How To LA

#282: Today we’re putting a spotlight on journalists at Southern California colleges who’ve been covering protests on their campuses. Protesters have been calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza and for their schools to divest from companies tied to Israel and weapons manufacturing.  

We heard from students at USC, UC Riverside, CSU Long Beach, and UC Irvine about what this time has been like for them, juggling their roles as journalists and college students.

Check out the story on LAist: What's It Like To Cover Your Own Campus Protest? Here's What Student Journalists Told Us

#281: Revival House says goodbye for now with a look at one of the biggest programming groups in town, the American Cinematheque. 

Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, screening 1500 movies a year in three iconic theaters across Los Angeles, the American Cinematheque has a movie for everybody, every night of the week. In this episode, How To LA producer Victoria Alejandro jumps into the history of these movie theaters and this programming group to shine a light on a little L.A. moviegoing history and spotlight the future of the American Cinematheque in this city.

Check out our deep dive into the Egyptian Theatre's history and reopening here:  https://omny.fm/shows/howtola/revival-house-the-egyptian-theater-redux

Guests: Professor and historian Ross Melnick, American Cinematheque artistic director Grant Moninger, Programmers Imani Davis and Cindy Flores, Senior Film Programmer Chris Lemaire

#280: We’re back with our series on How NOT To Be Lonely in LA.

Today we explore the connection between religion…or lack thereof…and loneliness.

For decades, Americans relied on their church, temple or mosque, or other religious institutions, for a sense of built in community. But with more and more people disaffiliating from organized religion in recent decades — particularly since the 90s — we, as a society, haven't really found a replacement for those spaces, and the community and sanctity that comes with them.

Today, producer Megan Botel speaks to USC professor of religion Diane Winston about what has been lost on a personal and community level in the decline of religiosity. She also explores the Pico Union Project, a non-denominational church in L.A. that might offer a solution to some who are looking to find a place to gather with people and share in some sense of spirituality. 

Guests: Diane Winston, professor of media and religion at USC; Craig Taubman, founder and artistic director of the Pico Union Project; Ross Chait, talent booker at the Pico Union Project.

#279: Hey, How to LA listeners! We’re back with another social calendar to talk about the interesting, fun, new happenings in the city.

Guests: Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and Janice Llamoca, an audio producer and host. You might have heard her work on Latino USA, Vice AND she was the host of the amazing LAist Studios podcast Party Crews: The Untold Story. 

Here’s what each person pitched for YOUR social calendar:

• The Hollywood Bowl: check out Maestro of the Movies with John Williams
  • Pro Tip! Get a shuttle pass and BYOB (wine and beer only)
• Theodore Payne Foundation: learn about native plants, take a garden tour, buy some plants, take a workshop!
• Check our your neighborhood bars that give the true down home vibe!  
  • In West Adams (Brian's hood), check out Chulita, Johnnys, Delicious Pizza and Alta 
  • Gold Room and Bar Flores in Echo Park
  • Or Bar in WeHo
  • Hot Dog at El Cid in Silver Lake

#278: Today we have an update to a story we brought you back in November of last year (#191: 'It's Really Hot Out Here.' What LAUSD Is Doing To Cool Down Schools). LAist Associate Editor Aaricka Washington brings us up to speed on efforts to increase the amount of green space on school campuses in Los Angeles.

#277: Jacqueline Valenzuela is a 26-year-old interdisciplinary artist and lowrider car club co-founder who often features women in the lowrider community in her art. We met up with her at the Kolor Studio, the studio/auto body shop where she works with her fiancé in the City of Industry.

Japanese American Incarceration. The Third World Liberation Front. The 1992 Los Angeles Uprising. What you think you know isn’t always the full story. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families that explores how the past is personal. Hosted by NPR’s Emily Kwong, we go deep with families on how their most personal, private moments are part of history.

How can I support? Inheriting is entirely funded by supporters like you. If you want to hear future seasons of Inheriting, donate at LAist.com/Inheriting and click on the orange box to help us make Season 2.

#276: Merrick Morton is one of the first people to document Chicano gang culture in L.A. He also photographed women in prison, Latinas at kickbacks, and people on death row. Almost all of his photos capture something that you might not expect: a tenderness, a realness.

We meet up with Merrick at the Eastern Projects gallery in Chinatown, where an exhibit of his work titled "Un-Rehearsed" is on display, to talk about his art and how he started photographing these communities.

If you want to see some examples of his work, check out this article on LAist.com.

Or - come see the free show in person! It's running until May 18th.

#275: Go back to the movies with us!

It's heating up in the city, so Revival House continues with a classic of spring and summertime in L.A. — a film at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Run by Cinespia, you can picnic and catch a revival film on the iconic grassy knoll. What keeps people coming back year after year? What's the history of it all? Listen along to find out.

Learn more about the cemetery tour here: https://www.cemeterytour.com/

Find more about Cinespia here: https://cinespia.org/

Guests: Cemetery tour guide Karie Bible, Cinespia founder John Wyatt.

#223: Announcing The Tournament Of Cheeseburgers! Vote for your favorite burger in LA at this link: https://laist.typeform.com/to/Eq4UczlJ?typeform-source=www.google.com#campaign=xxxxx

The top three burgers will be crowned at a special Smorgasburg event at The Row in DTLA on July 7.

Here are the details: https://laist.com/events/tournament-of-cheeseburgers-at-smorgasburg-la

To get us in the burger mood, we're revisiting our episode about the first cheeseburger... which was, probably, right here in LA. This episode originally aired on July 6, 2023.

The cheeseburger turns 100 this year - we're pretty, anyway. (There's a few conflicting dates here) But more convincing is its birth place: Pasadena, California. That's where The Rite Stop first slapped some cheese on a patty - and it's also where Cheeseburger Week is celebrated every year. And this year's Cheeseburger Week is extra special, since it's recognized as the cheeseburger's centennial! 

We're learning all about it with Hadley Meares, over cheeseburgers and fries at Paasadena's famous Pie 'N Burger.

Make sure you check out her article for more: https://laist.com/news/food/pasadena-claims-to-be-the-home-of-the-cheeseburger-but-theres-beef

Guests: L.A. historian Hadley Meares and Rob Osborn, son of Michael Osborn, owner of Pie N' Burger.