How To LA

Until 1980, Barbie was always white. Mattel had made Black dolls before, but they were sidekicks to the brand’s main character with facial features that didn’t really distinguish them from the other dolls. In this bonus episode of The Barbie Tapes, we’re bringing you the story of the first Black doll to have the name Barbie as told by WNYC Studios correspondent Tracie Hunte . Tracie speaks with Ki...

#136: Cheap Fast Eats is back on the streets of LA, ever seeking the perfect on-the-go meal for under 10 bucks. This time, LAist's food editor Gab Chabran is taking Brian through the streets of Chinatown. They're checking out some modern hotspots, 30+ year old neighborhood staples, and of course... some excellent dim sum. Restaurants featured: Angry Egret Dinette, Long's Family Bakery, & My Du...

#135: California likes to pride itself on being a place that’s ahead of the curve, and sets trends where other states, and even countries, might take some lessons. But when it comes to solutions to the homelessness crisis, could California could stand to learn something from Texas? While the population of unhoused people in Texas has decreased by 28% since 2012, in California, during the same time...

#134: The great thing about Los Angeles is that you can do the urban thing – go to museums, clubs, concerts and eat at good restaurants – and you can get out in nature whenever you want... or need.  There are ton a beautiful parks, sunset spots and hiking trails right in the middle of the city. Or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can venture out to farther flung places across the county. ...

#133: We're staying on the hip hop beat in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the genre! (Check out our first episode on the origins of the West Coast sound with the Godfather of West Coast hip hop, Alonzo Williams). Today, How To LA speaks to historian, hip hop fanatic, and expert on Black culture from the millennial vantage point: Tyree Boyd Pates. We dive deeper into the impact and evolutio...

#132: Hip Hop officially turns 50 this weekend - Aug. 11th to be exact. As we all know by now, its roots are in New York. The west coast sound developed later but, when it finally hit, LA made Hip Hop its own.  It's the late 1970s, disco is dead and funk is hitting the clubs in LA. Alonzo "Lonzo" Williams is at the center of it all — DJing, producing and bringing acts at his club, Eve After Dark i...

#131: The double strike of SAG and WGA is rippling through the L.A. economy, affecting everyone from the creatives on the picket line to below-the-line workers to every business that all these folks rely on. From coffee shop owners to estheticians, we hear from a handful of people that have been impacted. Guests:  Susanna Boney, art/construction department worker turned lifeguard trainee Sharōn, E...

BONUS: From LAist Studios, LA Made: The Barbie Tapes. In this episode, Ruth and Elliot Handler are gone, and the new Mattel team, led by a man who feared the volatility of the toy business, diversified the company and made a big gamble on electronics. It didn’t work. Fortunately, Barbie ends up in the sure hands of some trailblazing women executives, who could see that the culture was moving in a...

#130: Taylor Swift is coming to LA for an unprecedented SIX nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood... and she's bringing about half a million fans with her. That's a ton of people — and money — pouring into Inglewood, but it's also a ton of traffic, infrastructure headaches, and more. So today we're going to SoFi with one question: Is LA ready for Miss Swift? If you are going to the Eras Concert, her...

#129: Today's dual strike of WGA & SAG-AFTRA bears a striking similarity to the last time both unions joined on the picket lines: 1960. In both contract disputes, the main concern for writers and actors revolved around emerging technologies. Where today's union members are concerned about streaming residuals and AI, their forebears were concerned about their movies being rebroadcast on TV. The...

BONUS: From LAist Studios, LA Made: The Barbie Tapes For Barbie, the cultural upheaval of the 60s and 70s incites one identity crisis after another as Mattel tries to make sure that their doll, who had revolutionized the toy industry, didn’t fall behind the times. By popular demand, Mattel creates Ken, and gradually adds new supporting players to Barbie’s world.   In this episode, we investigate K...

#128: Everyone loves a fresh concha – that warm, doughy center with the crunchy cookie shell on the top could send any Angeleno's heart a'flutter. Today, Brian's taking LAist food editor Gab Chabran on a concha crawl. We're exploring the history of this famous Mexican treat, and checking out Brian & Gab's favorite spots across LA. For more sweet-breaded goodness, check out Gab's article over o...

#127: Hollywood is at a standstill right now, with first screenwriters — and now actors — out on strike. SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, is calling for a number of changes in their now stalled contract negotiations with the AMPTP, the organization that represents studios and streamers. They include inflation-based wage increases, protections against artificial intelligence, and a shar...

#126: It's summer! Time for all night, experimental ambient music gatherings....right???  Ambient music gatherings as a thing have been gaining popularity here in the LA area in the past few years. These immersive events combine elements of music, theater, dance, live visual art and poetry to create a really impactful experience meant to take you on a journey of sorts.  And the roots of these even...

BONUS: From LAist Studios, LA Made: The Barbie Tapes When Barbie arrives on the toy scene in 1959, her celebrity is instantaneous, and not just because of her controversial appearance. Worldwide, Barbie is still the best-selling doll of all time. But Barbie has always been more than just a doll - she's a cultural touchstone. This episode kicks off the origin story of Barbie as told by her creators...

#125: Right now, we're undeniably living in a Barbie world. So, co-host of the LAist podcast "LA Made: The Barbie Tapes" Antonia Cereijido joins HTLA's Brian De Los Santos for a chat about Barbie's Los Angeles origin story. We also explore why Barbie continues to fascinate folks today, whether they like her or not. 

#124: If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, or as a barista or bartender, you know that tips matter. But on the customer side, it’s gotten a lot more confusing in recent years. More and more businesses are asking for tips now, including fast food restaurants and online retailers — places that didn’t used to make that request. Why? To answer that question, we turned to NPR's Stacey Vanek Smith , t...

#123: We're continuing our summer of discover neighborhood series, but this time with something new... and what better than our first episode in the 818? HTLA host Brian De Los Santos is taking producer Evan Jacoby on a tour of his former home town of Sylmar - the northernmost neighborhood in LA City. Join the tour as they cruise around town, eat too much pasta, and learn about everything that mak...

BONUS: We’re excited to share an episode of NPR’s Code Switch that highlights Brian’s “Finding Home, Con DACA” series that we published earlier this year. (You can check out those stories here on our feed.) Brian spoke to host Lori Lizzaraga about his time in Mexico as a DACA recipient, how he embraced being pocho and all those feelings that come along with being undocumented in this country. Link...

#68: This week, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes for a little adventure-inspiration. Today we're going to Angelino Heights. So get outside with us and get ready to see all the food, culture and history LA's different neighborhoods have in store. The How to LA team is checking out yet another neighborhood: Mid-City. Listener and TV producer Nisa Ahmad answered our call about what area...

#34: This week, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes for a little adventure-inspiration. Today we're going to Angelino Heights. So get outside with us and get ready to see all the food, culture and history LA's different neighborhoods have in store. In our latest trip through one of LA's neighborhoods, we hook up with HTLA listener and reader Andrea Martinez Gonzalez to take a tour of An...

#13: This week, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes for a little adventure-inspiration. Today we're going to Little Tokyo. So get outside with us and get ready to see all the food, culture and history LA's different neighborhoods have in store. How to LA is back at it, exploring the different neighborhoods that make up this beautiful city. Today we’re checking out Little Tokyo, where we...

#1: Join us this week as we continue our Summer of Discover! We're revisiting some of our favorite episodes for a little adventure-inspiration. So get outside with us and get ready to see what some of LA's different neighborhoods have in store. There's a lot you can learn by walking people's streets so How to L.A. will explore all the many neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Today, we start with West Ad...

#122: NOTE: This podcast episode contains AI-generated content that is not true.  The AI-generated section is clearly delineated, and experts join us to explain the legal and ethical implications. Have you ever worried about being replaced? HTLA producer Evan Jacoby explores this question as it pertains to AI, and what kind of role it may one day have in journalism. Guests: Eugene Volokh, professo...

#100: We're wrapping up our Holiday week roundup of Cheap Fast Eats with our 100 episode special - Silver Lake. This episode originally aired on May 12, 2023.  Silver Lake and hipsterdom may go hand in hand, but tucked between the murals, high-end shops and corporate chains, there are some stellar, chef-driven eats to be found at a bargain. The HTLA team is celebrating 100 episodes by eating their...