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#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=xxxxxThe 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-beefGuests: L.A. historian Hadley Meares and Rob Osborn, son of Michael Osborn, owner of Pie N' Burger. 

#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