I had in my "Southern California Class." I even made up a fake syllabus for the supposed project to make sure this story sounded believable. She bought it.

Finally came time for me to drive back to Torrance once more to pick her up. On my way down the hill, she offered to drive us around for the night, but I said no, INSISTING I hadn't even been able to drive much that day. Once we were in the car together, I rambled more than I've ever rambled before in my life. I asked her how dinner with Danny and her parents went, if they were engaged yet, and told her of how I thought he would propose in the next few months. I needed her to believe that there was no possible way I knew about any proposal plans, and lucky for me, she thought I was clueless.

When we arrived to the spot, she immediately stopped and turned around to tell me, "Michelle, there's lights." At this point, I figured she knew what was going on and quickly encouraged her to go down there. She must've thought I was being so rude because she responded almost immediately with a "No, we can't! It looks like someone is doing something really romantic and we're gonna ruin it." We had convinced her so well, it didn't even cross her mind that this setup would be for her! So, for a few minutes we stood there as I tried to convince her why it would be a good idea to go find out why there were candles everywhere.

Finally after much pushing, she began to slowly crawl down the cliffside repeatedly saying, "Hello...? Is anyone there?" When Danny came out to say hello, she didn't recognize him and instantly began retreating, saying, "I am so sorry we invaded! We'll leave right now!" He then told her she should come down, and, after a few moments, it finally registered what was going on. He then proceeded to sing and play a song he wrote just for her, get down on one knee, and pop the question. There were a few other mishaps that occurred... including dropping the ring off the cliffside... but we found it! Overall, it was a perfect proposal for these two because it was definitely one they will never forget. Congrats Danny & Carissa, I love you both!

[jsherman32-blog-blog]

“Here is your ticket, enjoy the aquarium!” Exclaimed thenice lady, who subsequently handed me a ticket to enter the Long Beach Aquarium or the Aquarium of the Pacific. I entered around 5:30, so I only had about an hour to see all the stuff in the aquarium, before it closed. I had just...

[la-inasemester]

Cool post! I've always wanted to visit this aquarium (especially since I receive coupons for this place from my bank haha), but I've never got the chance too. It's a bummer that your trip was cut a little short because of the time crunch, so hopefully next time you'll be able to spend a bit more time exploring the place! -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

February 26, 2015. 5:45 P.M.

Griffith Observatory 

On Thursday, my boyfriend and I decided to head back to L.A. and visit Griffith Observatory for both our classes. Though we had planned to leave early, I didn't get to his house till about 4, which was the time when the freeway was hardly moving.Anyway, after spending over an hour trying to get there, we finally reached our destination, and were surprised at how packed the place was at the time. As we worked our way up the hill, I began to realize that even though I had been here before, I did not remember the place at all. 

Griffith Observatory was first opened on March 14, 1935. According to history, the observatory was built on land that was once part of an old Spanish settlement, Rancho Los Felis. The land was owned by the family of Corporal Vincente Felis until it was bought by Griffith J. Griffith in 1882. Griffith was a journalist and mining advisor, but made his fortune in Mexican silver mines and California real estate. On December 16, 1896, Griffith donated the land to the city of Los Angeles in order to create a public park in his name. He later offered the city $100,000 to build an observatory on top of Mount Hollywood. Griffith's goal in doing this was to make science more accessible to the public. He felt it was his "obligation to make Los Angeles a happy, cleaner, and finer city. [He] wished to pay [his] debt of duty in this way to the community in which [he] had prospered."

When first arriving at the observatory, the thing that struck me was the structure of the building. The observatory itself is very large and grand, with white washed walls and tiled roofs. Though the tiles were not red, the exterior did remind me of the type Spanish fantasy buildings we've discussed in class.

Inside the entrance, there was this large mural above us on the ceiling. The artist was Hugo Ballin, and he called his piece "The Advancement of Science from Remote Periods to Present Times." His artwork displayed the fields of aeronautics, navigation, civil engineering, metallurgy and electricity, time, geology and biology, mathematics and physics, and astronomy. His painting showed how science and engineering changed throughout the history up until the time Griffith Observatory was opened.

[geriweckstein-blog-blog]

[la-inasemester]

This place looks awesome! Hopefully you'll get to venture through it one day haha. We have a marsh like this in Torrance called Madrona Marsh... but I don't think there's any special historical L.A. significance to it (I don't think so at least). I think it's cool that you were able to relate this random place that your dad enjoyed back to the class. -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

February 19th, 2015. 8:25 p.m.

The Bun Shop

On Thursday night, my boyfriend, Keegan, and I decided to try a new restaurant in L.A. called The Bun Shop. Though we had never been here before, we had been seeing pictures of this place on our friend’s Instagram and decided we wanted to try it for ourselves.

The restaurant was located in the heart of K-town, a place Keegan had never been before. Upon arrival, he immediately expressed how different the atmosphere felt from the rest of L.A. Everything around us fell into the “Korean” theme they were trying to go for, which included ramen shops, boba, Korean spas, etc. Since we grew up in the Torrance/Gardena area, our surroundings felt very similar to the things we had at home, but very different from the other experiences we’ve had in Los Angeles.

When we entered the restaurant, we were surprised at how small the inside was. For the most part, everything was wooden and the whole place had an earthy vibe to it. There were a few side tables and two very long tables in the center of the room, and the only source of light came from 3 hanging light bulb chandeliers. We ordered 5 buns, 2 kalbi beef, 1 spam, 1 pork belly, and a bucket of garlic rosemary shop fries. Though the food was amazing, we were a little disappointed at how small the portions were.

Overall, our experience at The Bun Shop was not too bad. The food was great, the atmosphere was nice, and K-town as a whole was interesting to drive through. As we headed home though, I couldn’t help but wonder if the purpose behind the creation of Koreatown was similar to that of Chinatown and Olvera Street. Though there were elements of it that were typical of “Korean stereotypes,” such as the roofs on some of the buildings, there weren’t any obvious things that pointed to a romanticized idea about Korean culture. So, when I got home, I decided to try and research it. Unfortunately, to my dismay, the only information I could find depicted the Korean immigrants as people who were confused and lost before finding their opportunities in American businesses. 

[sophinsocal]

[la-inasemester]

Tuesday February 10th, 1 PMThis week I explored closer to my home in Orange County. I’m gradually learning that Costa Mesa is abundant with mini hipsteresque hang out spots, which makes me excited,...

Never been to this place, but it sounds pretty interesting. I like little quirky places like these, but I don’t know if I’d be down to go for anything too overpriced. -Michelle Dresser

[la-inasemester]

February 13th, 2015. 1:22 P.M.

Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

On Friday, my friend Reed and I decided to head up to UCLA to visit our friend Channing at school. When we got there, she told us she wanted to visit a museum that was connected to UCLA called the Hammer Museum. At first I was a little hesitant, because, despite my love for art, I've often had trouble getting into the idea of contemporary art exhibits. It seemed like every one I had been to before would always set a piece of art in front of me without a clear explanation of what it could mean, and then force me to leave unsettled and dissatisfied. Nevertheless though, the admission was free, so we decided it'd be a good idea and headed out.

Though I shouldn't have been surprised, the traffic on our way there was absolutely awful. The streets were crowded with numerous drivers all in a rush to get to their destinations, and it seemed as if everyone was running late. Finally when we arrived, we parked the car and the first thing we saw when we walked into the building was this.

"You. You are here to get cultured. To get smarter, richer, younger, angrier, funnier, skinnier, hipper, hotter, wiser, weirder, cuter, and kinder."

This first piece of art immediately grabbed my attention not only because it was impossible to miss, but also because, for some odd reason, those words really bothered me. In my first few steps into this building, it already made me think of why on Earth I was even in this museum, and if it was for any of the reasons listed, what did that say about my values? Troubled by this, we moved on.

In the next few exhibits, we saw various types of contemporary art pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and even some videos. One of my favorite exhibits was called Gridwork by artist Charles Gaines. 

His pieces portrayed complex objects that were photographed and then broken down to the simplest of forms. His photographs were all very different from one another at first glance. His portraits included an african american man, a hispanic dancer there, a wealthy man, etc. At first, this seemed strange to me, because I didn't understand why anyone would take something whole and make it incomplete. As I began to walk around though, I started to notice the cohesiveness in all his work. In each of his 3rd pieces, there was always an element of simplicity in the colors and lines he would use, that would tie his entire collection together. No matter how different the first photograph was, each end product looked as if they were all related to each other.

This got me thinking about the city of L.A. as a whole, and what his art could have been trying to say about the people living here. When you look at the city of Los Angeles, there are so many things that separate the residents of L.A. from one another, whether it be socially, economically, ethnically, etc. Yet, despite all these differences, there are still some similarities among us. Like Gaines's artwork, we are all complicated individuals; we have our own personalities, backgrounds, and beliefs. But, when broken down to the core of ourselves, we are also just human beings trying to figure out our place in this world. As the sign had said in the beginning, we are all, in some way, shape, or form, trying to become cultured. This yearning to be something more is the simple connection that ties L.A. city together and the various types residents that live in it.

[drew-mirk-blog]

The first picture is of Seal Beach pier and the other three were taken at Heron Pointe where the Native Americans once resided.

[la-inasemester]

It's cool that you found a place that so closely related to the things we've been learning in class. Also, it's fascinating how even though so much of the past is always being "altered", there are mementos like these to remind us of things that are starting to be erased. Awesome discovery!