#256: Today we’re gunna get moving!

In our next installment of our series on How Not To Be Lonely in LA, we’re covering all the ways moving in synchrony together promotes closeness. Really, it’s just an excellent way to make friends.

Luckily in LA, there are unlimited amounts of classes, courses, leagues and clubs one can join based on your particular interests. Whether it’s a dance class, sports league or a mixed martial arts training, there’s literally something for everyone.

How To LA producer Megan Botel discovers why moving in what’s called "behavioral synchrony" is so good for connection, and learns about how one really popular activity in L.A. is bringing people together.

Guests: Sana Kim Davis, marketing director at Santa Monica Pickleball Center; Jamie Krems, assistant professor of psychology at UCLA; Micah Mumper, Longbeach resident and pickleball fan

#255:

We're back with another episode of Revival House, but this time we're not heading to a 100 year old theater...

The David Geffen and Ted Mann theaters at the Academy Museum of Motion Arts and Pictures are a new addition to L.A's revival programming. In this episode, we explore what the theaters, which only opened in 2021, have to offer our city's moviegoing landscape. And hopefully, we demystify what seeing a movie here is actually like! (Did you know that tickets are only $10? And no, they don't just show Oscar winners.)

In this episode, How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro sits in the red velvet seats of the David Geffen theater with Academy Museum Director of Programming, K.J. Relth-Miller, to talk community access, screening trends, and the power of movie theaters.

If you're curious about the Academy Museum, you can check out our other LAist Studios series, The Academy Museum Podcast here.

Guests: Academy Museum Director of Programming K.J. Relth-Miller 

 

#254: The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government’s official list of locations it considers worthy of preservation. There are more than 98,000 places on the register, and about 600 of them are in L.A. County.

Angeleno Etan Rosenbloom is on a quest to visit them all. Since 2021, he's visted more than 200 spots in L.A., and he chronicles his journeys on his website and social media accounts, all titled "Etan Does LA."

We recently asked Etan to show us something on the National Register that we might not know about already, and when we said Pasadena, one of his first thoughts was: bungalow courts.

Today on How To LA, we're dropping Part 2 of the latest Imperfect Paradise series Strippers Union. It's one of the hottest stories from last year's hot labor summer that features a North Hollywood strip club and its dancers' fight to unionize. 

Part 2: When the Star Garden strippers go public with their union campaign, they get pushback from the club’s management and a group they didn’t anticipate - other strippers. LAist Producer Emma Alabaster reports.

Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

 

#253: Revival House is breaking format for this episode, and we’re saying goodbye to a historic first-run movie theater.

 

The Highland Theatre in Highland Park was one of the only movie theaters in Northeast LA. A designated historic cultural monument, the exterior will remain intact, but its future is uncertain. 

 

In this episode, How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro chats with host Brian De Los Santos about community memories, the history of the theater, and what might be next…

 

Links we mentioned in this episode:

Eastsider LA

Los Angeles Theatres

Guests: Highland Park Independent Film Festival co-founder and executive director, Marita De La Torre; historian and film professor Ross Melnick, and local employee Denise Hernandez

#252: The rain is, we hope, behind us. Although it could bring us another big wildflower bloom like last year.

We all might know the popular – and overcrowded – spots to see the blooms, like Anza Borrego Desert State Park and Antelope Valley. But today, the How To LA team comes together to offer its take on best hikes to see wildflowers, and maybe even a waterfall. 

P.S. Please use these tips wisely! Do not step on, or pick, the flowers, stay on the path and leave nothing but footprints behind. Be a good steward of the land!

How To LA Team recs:

Evan Jacoby, producer:

• The Backbone Trail, Santa Monica Mountains. Start at Mishe Mokwa Trailhead

Megan Botel, producer:

• Zuma Canyon Trail, short and sweet
• Zuma Canyon Loop Trail, long and hard
• Lily’s Malibu, amazing Mexican grub

Jens Campbell, production coordinator:

• Claremont Wilderness Park (includes info about the Claremont Loop & Thompson Creek Trail)
• Whittier Narrows
• Frank G. Bonelli Park 

Megan Larson, executive producer:

• The Grato Trail, park at Circle X Ranch
• Escondido Falls
• Use Seek app with kids!
  
  

For an expert take, listen to the Theodor Payne Foundation's wildflower hotline: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theodore-payne-foundation-wild-flower-hotline/id1676116861

#243: We're bringing you an encore presentation of our interview with composer Kris Bowers about the documentary short he co-directed called "The Last Repair Shop." The film won an Oscar this past Sunday. This episode originally aired on February 27, 2024.

Today we’re talking to pianist, film composer and LAUSD alumnus Kris Bowers. Bowers has composed the scores for films like "Green Book," "King Richard" and "The Color Purple," and streaming series like "Dear White People" and "Bridgerton."

But that LAUSD part of his resume is very relevant to one of his latest projects.

It’s a short documentary that Bowers co-directed (along with Ben Proudfoot) called “The Last Repair Shop." It's all about the technicians who work in a repair shop downtown, fixing and tuning the more than 100,000 instruments the district provides to students, free of charge.

In addition to an Oscar nod, the film has also inspired a $15 million capital campaign — to raise funds for the repair shop and for a student apprenticeship program.

#90: We're bringing back an episode from last wildflower season to kick off this one! Last year was a very wet winter, and this one was no different. This episode original aired on April 14, 2023. 

Happy wildflower season! Have you seen all the wildflowers popping up around the city and beyond lately? Our very wet winter has paid off, and SoCal's spectacular array of wildflowers is our reward. Today, botanist Evan Meyer tells us all about SoCal's special bloom.

California is one of the few places in the world that experiences this explosion of color beginning each spring. Learn how the state's Mediterranean climate produces our unique wildflower seasons and – most importantly – how to responsibly enjoy the blooms without disturbing the delicate ecosystem. 

Guest: Evan Meyer, executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation 

 

Today on How To LA, we're dropping Part 1 of the latest Imperfect Paradise series Strippers Union. It's one of the hottest stories from last year's hot labor summer that features a North Hollywood strip club and its dancers' fight to unionize. 

Part 1: In 2023, North Hollywood’s Star Garden reopened as the only unionized strip club in the U.S. LAist Producer Emma Alabaster tells us the behind-the-scenes story of the workplace conditions that pushed the dancers into action. 

CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes sensitive content about sexual assault.

For sexual assault and harassment support and resources, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, which is a service of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network).

For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise

Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

#251: You know this podcast LOVES our food episodes, so we're teaming up with someone who loves LA's food scene as much as we do: Alex Cottrell, better known as LA Try Guy. In this new segment, Down To Feast, Brian and Alex show each other their favorite meal in the neighborhood. This first one is in Westchester, so next time you're going to LAX (or next time you're in the need of some ridiculously delicious Jamaican food) you've got some solid recommendations to choose from.

Best Chicken Sausage Sammich (Brian): The Coffee Company

Best Oxtail (Alex): Hungry Joes

Music in this episode composed by: Austin Cross, Cortex, Dexter Thomas, Makoto Matsushita, Moon Mullins, The Sweet Enoughs