A people’s guide to Los Angeles sheds light on less-frequented but important sites in LA

May 25, 2012 Radio interview with KPCC 

Tourists who come to Los Angeles tend to visit the same places: Venice Beach, Disneyland, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood. The slightly more adventurous might strike out for the Garment District, Topanga Canyon, or the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but what about neighborhoods to the south and east of those attractions? Places like the Los Angeles River? Or ‘the Ink Well’ (a two hundred-square foot beach) and Oakwood (a residential neighborhood) – two of the only Westside locations open to African-Americans during the first few decades of the twentieth century?

Where’s the guidebook that focuses on Los Angeles’ complex history when it comes to activism, class- and race-relations, and the fight for gay rights? At a bookstore near you, apparently. “A People’s Guide to the Los Angeles” focuses on 115 little-known Los Angeles sites with big histories. Join Patt and the books co-authors, Wendy Cheng and Laura Pulido. You might even find something new to do for Memorial Day.

WE ASKED THE AUTHORS OF “A PEOPLE’S GUIDE” FOR THEIR TOP TEN LITTLE-KNOWN L.A. SITES…

Go to full interview.