#274: L.A. is often called the street vending capital of the country, and for good reason. Our street food has so much diversity, whether it's served out of a truck or a puesto. And it's not just food — people sell sunglasses, clothes, groceries... It can a great hustle for people who want to be their own boss, but it's also a LOT of work.

To get a sense of what's involved, we're hanging out with some street vendors in mid city. Plus, we're talking with LAist correspondent Leslie Berestein Rojas to get up to speed on the latest news and legislation for vendors.

Featured Vendor: Daniel Martinez, co-owner of Tacos 5 y 10 on Hauser & Apple, just north of Adams Blvd in West Adams / Mid City.

#273: Leslie Liao is an L.A.-based stand-up comedian, actress and writer who went from working at Netflix (in the HR department) to now being on Netflix.

For a long time she was juggling both her corporate job and stand up, but she went full time with comedy this year. She was featured in the streamer’s series called "Verified Stand-Up," she’s been on "The Tonight Show," and she’ll be performing in the Netflix is a Joke Fest starting this Thursday (May 2) in L.A.

A lot of Leslie’s comedy focuses on dating in L.A., and what it was like growing up in a predominantly white suburb of Orange County as a Chinese American. She sat down with How To LA at The Hollywood Improv to talk about how she got started, what it’s like being a working comedian in L.A., and even shared some dating tips too.

#272: We're back with another episode in our How Not To Be Lonely in L.A. series. 

Brian is out but, today, How To LA producer Megan Botel takes over the mic and explores these questions: What does it mean to connect to yourself, and why is it important for warding off feelings of loneliness? How do you do it? And in a group setting? 

One way is to do the things you loved as a kid and connect with that "inner child."  For Megan, that was ballet, so we are checking out Studio A, a funky little dance studio tucked behind the Hyperion Arts Building in Silver Lake. 

Guests: Cati Jean, dance instructor and choreographer at Studio A; Cat Moore, director of belonging at USC, dance student. 

For more on the importance of moving in sync with others while connecting to oneself, read her LAist article here: https://laist.com/news/how-to-la/in-a-social-funk-pickleball-dance-and-other-physical-group-activities-could-be-a-solution

#271: We love LA over here, but perhaps no one is a bigger fan of our city than Evan Lovett, the guy behind the LA history and discovery show: "L.A. in a Minute!"

Today, How to LA host Brian De Los Santos sits down with Evan to talk about how he stumbled into his career as a content creator, what truly makes L.A. special AND some of his favorite spots around town that really reflect the city's flavor.

Guest: Evan Lovett, host of "L.A. in a Minute"

PLEASE NOTE: Evan Lovett has previously worked as a paid influencer for LAist to expand the reach of our voter and gift guides, and other civic engagement work.

#270: Today, we’re coming to you once again from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where we had the chance to speak with some local authors about their work. In this episode: Michael Arceneaux, the New York Times-bestselling author of “I Can’t Date Jesus,” “I Don’t Want To Die Poor,” and his latest book, “I Finally Bought Some Jordans"; and Amy Price, former general manager of the Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A., and author of "Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel."

#269: Today, we’re coming to you from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where we had the chance to speak with some dope local authors about their work, about Los Angeles, and how it all connects for them. In this episode, my conversation with Héctor Tobar, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and novelist.

#268:

HTLA is checking out some more movie history with a spotlight on the world tour, The Art of the Benshi, coming to L.A. on April 19-21. In this episode, HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro comes on to chat Japanese silent cinema and L.A. history with host Brian De Los Santos. 

Benshi were the narrators of Japan's silent film era. These artists introduced films and also provided live narration, portraying characters, and articulating the on-screen action, filling theaters and enthralling audiences. Including in L.A.

It's an art form with roots in this city that a lot of people don't know about, so join us as we dive in with lead benshi Ichiro Kataoka and professor of Japanese literature at UCLA Michael Emmerich!

You can find tickets and more information online at https://artofthebenshi.org/

And check out our LAist article here. 

Guests: HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro, UCLA professor of Japanese literature and tour organizer Michael Emmerich, lead benshi Ichiro Kataoka

#267: This is our second episode exploring downtown L.A. — part of our series on L.A. neighborhoods. Last time (episode #266), we covered some of the history of the area, and the ups and downs it's experienced over the years.

Today, we’re looking at its present and possible future, largely through Oliver Alpuche's story.

Oliver has lived in downtown L.A. for 16 years and he's a sort of ambassador to the neighborhood. He's also the founder of DTLA Proud and founder of the new, soon-to-be-open gay bar KISO in downtown's historic core.

#266: It’s been a minute since we explored a L.A. neighborhood on How To LA. We’ve been to Little Tokyo, West Adams and Sylmar before. Now, we’re in downtown.

But we’re not going to try to boil down the entire area in one episode. 

Today, we’re going to get into the history of the ups and downs the area has seen over the years, and learn a lot from a walking tour of downtown put on by the Los Angeles Conservancy (led by docent Robin Holding).

Stay tuned for episode two, where we’ll focus on one Angeleno’s experience of present-day DTLA — living there and opening a new bar in the historic core.

(This episode was engineered by Hasmik Poghosyan and Donald Paz.)

#265: It's time for another Food Fridays! And that means Gab Chabrán is hitting the streets with HTLA host Brian De Los Santos to grub on our favorite food: PIZZA.

LA is going through what many artisans are calling a pizza renaissance right now. Hundreds of gourmet pizzerias have popped up around L.A. in recent years, taking advantage of the abundance of fresh produce in the region and marrying uniquely SoCal flavors and influences.

HTLA sets out to capture that unique L.A. flavor!

Still hungry? Well - Gab's got even more places to check out in this month's edition of Cheap Fast Eats. 

Locations: LaSorted's, Quarantine Pizza Co, Apollonia's. 

Guest: LAist food editor, Gab Chabrán