Exploring the people, places & culture of greater LA
I am always on the lookout for new ways to see Los Angeles and learn about its rich history. While I love exploring the city on my own and do that as often as I can, I’ve found that taking a tour is an equally satisfying way to go – not to mention a good use of my time. With a knowledgeable guide, I can learn more about a particular place in a short period of time than would be possible if I just went out and wandered.
During the past several decades, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has steadily expanded the region’s bus and rail systems. Recognizing that art can engage transit riders, beautify public space, and reflect the diverse communities that use these systems as well as the region’s rich history, Metro initiated an ambitious public art program in 1989 that has become an important component of its planning and construction programs.
As I reported in an October 2010 post, the Los Angeles Planning Department’s Office of Historic Resources is undertaking an ambitious program called SurveyLA, which is the first comprehensive effort to identify historic resources throughout the city. Now the Office of Historic Resources has launched an innovative public engagement program called MyHistoricLA, which is intended to get the public directly involved in the survey process through the use of an online technology platform developed by MindMixer.
Tweet Ice Cube shares his love of Los Angeles and appreciation for good design in this video produced as part of Pacific Standard Time. His final thought: “Who are these people who got a problem with L.A.? Maybe they just mad they don’t live here.” Spoken like a true Angeleno. Check it out.
In case you hadn’t heard, last month the American Planning Association (APA) designated two locations in Southern California as Great Places in America for 2011. One was named a Great Street and the other a Great Public Space.
Once again USC will host the Archives Bazaar, a daylong event that offers Los Angeles history buffs, Californiana enthusiasts, and academics the opportunity to learn about new information sources and research methods, exchange ideas, share new findings, and celebrate their passion for the city’s local history. The event is presented by LA as Subject, an association “dedicated to preserving and improving access to archives and collections that document the history of Los Angeles’ diverse peoples, languages, cultures, and geography.”
As a longtime center of the film industry, Los Angeles has served as backdrop and central character in countless movies. This rich celluloid history helps us understand what Los Angeles and its environs were like in decades past.
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