I spent last week in Los Angeles, finishing up the last of my dissertation research there and visiting friends. I interviewed some fascinating people, from high-ups in the departments of transportation and city planning to landscape architecture luminaries such as Mia Lehrer. Another real highlight, however, was meeting the great James Rojas (of
Place It and '
Latino Urbanism' fame) and enjoying a personal guided tour of his East L.A. stomping grounds.
Even for someone who lived in the city for seven years, who prides himself on knowing the city and having explored many of its farthest corners, hidden gems, and quiet neighborhoods, a tour like this was absolutely amazing.
James picked me up in Boyle Heights near Mariachi Plaza - long home to mariachis waiting for work and recently home to a shiny new subway station. From there were headed straight to food, sharing an amazing meal at El Tapayac, as he put it, a "real old Chicano place."
One of the most interesting aspects of the 'Latino Urbansim' James showed to me is the spread of "parking lot shrines" throughout East L.A. The first below here is the parking lot at El Tapayac, the second at El Mercado, the massive market we visited next.
After the mercado (modeled on the one in Gudalajara), we embarked on an epic drive through various parts of unincorporated East L.A. itself, from side streets to main shopping boulevards. James pointed out many examples of the prevalent spatial trends that have been the subject of his research since his days at MIT. These themes include the do-it-yourself nature of place-making, the reappropriation of existing forms into more resonant ones, and the incorporation of Latino symbolism into the built environment.
We also stopped by Our Lady of Guadalupe Sanctuary Church, modeled on (but a miniature version of) the twin-towered cathedrals of Mexico's great cities.
Knowing my love for graffiti, James made the final stop on the tour an especially awesome one: the underbelly of the East L.A. interchange. Under the confluence of three major interstates, behind some easily negotiated fencing and wedged between a scrap yard and the Los Angeles River, sits a sort of graffiti mecca. It is notable in the same vain as Five Pointz in Queens, if considerably more off the beaten path and certainly not quite as much of a destination (for tourists or apparently for bombers; its isn't nearly as wall-to-wall plastered in street art). It's an amazing urban space...
After climbing back out from under the interchange, we concluded our tour with a drive back across the River and into downtown, where James kindly dropped me back at another subway stop. I couldn't be more grateful to him for the amazing afternoon and incredible tour.
Thanks James, see you soon!
