BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Esotouric - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Esotouric X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://esotouric.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Esotouric REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20200308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20201101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20210314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20211107T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20220313T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20221106T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20230312T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20231105T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20240310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20241103T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211017T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211017T180000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20211001T012243Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211018T170105Z UID:10000467-1634486400-1634493600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:A Natural History of Los Angeles Freeways DESCRIPTION:This is a recording of a webinar that previously streamed live. You can purchase a ticket to watch the recording\, but you won’t be able to participate in the live chat or Q&A. \nPlease join us Sunday November 14 at 4pm Los Angeles time for a new live webinar. \nJoin Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for an immersive cultural history webinar that’s whirlwind trip through Los Angeles freeway lore\, from their design\, mapping and engineering innovations to the communities displaced in their path\, packed with unexpected tidbits that will forever change the way you navigate and understand the city. \n\n\n\nTo sign up\, enter your name and email address and click the “Buy Ticket” button above. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \nOur special guests for this program are transit historian Paul Haddad (author of the newly published Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles)\, photographer and educator Jeff Gates (In Our Path) and Bunker Hill native son Gordon Pattison\, a witness to the displacement and community disconnect caused by the 110- Harbor Freeway’s 4th Street Cut. \nWe’ll hop right onto the fast lane as Paul Haddad takes us for a virtual tour around the freeways and interchanges featured in “Freewaytopia\,” slowing to see the sights and point out memorable characters and vistas. Our other guests will chime in with insights along the way. \nThe route includes: \n\nThe East LA Interchange\, the world’s busiest\, designed by Heinz Heckeroth and the perpetual target of legendary traffic reporter Bill Keene’s razzing with nicknames including Malfunction Junction\, The Beast\, The Octopus\, The East Delay Interchange and the Nickel/Dime (where 5 and 10 meet). With more than a half million daily vehicle trips\, the Mother of All Interchanges gives birth to transit quintuplets: the San Bernardino (I-10 East)\, the Santa Monica (I-10 West)\, the Pomona (SR-60 East)\, the Santa Ana (U.S. 101 North and I-5 South)\, and the Golden State (5 North)\, so even if you’ve never traveled her lanes\, she’s part of your Los Angeles journey.\nThe Figueroa Tunnels (1930-36)\, designed by master Los Angeles bridge architect Merrill Butler to carry two-way street traffic\, they became part of the freeway system to solve the problem of connecting the jammed up Arroyo Seco Parkway (1940) to the new Downtown Los Angeles Four Level interchange\, the world’s first such connector.\nA trip around L.A.’s rare cloverleaf on- and off-ramps on the Glendale Freeway (SR-2)\, 405 and 101\, with an explanation of the engineering flaws inherent in a sprawling design that reduces transitioning traffic speeds to a grueling 35 mph\, and the many attempts by CalTrans to patch the broken system.\nA quick trip from the 105/110 to the 105/405 interchanges\, to show how the failures of the Downtown Four-Level were solved by adding ramps exclusively for carpool lanes\, so interchanging drivers are able to sustain freeway speeds.\nThe graceful 10/405 interchange (1964)\, the first to be designed by a woman (Marilyn Reece Jorgenson) and the first major interchange in which cars could blaze through at freeway speeds.\n\nWe’ll also sit a spell with Gordon Pattison\, who grew up on old Bunker Hill and saw his Victorian neighborhood split in two when the 4th Street Cut cleared land for the 110-Harbor Freeway to connect with the 101-Hollywood and 10-East. Gordon will share his childhood memories of the massive construction project\, then provide an historian’s overview of how freeway construction severed Fort Moore Hill\, dug through historic cemetery plots and forever transformed the shape of northern Downtown. \nAll of these themes lead us at freeway speeds to explore Jeff Gates’ “In Our Path” photo project. “In Our Path” comprises two series of black-and-white photographs and essays chronicling the construction and impact of the I-105 “Century Freeway.” The 18-mile freeway runs east-west from El Segundo and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Norwalk and bisects the communities of Hawthorne\, Willowbrook\, Lynwood\, and Downey. \nHe took the first set of photos between 1982 and 1983\, when a seven-year injunction filed by homeowners\, the NAACP\, and the Sierra Club\, stopped construction. At first\, he had no idea what was taking place on that swath of land. But he wanted to capture the sense of “abandoned suburbia” that lay before him. As he photographed\, he became acquainted with the history of this public project and with the people who lived within and along the Corridor. He also spoke to those who were building the freeway and those responsible for carrying out the stipulations of the court’s Final Consent Decree. \nIn 1990\, after attending an exhibit of these first set of photos\, Hall & Associates (the successor to the Center for Law in the Public Interest in the Century Freeway litigation\, and the firm which represented homeowners in this case) commissioned Gates to rephotograph the freeway now that it was finally under construction. This second set of photos\, taken between 1990 and 1993\, document the physical transformation of the soon-to-be-opened freeway. \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture packed with rare photos that will bring the story of Los Angeles freeways and their impact on the communities they cross to life. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. \nOur guests are eager to answer your questions\, so get ready to be a part of the show. \nABOUT OUR GUESTS: \nGORDON PATTISON is a native son of Bunker Hill. His family owned the Salt Box and the Castle\, the last two homes standing after the neighborhood was cleared for redevelopment. He is a tireless advocate for the lost neighborhood\, through illustrated lectures (like Old Bunker Hill: One Family’s Perspective)and as a guest on Esotouric tours and webinars. \nJEFF GATES is an artist and writer interested in the intersection of art and American culture. He is the founder of the Chamomile Tea Party\, where he’s created over 230 posters on the sorry state of American political discourse. In 2018\, Google Arts & Culture published a seven-part online exhibition of this work\, allowing Gates to create a visual history of American politics from the Tea Party’s rise to the effects of Donald Trump’s presidency. Public engagement is an essential aspect of Gates’ work. And\, he has incorporated several online communities as part of his projects. In 1999\, concerned about online privacy\, he was the first artist to use eBay as an art form\, auctioning his personal demographics to the highest bidder. After 9/11\, he created the online site\, “Dichotomy: It Was a Matter of Time and Place\,” where people posted their experiences that day from two perspectives: those affected directly by the attacks and those who witnessed the events via the media. And\, in 2008\, much to the chagrin of his most ardent supporters\, he tweeted his root canal live to a group of dentists across North America. In the early 1990s\, Gates formed Artists for a Better Image (ArtFBI) to study artist stereotypes in contemporary culture. He published a history of these stereotypes and collected artist depictions from film and TV\, using them to talk with artists about their place in American society. Gates also organized a symposium to discuss how artists could connect with their communities. And\, as a way of engaging with the public\, he produced series of bumper stickers about artists. Gates taught college photography and computer graphics for 23 years before becoming Lead Producer of New Media Initiatives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He has written and talked about social media’s effect on organizational change. And\, in 2005\, Gates launched the Smithsonian’s first blog\, Eye Level. His writing and art have appeared in The Washington Post\, The Atlantic\, and The Nation. He is the author of the book Uneventful: The Rise of Photography\, exploring the evolution of photography from the 19th to 21st centuries. He now focuses his time on his art and writing full time. In Our Path is his project website and other projects can be found at Outta Context. \nPAUL HADDAD: A native Angeleno\, Paul Haddad has been writing about Los Angeles since 1996\, when he penned his first essay about businesses and buildings with portmanteau names for Los Angeles Times Magazine. His first nonfiction book was High Fives\, Pennant Drives\, and Fernandomania: A Fan’s History of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Glory Years (1977-1981)\, a look back at the team’s previous championship era through the radio calls of announcer Vin Scully. It was named one of the Best Baseball Books of 2012 by the Los Angeles Daily News and led to Haddad’s participation in Fernando Nation\, ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary on Fernando Valenzuela. Haddad’s other nonfiction books include the perennial “local interest” bookstore favorite 10\,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 57 Walking Adventures\, an updated edition of the original book\, 10\,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 52 Walking Adventures. Each appeared on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List. Haddad has also published several novels\, including Paradise Palms: Red Menace Mob a neo-noir crime novel set during the 1950s about a family trying to fight off gangsters from hijacking their Hollywood hotel. His most recent book is Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles. Augmented by 175 photos\, it is the complete\, often-untold story behind L.A.’s vast freeway system\, charting its influence on the city’s landscape and human lives from a 360-degree perspective. The book includes a Foreword by journalist and L.A. Times scribe Patt Morrison. Haddad’s “day job” is in television as a writer\, director\, and executive producer\, which has resulted in multiple Emmy nominations. He is on Twitter and Instagram as @la_dorkout\, on Facebook and his website. \nCan’t join in when the webinar is happening? You’ll have access to the full replay for one week. Please note: the 2-hour running time is just an estimate\, and we often run long because the stories take on a life of their own. You can always come back and watch the last part of the webinar recording later. \nSo\, tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \nPlease visit our FAQ for details about our webinars. \n\n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/los-angeles-freeways/ CATEGORIES:virtual,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/freeway-Featured-WP.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211114T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211114T183000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20211017T203932Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211115T180058Z UID:10000468-1636905600-1636914600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Learning from Boyle Heights / Saving Los Angeles DESCRIPTION:This is a recording of a webinar that previously streamed live. You can purchase a ticket to watch the recording\, but you won’t be able to participate in the live chat or Q&A. \n\n\n\nTo sign up\, enter your name and email address and click the “Buy Ticket” button above. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \nJoin Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for an immersive cultural history webinar about Boyle Heights’ rich legacy of civic activism\, arts education\, faith and progressive social service organizations\, and the devoted community advocates who are fighting to preserve and reactivate historic landmarks to give the community places to honor their past and shape the future. \nAll the major challenges faced by Los Angeles in 2021 come into sharp focus in Boyle Heights\, the early residential suburb on the east side of the L.A. River. \nThe longtime councilman Jose Huizar is facing trial on racketeering charges\, gentrification is encroaching from the high-rent Arts District across the still unfinished “world class” redesigned Sixth Street Bridge\, small businesses are struggling and locals with deep roots are facing displacement. \nBut the solutions to the community’s challenges are there in the past\, in the stories of progressive political organizers building coalitions and taking back power\, arts education transforming young lives\, and charitable homes for orphaned children\, immigrants and seniors protecting the most vulnerable. Today\, locals are working to restore\, repurpose and preserve landmarks associated with Boyle Heights’ progressive past\, to serve as incubators for a new generation of community builders. \nFor more than a century\, the citizens of Boyle Heights have taken on tough civic challenges with brains\, grit and heart\, and come out stronger. How can current residents look to their past to find a new model for engaged civic and cultural life\, and inspire the rest of the city to follow? Let’s talk about it! \nOur special guests for this program are: \n\nSean Carrillo\, a member of the ASCO arts collective who as a teen found his artist’s voice in the photo labs of the All Nations Youth Center (Soto-Michigan Jewish Community Center) and studying under Sister Karen Boccalero at Self Help Graphics. Sean is joined by his dear friend Daniel Villarreal\, an actor and fellow member of ASCO\, who also benefited from the arts education offered in Boyle Heights.\nVivian Escalante\, who leads Boyle Heights Community Partners\, a non-profit dedicated to preserving cultural landmarks\, protecting legacy businesses and documenting neighborhood stories.\nStephen Sass\, President of the Breed Street Shul Project\, a longtime chronicler of local Jewish history and advocate for the preservation\, restoration and reactivation of the historic temple.\nDavid Silvas\, Vice President of the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council\, who has a particular interest in historic preservation and equitable and ethical land use decisions\, including fighting the displacement of culturally Japanese seniors from the Sakura Gardens retirement facility.\nDavid Kipen\, Southern California historian and educator. David shares how his tenure as Director of Literature for the National Endowment for the Arts helped shape his work with the Libros Schmibros neighborhood lending library on Mariachi Plaza.\nSteven Luftman\, historic preservation advocate\, whose latest campaign is the Fairfax Theatre\, where many former Boyle Heights residents met to socialize\, brainstorm\, fundraise for their new culturally Jewish neighborhood.\n\nTopics include: \n\nA short history of Boyle Heights’ development as a culturally diverse streetcar suburb absorbing waves of immigrants from Eastern Europe\, Japan\, Mexico and Russia.\nThe history of the Breed Street Shul as a Jewish spiritual site\, and the decades-long campaign to protect the earthquake damaged landmark from demolition with the aim of restoring and reactivating it to serve the secular Boyle Heights community.\nThe neighborhood’s influential arts education programs\, including the Soto-Michigan Jewish Community Center and Self Help Graphics\, and how ideas hashed out in these fertile spaces spread far beyond Boyle Heights. If you’ve ever participated in a Día de los Muertos event in the United States\, you can thank Sister Karen and Self Help Graphics for their work at Evergreen Cemetery.\nHow secular Jewish organizers associated with the Vladeck Center\, Jewish Labor Committee\, Los Angeles Workmen’s Circle and CSO-Community Service Organization\, including Julius Levitt and Saul Alinsky\, helped to transform the political power base in Los Angeles and foster a vibrant Chicano Power movement.\nThe landmarking campaign for the Nishiyama Residence and Otomisan\, the last Japanese restaurant in Boyle Heights\, a significant commercial landmark and a poster child for Los Angeles’ failure to enact a Legacy Business Registry.\nThe history of the culturally Japanese retirement facility Keiro / Sakura Gardens. Originally the home of the pioneering Workman family\, it became the Hebrew Shelter and the Jewish Home for the Aged\, before being sold to a Japanese-American non-profit with the proviso that they continue the charitable work of protecting vulnerable elders. In the aftermath of the property’s sale to a developer and the rejection of more than a century’s ethical land use\, we’ll talk about what comes next for the historic site\, and how the community can help hold private developers and politicians accountable.\nPlus we’ll highlight interesting landmarks that tell the layered history of Boyle Heights\, including the Max Factor House on Boyle Avenue\, with its garage that served as the laboratory for his cosmetics innovations\, and which was later home to community physician Dr. H.J. Hara.\nCelebrating ten years of the Libros Schmibros Lending Library on Mariachi Plaza\, and founder David Kipen’s advocacy for the 21st Century Federal Writer’s Project Act\, inspired by Depression-era cultural programs.\n\nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture packed with rare photos that will bring the story of Boyle Heights to life. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. \nOur guests are eager to answer your questions\, so get ready to be a part of the show. \nABOUT OUR GUESTS: \nSEAN CARRILLO was born in Boyle Heights in 1960; the eighth of nine children born to Jose P. Carrillo and Elisa Arevalo of El Paso\, Texas. He attended Resurrection Grammar School in East LA and Bishop John J. Cantwell High School in Montebello. As a teenager\, Sean completed a self-directed photography course at All Nations Neighborhood Center and later at the behest of Director Bill Maxwell he became a member of the board of directors as Community and Youth Representative. He attended Los Angeles City College and Cal State LA\, where he worked as the Events Administrator for the Exploratorium Art Gallery. At Cal State in 1980\, Sean met visual artists Harry Gamboa Jr. and Gronk. He joined their performance art group\, ASCO\, and toured with them throughout the Southwest for several years as a performer\, artist and Technical Director. In 1984 Sean met Bibbe Hansen\, daughter of the late Fluxus artist Al Hansen. They married and he became stepfather of two boys\, Channing and Beck. Shortly thereafter they adopted a daughter\, Rain. In 1986 began he began work as an assistant editor for Steven Eckelberry who was editing a film for director Paul Williams. He worked for several years as an assistant and then graduated to editor. During this period he edited a film on Global Warming for the esteemed documentary director\, Harrison Engel and the legendary educational film company Churchill Films. In 1990 Sean and Bibbe opened Troy Café in downtown Los Angeles\, which quickly became nationally renowned for showcasing the best in multi-cultural music\, art and performance\, with a special emphasis on the Latino Arts Community. Troy Café was nationally recognized as a premier venue for emerging artists. From 1995 – 2004 Sean Carrillo has worked as a producer\, director\, editor and writer of industrial videos\, commercials and live events. Notably\, he produced the in-flight commercial for Hawai‘i Pacific University currently in rotation on United Airlines. In January 2005 he and his wife relocated to the East Coast of the United States. Most recently Sean co-produced a video to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) which was screened at their Anniversary Gala\, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Visit Sean’s website. \nVIVIAN ESCALANTE: Born and raised in Boyle Heights\, as my family was displaced by the City of Los Angeles\, Chavez Ravine – Dodger Stadium Project\, and settled into Boyle Heights\, where I attended Sheridan Elementary School\, Hollenbeck Junior High School\, and lettered at Roosevelt High School and was in Student Council as the Girls Athletic Coordinator. In the Spring of 2018\, an active participant with the Committee to Defend Roosevelt from the demolition of our 1923 historic R building and Auditorium with an LAUSD Modernization Project that has erased our history and cultural heritage\, as we fought for the LAUSD Alternative 2 – Modernization and Historic Preservation for what could have been a win-win situation for our community and future generations. In 2019 – Present\, Certified from Center for Nonprofit Management\, a Nonprofit Management Certificate\, Introduction course Individual Donation Fundraising Certificate\, introduction to 101 How to Start a nonprofit course. A passionate soul for historic preservation\, community\, and history\, fueled with enthusiasm for my community of Boyle Heights. As President/CFO of Boyle Heights Community Partners\, focused on giving back\, and moving forward Historic Cultural Monument nomination applications. We are moving fast as developers are moving aggressively faster with demolitions projects to our historic homes\, erasing our cultural and heritage\, as we are preserving it. Sitting on the board of our Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council\, with the ability to have created the first ever Historic Preservation Committee\, and sitting on our Plan and Land Use committee\, working together on behalf of our community. \nSTEPHEN J. SASS\, a native Angeleno\, is President of the Jewish Historical Society of Southern California and Breed Street Shul Project and Chair of the Los Angeles County Historical Landmarks and Records Commission. Steve was editor of the award-winning Jewish Los Angeles: A Guide\, executive producer and co-writer of “Meet Me at Brooklyn & Soto\,” JHS’s documentary on East L.A.’s Jewish heritage\, which aired on public television\, and has written extensively on regional history and preservation issues. He chaired the Fairfax Community Mural Project\n\, which resulted in a photo mural in the heart of the Beverly-Fairfax neighborhood highlighting L.A.’s Jewish history painted by seniors and teens. He has also been a consultant on exhibits at such venues as the Japanese American National Museum and the Autry Museum\, as well as the annual celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month by the Los Angeles City Council. Professionally\, Steve is EVP & Chief Counsel for HBO Max/TNT/TBS and truTV Original Programming. \nDAVID SILVAS’ family has a long lineage in Boyle Heights\, as it was the first Los Angeles community his family moved to at the turn of the century from when they arrived from Hungary and Romania and were involved with financing the Weber and Spaulding designed International Institute on Boyle Avenue\, an important community space that was a stepping stone for immigrants. His passion for historic preservation and architectural properties is matched by few. From Victorian\, to American Craftsman\, to Hollywood Regency and Mid Century Modern\, his admiration for period design in Los Angeles is a driving inspiration in his business as his real estate practice\, Engel & Völkers Beverly Hills focuses solely on Architectural and Historic real estate throughout Southern California and has made him one of the most preeminent agents specializing in historic and architectural properties. Concerned about the future of this vibrant and historic community\, David has been a vocal advocate for adaptive reuse of current buildings\, extensive landmarking and preservation for heritage sites\, and advocating harmonious-small scale development that is sensitive to the already established neighborhoods. Community engagement and education is a passion of his\, as this is key in preserving this historic treasure. David holds an MBA from the University of Toledo and is a published author. Organizational memberships include: The Los Angeles Conservancy\, Docomomo\, The California Preservation Foundation\, and The Southern California Paul R. Williams Society. He is Vice President of both the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council and Boyle Heights Community Partners. \nDAVID KIPEN began his career as manager of the Nuart Theater in his native Los Angeles. He holds a degree in Literature from Yale University\, and served as Book Editor/Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and Director of Literature for the National Endowment for the Arts before joining Writing Programs at UCLA. His areas of expertise include the literatures of California\, Los Angeles and the West; Pynchon studies; urbanism; film; modern and contemporary American literature; Latin American literature; Western history; the Federal Writers Project of the WPA; and the practice of lexicography and quotation. He is the author of “The Schreiber Theory: A Radical Rewrite of American Film History” (Melville House\, 2006); a translation from the Spanish of Cervantes’ novella “The Dialogue of the Dogs” (Melville House\, 2009); and introductions or chapters of books including reissues of the WPA guides to California\, Los Angeles\, San Francisco and San Diego (UC Press). His teaching includes the course “Defining California: From Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary to Wikipedia.” He most recent book is\, Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters\, 1542 to 2018. He also helps to run Libros Schmibros\, his neighborhood lending library on Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. \nSTEVEN LUFTMAN was born and raised in Laurel Canyon. Aside from a 10 year stint in New York\, he has resided in Los Angeles his whole life. He was an Art Director in Advertising professionally\, but his experience with eviction pulled him into working as an activist for historic and housing preservation. Before he was evicted\, Steven was a vintage race car driver and racer a 1978 Crosslé Formula Ford. In his spare time\, he enjoys cooking and going to live music shows. Before being Ellis Acted from his Beverly-Grove apartment of 19 years\, Steven deeply appreciated the format of the neighborhood he lived\, where his grandparents had lived across the street\, where he had gotten his first hair cut as a boy\, where walking to the grocery store was viable. The old charm and court-yarded format of his building made knowing and communicating with neighbors an easy and enjoyable experience. During his residency in the apartment\, Steven watched his neighborhood be developed in an anti-social way\, against the historic architecture of the existing buildings and which dislocated long-standing members of the community. When he received the Ellis Act\, Steven’s initial response was to historically preserve his beautiful building\, in which he succeeded. However\, was still forced to leave due to a condominium conversion. This experience set him on his current path of loving and saving old buildings\, including his successful landmarking of Kurt Meyer’s Lytton Saving (1960)\, tragically demolished by the Frank Gehry’s mega-project in spite of that designation\, his efforts to preserve and designate L.A.’s unique bungalow courts\, vernacular apartments\, Tom Bergin’s Irish pub\, and the former Fairfax Theatre. \nDANIEL VILLARREAL in 1973 moved to the heart of East Los Angeles\, a neighborhood called Boyle Heights. He attended Hollenbeck Jr. High where he took up writing and Roosevelt High School where he learned photography. Villarreal performed his poetry readings at art openings and was a frequent contributor of photography to the Rock Y Ondas music column in La Opinion. Villarreal’s talents produced the cover shots for the East L.A. punk rock band\, The Brat. His photographic output has been archived at UC Santa Barbara. In 1980 Villarreal was introduced to the elite performance art troupe from East LA called ASCO (nausea). For the following 4 years\, Villarreal exercised his acting talents as a performer with the controversial ASCO group. In 1984\, Villarreal met Ramon Menendez\, who would go on to direct the feature film\, Stand and Deliver in 1987. As an actor in the film\, Villarreal developed a close relationship with Edward James Olmos\, who brought Villarreal into the epic fold of Latino story telling in the highly acclaimed film\, American Me\, 1992. This opportunity allowed Villarreal to continue a professional acting career in such films as Speed\, Menace to Society and The Getaway. Villarreal developed several projects with Juan Carlos Garza\, a Cal Arts Graduate and TV and Film editor. They were commissioned by AFI Film Institute\, ITVS Television Series and The J.P. Getty Foundation. Villarreal cowrote and coproduced the independent feature film\, Brother Jonas which was optioned by the great director Alfonso Arau. In addition\, Villarreal has written a pilot script\, All These Little Divas\, for a possible tv series with writer/producer Mary Fry which can air on multiple platforms. Currently Villarreal is producing and appearing in the documentary Ninety Minutes Later based on the life and murder of actress Vanessa Marquez. Villarreal is a community activist with 40 years experience. He has worked with many community organizations including All Nations Neighborhood Center\, Cispes\, The Christic Institute\, The Heart Project\, Plaza Community Services and Homeboy Industries. Early this year Villarreal received a letter of commendation from City Of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for his service to the community. \nCan’t join in when the webinar is happening? You’ll have access to the full replay for one week. Please note: the 2-hour running time is just an estimate\, and we often run long because the stories take on a life of their own. You can always come back and watch the last part of the webinar recording later. \nSo\, tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \nPlease visit our FAQ for details about our webinars. \n\n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/boyle-heights/ CATEGORIES:virtual,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/boyle-heights-WP-1.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211212T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20211212T183000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20211113T204740Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241114T224404Z UID:10000469-1639324800-1639333800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Know Your Los Angeles County Poor Farm / Rancho Los Amigos (1888-?) DESCRIPTION:This live webinar can now be viewed on Esotouric’s streaming channel here. \nJoin Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for an immersive cultural history webinar exploring 133 years of the Rancho Los Amigos south campus in Downey\, its landmark architecture and landscape\, its progressive social and medical innovations\, colorful characters\, legends and mysteries\, decades of neglect and the current demolition threat from the County Supervisors. \nOur very special guest for this program is Colleen Adair Fliedner\, author of the book “Rancho Centennial: Ranchos Los Amigos Medical Center\, 1888-1988.” \nGranted unprecedented access to the site\, its archives\, staff and former residents\, Colleen spent five years compiling her illustrated centennial history of the Poor Farm\, from its founding as a safe home and workplace for the indigent and infirm to its transformation into one of eight national polio treatment facilities to the early stages of its second life as an abandoned campus that draws urban explorers and ghost hunters. Can this neglected site become a place of healing and service once again? \nUsing rare photographs and historical documents\, we’ll take you on a virtual tour of Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles circa 1890\, to demonstrate why there was such a great need for large scale public health and care facilities like County General Hospital (established 1858) and the County Poor Farm (established 1888). What was Skid Row like at this time\, who lived there\, and what were their physical and mental needs and challenges? \nWe’ll meet the progressive policy makers and citizens who wove the social safety net\, see how the Poor Farm navigated its growing pains as the County and the population needing public assistance grew\, and learn why Los Angeles was so successful in this work when other communities failed. \nThen we’ll fast forward to 1928 to spend a virtual day on the Poor Farm. It wasn’t just a live-in care facility for the indigent\, aged\, injured and infirm\, but a working farm\, with cattle\, sheep\, pigs\, chickens\, dairy facilities\, and fields planted with fruit\, vegetables and flowers and challenged by years of drought and flood. \nWe’ll meet the administration (including dedicated Supervisor William Ruddy Harrison)\, staff and some of the residents\, visit the Aviary\, the Library\, the Psychopathic Wards\, the huge Kitchen and Laundry\, the Auditorium and the newly created Occupational Therapy Department\, which employed residents making furniture\, producing linens and crafting tools for on-site repairs\, encouraging self-sufficiency by each according to their ability and a return to productive life outside the institution. \nIn 1932\, the Poor Farm is renamed Rancho Los Amigos and in 1933 the National Social Security Act provides a monthly income that allows many senior citizens to leave the institution and live independently in boarding houses and residency hotels. The facility adapts to these social changes with a new focus on medical services\, providing long-term care\, iron lung breathing machines and physical therapy during the polio pandemic. \nBy the Poor Farm’s 1988 centennial when Colleen’s book was released\, the North Campus is a thriving modern trauma and spinal care hospital offering cutting edge treatments and world class care\, while the sprawling South Campus is in disrepair\, with most of its historic buildings abandoned and old plantings growing wild. Over the next few decades\, buildings will be lost to arson fire and neglect\, and urban explorers\, ghost hunters and vandals attracted to the site despite tall fences and frequent security patrols. \nIn 2019\, the County Supervisors approve a plan to demolish much of the historic campus\, and in 2021 work begins on a 5-acre\, $12 Million sports complex. \nIn this webinar\, we’ll ask why? Why hasn’t the County\, charged with caring for tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness and the physical and mental ailments that often accompany it\, used the enormous South Campus to provide services\, housing and aid to those in need\, as it was established to do? Have they forgotten about Tent City\, the semi-permanent installation of five-man\, canvas homes built over wooden floors with shared bathroom facilities that was in use from the 1930s-1950s? \nLos Angeles can do so much more\, and the past can show us how. So let’s get to Know Your Los Angeles County Poor Farm before it’s gone. \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture packed with rare photos that will bring the story of the County Poor Farm / Rancho Los Amigos to life. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. \nColleen is eager to answer your questions\, so get ready to be a part of the show. \nABOUT OUR GUEST: \nCOLLEEN ADAIR FLIEDNER is an award-winning author\, journalist\, and historian. She has written three nonfiction books\, radio and t.v. commercials\, screenplays\, and hundreds of articles for newspapers\, magazines\, and online publications. She was a staff writer for the Orange County Register newspaper’s online travel website and was a regular contributor for Talking Travel Radio Network based on the East Coast. “In the Shadow of War: Spies\, Love & the Lusitania” is her first novel. Colleen began her professional career as a research historian\, writer\, and oral historian at California State University\, Long Beach. Her first nonfiction history book “Rancho Centennial: Ranchos Los Amigos Medical Center\, 1888-1988″ was written for the County of Los Angeles\, a five-year-long project which required conducting more than 100 oral history interviews and combing through historic ledgers\, photographs\, and dusty\, long-forgotten boxes of old documents. Her next two books were a history about Park City\, Utah\, “Stories in Stone: Miners and Madams\, Merchants and Murders\,” and “Quick Escapes from Orange County.” Her latest project is a nonfiction book\, “Fascinating True Stories from Old California\,” a compilation of interesting accounts of some of the Golden State’s most unique people\, places\, and things. Colleen lives in Orange\, California with her husband\, Rick\, and two Pomeranians. Visit Colleen’s Website for more information. \nCan’t join in when the webinar is happening? You’ll have access to the full replay for one week. Please note: the 2-hour running time is just an estimate\, and we often run long because the stories take on a life of their own. You can always come back and watch the last part of the webinar recording later. \nSo\, tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \nPlease visit our FAQ for details about our webinars. \n\n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/rancho-los-amigos/ CATEGORIES:virtual,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/poor-farm-featured-WP.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220123T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220123T180000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220113T190152Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221228T174437Z UID:10000470-1642953600-1642960800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:It’s Up To Angelenos To Save Los Angeles: Here’s How DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for an immersive cultural history webinar that admits things are pretty screwed up in Los Angeles—but refuses to accept that it has to be that way. \nOur guests for this program are some of the Southland’s most passionate\, informed and dedicated citizen-activists and historians\, who look at old buildings and see a fresh canvas where Angelenos can live\, work\, create\, feast and connect. From San Pedro to Hollywood\, Watts to Downtown L.A.\, Boyle Heights to Pico-Union\, The Fairfax District to Los Feliz\, you’ll learn about fascinating landmarks that are taking on a new life\, and some of the threats and challenges their champions are fending off in an effort to preserve the places that matter most to Angelenos. \n\n\n\nTo sign up\, enter your name and email address and click the “Buy Ticket” button above. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \nCity Hall has completely failed to deal with land use problems big and small\, from metal thieves snatching bronze lamps off the historic Glendale Hyperion bridge to a tenant illegally gutting the landmark Pig ’N Whistle restaurant\, to a housing crisis exacerbated by real estate investment trusts that evict renters and take rent stabilized units off the market in return for illegal Airbnb listings and vast swaths of blighted\, boarded up buildings. If Los Angeles is going to be saved\, it will be done building by building at a neighborhood level\, by Angelenos who care and know how to get things done. In such a challenging time for the city\, the stories of people who are stepping up to save the places they love are what we all need to hear. Tune in to find out what’s happening\, how you can get involved\, and how to launch this kind of campaign in your own community. \nOur special guests are: \n\n RITA COFIELD (Friends at Mafundi). Rita will share the story of the Mafundi Center\, a modernist\, city-owned Watts cultural hub that was threatened with demolition for redevelopment until the community came together with a successful landmarking nomination. Now a protected Historic-Cultural Monument\, Mafundi Center is drawing on its rich history and looking to the future\, with plans to restore the building and fill it with cultural programming. In the meantime\, the Watts Happening Coffee House serves the best breakfast around.\n EDWARD LANDLER (film maker\, “I Build The Tower”). For four decades\, Ed has been deeply involved in the interpretation and preservation of Simon Rodia’s world renowned folk art environment\, the Watts Towers and the wider Watts community. Now\, he’s sounding the alarm about an enormous\, fast-tracked mixed-use development project by Thomas Safran & Associates and the Housing Corporation of America that would straddle the rail tracks near the 103rd Street/Watts Towers A Line Metro station. The proposed new buildings are completely out of scale with the historic neighborhood\, and would split Watts in two while destroying the Watts Towers viewshed\, an important criterion for the site to achieve UNESCO World Heritage Status. Even worse\, the proposed mega-development would break a decades-old promise that open green space will connect the train station and the Watts Towers in a linear park and community space called the Cultural Crescent.\n EMMA RAULT (Friends of Walker’s Cafe). When Emma moved to San Pedro from Downtown L.A.\, she quickly found a favorite local joint on the bluffs at Point Fermin\, the time capsule diner Walker’s Cafe. But shortly after\, Walker’s closed with no notice. Concerned that it might be sold for redevelopment or sit vacant for years\, Emma gave herself a crash course in Los Angeles preservation law\, then researched and wrote a historic landmark nomination for this very special place. From its neon and incandescent sign to the hand painted menu\, vintage knickknacks and “Chinatown” cameo\, Walker’s has a story worth telling\, about San Pedro\, legacy businesses\, and what it means to be part of a community.\n MIKI JACKSON (AIDS Healthcare Foundation / Healthy Housing Foundation). Miki is a lifelong activist whose current focus is on the intersection of affordable housing and historic preservation. She’ll talk about HHF’s strategy of buying up vacant Skid Row residency hotels like the King Edward\, Baltimore and Barclay and fixing them up for low-income tenants at a fraction of the cost of new affordable housing construction. In addition to welcoming residents to call these buildings home\, HHF is submitting landmarking nominations and restoring and documenting significant historic features.\n JAMES DASTOLI (@WindowsReplaced on Twitter). James is an Angeleno with a finely tuned eye for architectural integrity. When he noticed that buildings he admired in Los Feliz were changing for the worse\, he started documenting the difference between original wooden windows and the cheap\, ugly vinyl windows that often replaced them\, and highlighting the aesthetic and environmental benefits of restoring rather than replacing historic home and apartment windows. James will share what he’s learned\, and the informative video short he produced to encourage landlords and homeowners to give their old windows a second chance.\n STEVEN LUFTMAN (Art Deco Society of Los Angeles). Preservationist and community activist Steve will talk about his successful campaign to designate the derelict Fairfax Theatre as a protected national and local monument\, how Historic Preservation Overlay Zones can preserve affordable housing and good buildings\, and the redevelopment threats facing the Carthay Circle community.\n NATHAN MARSAK (R.I.P Los Angeles / The Cranky Preservationist). Half architectural historian\, half performance artist\, Nathan wields his acid wit to shine a light on the lies of the urban density movement\, contrasting dense\, green\, attractive historic structures with the upzoned file cabinets for humans that too often replace them. He’ll highlight some of his favorite neighborhoods and the multi-family housing threatened by the wrecking ball\, and remind us that while we can’t go back in time and save Bunker Hill\, it’s not too late for Pico-Union.\n DAVID SILVAS (Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council). Realtor and preservation advocate David will talk about his work to foster community around historic buildings in the Boyle Heights neighborhood\, where his family has deep ties\, including campaigns to celebrate the neighborhood mom and pop corner stores\, legacy businesses\, and the Brooklyn Avenue Commercial District. As President of the Planning and Land Use Committee for the Neighborhood Council\, David believes that tools like the Boyle Heights Community Plan\, if properly implemented\, can help protect this dense\, historic neighborhood from gentrification and displacement.\n GORDON PATTISON (On Bunker Hill). Gordon is a native son of the lost Victorian residential neighborhood of Bunker Hill\, where his family’s historic homes were seized under eminent domain\, landmarked and moved to Heritage Square\, then tragically destroyed in a fire set by vandals. He speaks eloquently about the lasting impacts of poor planning on his family and the wider Los Angeles community\, and advocates for the preservation of our precious historic buildings and neighborhoods.\n\nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture packed with rare photos that will bring the history and future of many precious Los Angeles landmarks to life\, while inspiring you to look around your own community for ways you can help to keep old places around with fresh new uses. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. \nOur guests are eager to answer your questions\, so get ready to be a part of the show. \nCan’t join in when the webinar is happening? You’ll have access to the full replay for one week. Please note: the 2-hour running time is just an estimate\, and we often run long because the stories take on a life of their own. You can always come back and watch the last part of the webinar recording later. \nSo\, tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \nPlease visit our FAQ for details about our webinars. \n\nABOUT OUR GUESTS: \nRITA COFIELD received her BA in Architecture and Planning from Howard University and has recently received a Masters in Heritage Conservation from the University of Southern California. She freelances as a cultural resource manager and Public Historian with valuable experience in community-based projects. She is passionate about finding ways to re-insert multiple perspectives into the larger narratives of our history. She enjoys activities and projects that foster innovation when it comes to caring for historic resources in underserved neighborhoods. She also feels a moral responsibility to expose the youth in her community of Watts to preservation education\, hands-on training in building conservation\, and its rich history as a means to community engagement and pride. (Visit https://www.friendsatmafundi.org/ for more info) \nEDWARD LANDLER received a B. A. in Literature and Film under the supervision of film historian Jay Leyda at Yale University.  He got his practical film training with Satyajit Ray in India\, Luis Bunuel in France\, and work on independent feature films in the United States.  His first film\, "Pharaoh’s Dream"\, an experimental short\, was shot in Calcutta and Los Angeles. “I  Build  The  Tower” (2006) the feature-length documentary film about Simon Rodia and the Watts Towers of Los Angeles was produced with Simon Rodia’s nephew\, Brad Byer. Ed has been an advocate and artist working in Watts for the past 40 years. (Visit Ed’s website https://www.ibuildthetower.com) \nEMMA RAULT is a writer and a translator from Dutch and German. Her essays about place and belonging have appeared in Guernica\, New York Magazine\, the LA Review of Books and elsewhere. In San Pedro\, she serves on the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council\, works with feral cats and crews a sailboat. As a transplant from halfway across the world\, she is endlessly fascinated with LA’s singular history\, and in constant pursuit of its pockets of beauty\, quiet and kinship. (Visit https://www.savewalkerscafe.com/ to learn more and get involved) \nMIKI JACKSON is a gay and lesbian rights activist. In 1990\, she and fellow activist Morris Kight founded Aunt Bee’s\, a free laundry service for people suffering from AIDS. The Santa Monica Boulevard thrift store attached to Aunt Bee’s helped cover expenses for the laundry service\, and was the inspiration for AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s chain of Out Of The Closet thrift stores. Today\, Miki is a consultant for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation\, advocating on policy issues including affordable housing. \nJAMES DASTOLI is originally from Stamford\, CT\, and arrived in Los Angeles in 2007 to pursue a career as a visual effects artist. As a virtual production art director\, he studies plans and pattern books to build accurate digital models of historic buildings for film and VR. Renting in Los Feliz and Miracle Mile gave him a deep appreciation of period revival styles\, and led to years of research on original wood and metal windows. After seeing vinyl window replacements destroying neighborhood character all over the city\, he connected with other preservationists to try to fight it. (Follow James at https://twitter.com/WindowsReplaced/) \nSTEVEN LUFTMAN born in Hollywood\, Steve gained a lifelong appreciation for art and architecture in the mid-century cultural institutions of Los Angeles: at five he opened a savings account at Lytton Savings on the Sunset Strip\, he took art classes at the then brand-new William Pereira-designed L.A. County Art Museum\, took in movies at the Cinerama Dome\, and with his mother and sister experienced L.A. Philharmonic rehearsals at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. After graduating from the Craig Ellwood/James Tyler-designed campus of Art Center College of Design\, he moved to New York City to work in advertising. Returning to Los Angeles in 1997\, Steve used the seminal Gebhard & Winter’s "An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles" in his search to find the perfect apartment. With some luck\, Steve and his partner Karen found themselves in what would become the Mendel and Mabel Meyer Courtyard Apartments—LA Historical-Cultural Monument #1096. While always a preservationist and a social activist at heart\, it wasn’t until his beloved home of eighteen years was threatened with demolition in 2015 that he wrote his first Historic-Cultural Monument application. To date\, Steve has written or co-written ten HCM applications\, and has been an active participant in trying to save fifteen historically significant buildings. He also campaigns for affordable housing and is active in the tenant rights movement\, and can regularly be found in at City Hall supporting the preservation efforts of others. Steve longs for the day when greedy developers take a break from trying to destroy the historic buildings and neighborhoods of Los Angeles so he can take enough time off to enjoy his other passion\, racing his 1978 Crossle Formula Ford. (Follow Steve’s latest campaign to landmark the Fairfax Theatre at https://artdecola.org/fairfax-theatre-2021.) \nDAVID SILVAS’ family has a long lineage in Boyle Heights\, as it was the first Los Angeles community his family moved to at the turn of the century from when they arrived from Hungary and Romania and were involved with financing the Weber and Spaulding designed International Institute on Boyle Avenue\, an important community space that was a stepping stone for immigrants. His passion for historic preservation and architectural properties is matched by few. From Victorian\, to American Craftsman\, to Hollywood Regency and Mid Century Modern\, his admiration for period design in Los Angeles is a driving inspiration in his business as his real estate practice\, Engel & Völkers Beverly Hills focuses solely on Architectural and Historic real estate throughout Southern California and has made him one of the most preeminent agents specializing in historic and architectural properties. Concerned about the future of this vibrant and historic community\, David has been a vocal advocate for adaptive reuse of current buildings\, extensive landmarking and preservation for heritage sites\, and advocating harmonious-small scale development that is sensitive to the already established neighborhoods. Community engagement and education is a passion of his\, as this is key in preserving this historic treasure.  David holds an MBA from the University of Toledo and is a published author. Organizational memberships include: The Los Angeles Conservancy\, Docomomo\, The California Preservation Foundation\, and The Southern California Paul R. Williams Society. He is Vice President of both the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council and Boyle Heights Community Partners. \nGORDON PATTISON is a native son of Bunker Hill. His family owned the Salt Box and the Castle\, the last two homes standing after the neighborhood was cleared for redevelopment. To learn more\, see Gordon’s LAVA Sunday Salon presentation Old Bunker Hill: One Family’s Perspective. Gordon can also be found talking about Angels Flight Railway on Off-Ramp\, visiting the few remaining pieces of his family’s houses at Heritage Square Museum\, on KCET’s Lost L.A. series Lost Hills episode\, L.A. As Subject’s funicular feature and remembering novelist John Fante at his square dedication and atop Bunker Hill. He can also be found on Esotouric’s The Lowdown on Downtown tours\, sharing memories of lost Bunker Hill. \nNATHAN MARSAK says: “I came to praise Los Angeles\, not to bury her. And yet developers\, City Hall and social reformers work in concert to effect wholesale demolition\, removing the human scale of my town\, tossing its charm into a landfill. The least I can do is memorialize in real time those places worth noting\, as they slide inexorably into memory. In college I studied under Banham.  I learned to love Los Angeles via Reyner’s teachings (and came to abjure Mike Davis and his lurid\, fanciful\, laughably-researched assertions).  In grad school I focused on visionary urbanism and technological utopianism—so while some may find the premise of preserving communities so much ill-considered reactionary twaddle\, at least I have a background in the other side. Anyway\, I moved to Los Angeles\, and began to document.  I drove about shooting neon signs. I put endless miles across the Plains of Id on the old Packard as part of the 1947project; when Kim Cooper blogged about some bad lunch meat in Compton\, I drove down to there to check on the scene of the crime (never via freeway—you can’t really learn Los Angeles unless you study her from the surface streets). But in short order one landmark after another disappeared.  Few demolitions are as contentious or high profile as the Ambassador or Parker Center; rather\, it is all the little houses and commercial buildings the social engineers are desperate to destroy in the name of the Greater Good. Nathan’s blogs are: Bunker Hill Los Angeles\, RIP Los Angeles & On Bunker Hill \n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/save-los-angeles/ CATEGORIES:virtual,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/fixin-featured-WP.jpg LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220625T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220625T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220612T003917Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220615T202009Z UID:10000476-1656153000-1656163800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:EVERGREEN CEMETERY\, 1877 DESCRIPTION:Los Angeles\, 1877: a sleepy village of 10\,000 souls on the cusp of a wild real estate boom. In the budding Eastside suburb of Boyle Heights\, a group of civic minded citizens establish a 67 acre cemetery with room to grow for the city to come: Evergreen! \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip from the cemetery’s founding through the present day\, revealing the colorful characters who helped shape the ethnically mixed\, non-denominational cemetery and the city\, including prominent families like Lankershim\, Hollenbeck\, Van Nuys\, Bixby and Workman\, and other fascinating figures who rest forever among 300\,000 souls. You’ll see beautiful early monuments crafted by local stonemasons and a rare signed memorial\, spot the lucky lizard\, the hidden maiden and the prancing pink tiger\, descend into the Chinese Shrine and visit the shores of the lost Crystal Lake. \nThis walking tour draws on newly discovered\, unpublished documents to tell the forgotten early history of L.A.’s oldest cemetery\, and is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am just inside the main cemetery gate. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is plenty of parking inside the cemetery along the main roads. Please do not use the stalls in front of the office or park close to the chapel. The nearest Gold Line station is Indiana. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n BE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable\, closed-toe walking shoes\, sunscreen\, and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/evergreenjune22/ LOCATION:Evergreen Cemetery\, 204 N Evergreen Ave\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90033\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/evergreenGates-Cropped-2.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220630T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220630T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220627T235334Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220706T172025Z UID:10000480-1656615600-1656619200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:The Bizarre B’nai B’rith Lodge Demolition Threat (Free L.A. Preservation Talk #1) DESCRIPTION:This webinar has already aired live\, but you can still watch the recording. To sign up for this free webinar\, enter your name and email address and click the “Register” button BELOW. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \n\n\n\nJoin Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for the first in an occasional series of free live webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how you can get involved. \nOur guests for this program are two of the southland’s most dedicated independent scholars and historic preservation activists: Nathan Marsak (aka The Cranky Preservationist) and Steven Luftman (Art Deco Society of Los Angeles). \nNathan and Steven will share the strange tale of the B’nai B’rith Lodge (S. Tilden Norton\, 1923-24) at 846 South Union Avenue\, a beautiful and historic building that the city of Los Angeles’ Office of Historic Resources refuses to even consider making a landmark… after City Planner Ken Bernstein personally solicited private citizens to prepare and submit a landmarking nomination! \nSteven wrote this nomination which is presently stuck in City Hall limbo\, and you can read it HERE. \nThis program features the debut of a new Cranky Preservationist video\, introducing you to the history of the B’nai B’rith Lodge (from Jewish community center to union hall to Korean church) and exploring its time capsule neighborhood which is almost entirely owned by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Cranky Preservationist will introduce you to B’nai B’rith and the other significant buildings on this quiet block in the Pico Union District\, and advocate that property owner Catholic Charities take the green and fiscally responsible path of adaptively reusing the historic building\, while expanding onto its enormous surface parking lot. \nDuring the live conversation to follow\, Steven Luftman will describe how he came to take on the project of researching the layered history of B’nai B’rith at city request\, and what he learned about the building and the many fascinating characters who have used it over a century. \nAnd we’ll explore the city’s bizarre new tune: first it asked people to landmark the building\, then it claims that due to a poorly written and often misunderstood set of State and Federal laws\, owner Catholic Charities just has to say “we’re against it!” and the landmark documents can’t be accepted. \nWe think B’nai B’rith Lodge is a great building worth saving\, that it’s cheaper and greener to preserve it than to demolish it\, and that the city is wrong about the law. And we think Steven’s landmarking nomination deserves better than to be filed away unseen forever in a Planning Department file cabinet. \nSo let’s talk about it—and ask the city to reconsider\, and let the B’nai B’rith Lodge landmark nomination be heard! \nABOUT OUR GUESTS: \n• STEVEN LUFTMAN (Art Deco Society of Los Angeles). Preservationist and community activist Steve will talk about his successful campaign to designate the derelict Fairfax Theatre as a protected national and local monument\, how Historic Preservation Overlay Zones can preserve affordable housing and good buildings\, and the redevelopment threats facing the Carthay Circle community. \n• NATHAN MARSAK (R.I.P Los Angeles / The Cranky Preservationist). Half architectural historian\, half performance artist\, Nathan wields his acid wit to shine a light on the lies of the urban density movement\, contrasting dense\, green\, attractive historic structures with the upzoned file cabinets for humans that too often replace them. He’ll highlight some of his favorite neighborhoods and the multi-family housing threatened by the wrecking ball\, and remind us that while we can’t go back in time and save Bunker Hill\, it’s not too late for Pico-Union. \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture that will bring the history and future of this landmark structureto life\, while inspiring you to look around your own community for ways you can help to keep old places around with fresh new uses. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. So tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later\, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/bizarre-b-nai-b-rith/ CATEGORIES:virtual ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/bnai-brith-Webinar-June-22-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220709T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220709T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220612T014959Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230221T004308Z UID:10000477-1657362600-1657373400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BUNKER HILL\, DEAD AND ALIVE DESCRIPTION:In the late 1960s\, after the Community Redevelopment Agency bought up all the boarding houses\, hotels\, shops and taverns\, displaced 9000 people and brought in the bulldozers\, it seemed like the end for Bunker Hill\, the Victorian neighborhood above Downtown. But a funny thing happened\, as the proposed redevelopment stalled and new ideas about adaptive reuse\, historic preservation\, environmentalism and tenants rights took root: people who never visited old Bunker Hill began to study\, celebrate and explore it—virtually—through the thousands of photos\, film clips\, stories and paintings that survive. Bunker Hill might be dead\, but its ghosts are active and eager to meet you. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip onto modern Bunker Hill\, to explore the lost neighborhood and how it grew\, with stops to memorialize iconic landmarks and fascinating personalities\, and its double life as a favorite film noir location. Then once you’ve fallen in love with the lively and lovely old neighborhood\, we’ll break your heart with how local and Federal officials conspired to knock it all down\, and the lessons this failed redevelopment scheme can teach Angelenos of today. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos and maps you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/bunkerhilljuly22/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Bunker-Hill-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220717T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220717T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220612T020826Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220716T190322Z UID:10000478-1658053800-1658064600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:LA BREA TAR PITS TIME TRAVEL TRIP DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive excursion all around Wilshire and Fairfax\, the western terminus of the Miracle Mile. We’re on the trail of a layered history that leads from Columbian mammoths foraging in the last Ice Age to today’s construction cranes\, with some fascinating detours along the way. We’ll explore the La Brea Tar Pits as a zone of pre-colonial commerce and Victorian scientific discovery\, revealing the fossil hoard’s role in east coast theatrical spiritualism and a deathless romance. Then on to Wilshire Boulevard\, where bean fields turned almost overnight to an ultramodern Jazz Age canyon of car culture commerce\, including the magnificent Art Deco May Company (and yes\, it’s a crime scene). And as the county’s art museum struggles to remake itself with a controversial new building and curatorial vision\, we’ll honor the institution that was\, and sneaky artists who got their work displayed without curatorial review\, all seen through the candid lens of your guides’ advocacy for preserving the 1965 William Pereira campus. Plus\, a stroll through the immediate neighborhood on an architectural treasure hunt\, including some sweet echoes of the lost LACMA. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. And next time some silly person tries to tell you Los Angeles doesn’t have any history\, having taken this tour will give you everything you need to set them straight. \n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 12 noon sharp\, with check-in time 11:30am at the picnic tables near the restrooms in the southeast corner of the La Brea Tar Pits park\, at the Wilshire & Curson Avenue entrance. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is street parking in the neighborhood\, on Sixth Street\, Orange Street\, Crescent Heights Boulevard\, Eighth Street\, and Hauser Boulevard. As the tour is on a Sunday\, there are no restrictions on street parking. The nearest Metro station is Wilshire/Vermont. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS\nOur priority is to provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere for our guests and guides on these outdoor walking tours. Because guides will not be masked when telling stories\, and because different people have different levels of risk tolerance\, we have strict mask policies for attendees. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated. These simple rules are being implemented for the benefit of all attending. Anybody not abiding by these rules will be given one chance to shape up\, then asked to leave the tour if it happens again. There are no refunds or exchanges for anyone removed from a tour for violating the rules. \nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 2 1/2 to 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen\, a hat and a medical-grade mask. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASKS: Attendees must wear a medical-grade mask (i.e. N95\, KN95\, KF94) at all times\, unless eating or drinking\, when we ask that you physically distance from anyone not from your household. Masks must be worn properly\, covering mouth and nose completely\, and not have any exhalation valves\, vents or holes of any kind. Bring your own mask and put it on before tour check in. \nSOCIAL DISTANCING: Please maintain physical space from anyone not from your household when walking with the group or at tour stops. \nVACCINATION: We do not require proof of vaccination for outdoor walking tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/tarpitsjuly22/ LOCATION:La Brea Tar Pits\, Wilshire Blvd & S Curson Ave\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90036\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/TarPits-2.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220723T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220723T103000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220612T024413Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220612T184951Z UID:10000479-1658572200-1658572200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:ALL AROUND THE AUTO CLUB DESCRIPTION:For everybody who ever drove to the Automobile Club HQ to renew their registration or pick up maps for a road trip\, or cruised by at 70 mph on the 110\, here’s a chance to slow down and explore an early Los Angeles neighborhood that rewards a pedestrian’s pace. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip beginning with the Automobile Club of Southern California itself\, to admire the mini museum of vintage highway signage and two of the southland’s great trees. Then we’ll stroll along West Adams Boulevard\, once the city’s most elegant address for interesting Angelenos like oilman Edward and bookworm Carrie Doheny\, screen vamp Theda Bara and tragic comic Fatty Arbuckle. You’ll see early irrigation infrastructure\, elegant clubhouses\, esoteric faith centers\, homeless shelters\, gay archives\, the surveyor’s edge of Spanish Los Angeles and our first gated community\, discover a lost mansion that lives on in Hollywood’s Magic Castle\, and take a spin through the elegant St. James Park National Register District to admire gorgeous homes and learn about the ongoing battle to preserve this pocket of 19th century Los Angeles from insensitive development. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos and maps you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am in the courtyard of the Automobile Club of Southern California at 2601 South Figueroa. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT\nPlease do not park at the Auto Club. There is street parking and several paid lots nearby\, including: \n\nAmple street and metered parking in the neighborhood\, especially around St James Park.\nUniversity Gateway at Figueroa & 32nd Street with a daily maximum of $18 that kicks in after 2 hours.\nUSC Village at 3301 S Hoover Street\, $5/hour and a daily maximum of $30.\n\nIf using street parking\, please read all signs carefully\, as restrictions apply. The nearest Metro station is Grand/LATTC. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/aaajuly22/ LOCATION:AAA Los Angeles\, 2601 S Figueroa St\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90007\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/featured-Stimpson-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220802T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220802T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220801T235056Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220803T145911Z UID:10000484-1659466800-1659470400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Will Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak live long enough to become a Los Angeles landmark? DESCRIPTION:This webinar has already aired live\, but you can still watch the recording. To sign up for this free webinar\, enter your name and email address and click the “VIEW” button BELOW. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \n\nJoin Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for the second in an occasional series of free webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how YOU can get involved. \nOur guest is distinguished horticulturist Dr. Donald R. Hodel. \nWhen Dr. Hodel published “Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles” (1988)\, he wasn’t aware of the oak sapling presented to Olympic gold medalist Cornelius Johnson at the 1936 Berlin Games\, which has grown to maturity behind his parents’ modest West Adams bungalow. If he had been\, it would certainly have been included. \nNow\, the Olympic Oak is in the race of its life—owned by a developer who wants to demolish the house and chop down the tree\, but also under consideration as a protected city landmark. \nThe campaign to preserve Cornelius Johnson’s oak and family home has attracted local and national attention\, with a feature story in the New York Times. The Cultural Heritage Commission has been supportive. But even a series of yes votes by the CHC\, PLUM Committee and City Council may not be enough to save Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak. \nIn this webinar\, we’ll go down to the vacant Johnson home at 1156 South Hobart\, just north of Pico Boulevard\, to do an endangered tree status check from over the fence. You’ll hear Dr. Hodel’s expert opinion on the grim state of this historic tree\, and what needs to happen immediately if it’s going to live long enough to be named a city landmark. \nLearn more about this special tree and Dr. Hodel’s prescription to save it. \nThen we’ll take your questions about the landmarking process and the special problems and opportunities posed when a living piece of cultural history suffers from potentially fatal neglect. This is an opportunity for the City to step up and take an active role in protecting this threatened (almost) landmark\, before it’s too late. \nWatch this short webinar when it airs at 7pm on August 2 (or later\, on demand)\, then tune in and call in on August 4 at 10am\, when the Cultural Heritage Commission meets to vote on landmarking the Johnson Oak and family home. We’re asking people who care about this piece of Los Angeles and Olympic history to help amplify Dr. Hodel’s prescription for saving this beautiful tree\, through public comment and by spreading the word. \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture that will bring the history and future of this landmark structure to life\, while inspiring you to look around your own community for ways you can help to keep old places around with fresh new uses. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. So tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later\, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat. \nSo tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later\, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/johnson-oak/ CATEGORIES:virtual,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/johnson-olympic-oak-collage.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220806T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220806T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220629T024419Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220707T173402Z UID:10000481-1659781800-1659792600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:RAYMOND CHANDLER’S NOIR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip in the footsteps of master detective novelist Raymond Chandler and his cynical alter ego Philip Marlowe\, in the historic heart of Downtown Los Angeles. \nChicago-born and educated in a fine English boarding school\, Chandler found his literary voice during long boozy lunches as a 1920s oil company executive\, quietly observing the criminal origins of great Los Angeles fortunes. Although he left Downtown in the 1930s and found success with fiction and screenwriting\, the old neighborhood cast an abiding spell and he returned to it throughout his career. \nThis tour explores some of the time capsule sites where the young Chandler worked and played\, and where the mature writer set some of his most memorable and murderous scenes. From Angels Flight Railway and old Bunker Hill to the Oviatt Building\, Clifton’s Cafeteria to seedy hotels on the edge of Skid Row\, we’ll bring Chandler’s real and invented worlds alive on a stroll among beautiful\, fascinating landmarks. \nAlong the way\, you’ll get to know the real Raymond Chandler\, with intimate details sleuthed out by the tour guides who over many years of noir exploration have discovered Chandler’s previously unknown comic operetta and penned a Chandler map and nonfiction novel The Kept Girl about the real life cult of angel worshippers who fleeced his oil executive colleague and were front page news in a crime crazed city. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/chandler-walking-tour/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/chandler-walk-featured-small-16-9-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220813T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220813T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220705T030046Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220715T173527Z UID:10000482-1660386600-1660397400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BROADWAY: DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES’ BEAUTIFUL\, MAGICAL MESS DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a stroll through the National Register Broadway Theatre District\, the largest collection of historic motion picture palaces in the country\, on an architectural\, cultural and public policy history tour of a great street that needs a lot of help. How did Broadway take shape in the early 20th Century\, why did the entertainment and retail district decline\, and who are the personalities who have sought to preserve\, reactivate and profit from it—not always successfully? \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll honor the visionary developer Ira Yellin\, who believed that there was a second life possible for empty early 20th century office buildings\, and changed city law so that Angelenos could live in them. \nAcross Broadway at the Bradbury Building\, Terry McKelvey turned his dad’s dull commercial real estate business into an incubator for creativity\, and dreamed of a Victorian-themed Downtown Los Angeles Gaslight District\, until his personal demons pulled that dream out from under him. \nDown at the United Artists\, obtained through a sweetheart deal involving suitcases full of cash and convenient earthquakes\, offbeat preacher Dr. Gene Scott raised millions through bizarre televised sermons\, for theater restoration\, rare books and preservation of the iconic Jesus Saves neon sign. \nAnd up in City Hall\, ambitious councilman Jose Huizar saw Broadway as a political branding opportunity\, expending civic resources to organize massive street parties with his name on every marquee\, while pushing policies that encouraged speculation at the expense of Broadway’s small businesses—until the FBI came calling. \nSpecial on this edition of the Broadway tour: we’re joined by Miriam and Victoria Caldwell\, sharing insights from the 1950s diaries of their mother Vilma\, whose adventures as a hard-boiled Clifton’s Cafeteria camera girl bring a lost world to life. \nAlong the way\, we’ll talk about what it means to be National Register District\, how the Jewelry District used old buildings in fresh new ways and how the lessons of Wilshire’s Wiltern Theatre could be used to reactivate downtown’s dark venues\, while pointing out the sites of lost landmarks\, hidden details\, ghost signs and magic carpets of terrazzo that make up this beautiful\, magical mess at the heart of the city. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/broadway-august-22/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Broadway-magic-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220817T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220817T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220815T233237Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220816T001622Z UID:10000486-1660762800-1660768200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Saving the Sentinel Trees on Old Bunker Hill\, Then and Now DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for the third in an occasional series of free webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how YOU can get involved. \nOur guests are Bunker Hill historian Nathan Marsak\, musician and writer Annette Zilinskas and distinguished horticulturist Dr. Donald R. Hodel. \nEverybody who loves Los Angeles history knows the tragic tale of how the Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill was destroyed in the biggest eminent domain land seizure ever\, and about how the last two mansions on the hill were moved to Heritage Square in a failed preservation attempt. \nBut did you know that at least one of the grand old Victorian era sentinel trees that witnessed the growth\, decline and eventual demolition of Bunker Hill is still alive in Downtown L.A.? \n\nIf for any reason the registration page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \nIn this webinar\, we’ll introduce you to Morty\, the grand old Moreton Bay Fig that was planted near the corner of 4th & Hill Streets around 1890\, and grew up into a magnificent specimen\, before it too was displaced by the redevelopment agency. You’ll see how Morty looked over the decades in rare photos from Nathan Marsak’s personal collection and learn how and where it was moved in 1981—shortly after appearing as the non-human star of the Ralph Waite film “On the Nickel\,” with its poignant theme song by Tom Waits. \nBut when we recently went out to visit\, we found Morty showing its age\, with dead limbs\, straggly growth and other plants stealing its nutrients. You’ll hear how we’re working with the property owner to help get the tree back to full health and advocating for an historic marker so everyone knows what a special tree Morty is! \nMorty was saved once and with a little love and time can be saved again. \nBut what about Sunshine? That’s the name Downtown denizen Annette Zilinskas has given to a lonely\, neglected Queen Palm that stands proudly above 2nd and Hill Streets on the dirt patch\, the last piece of unflattened Bunker Hill topography\, on a parcel marked for redevelopment for the Colburn School’s expansion. \nAnnette will share how she discovered Sunshine on a pilgrimage to the endangered Bunker Hill dirt patch\, fell in love with the pretty\, neglected tree and reached out to Nathan Marsak to learn if it appeared in any historic Bunker Hill photos. \nNathan will share the history of the dirt patch on which Sunshine grows\, and Don Hodel will talk about how old the tree could be\, and how it’s managed to survive with little or no care. And we’ll hear Annette’s sweet tribute poem to Sunshine the Queen Palm and old Bunker Hill. \nCan Sunshine\, too\, survive Bunker Hill redevelopment? Yes—with YOUR help! \nTune in to learn about two very special Bunker Hill trees and how you can be a part of their happy futures. And we’ll take your questions about old Bunker Hill and its changing landscape. \nWatch this short webinar when it airs at 7pm on August 17 (or later\, on demand)\, then go out and visit Morty and Sunshine and take a selfie with both these great Bunker Hill sentinel trees! \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture that will bring the history and future of this landmark structure to life\, while inspiring you to look around your own community for ways you can help to keep old places around with fresh new uses. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. So tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later\, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/sentinel-trees-bunker-hill/ CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Morton-Bay-Fig-collage-WP-2.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220820T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220820T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220715T170211Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220805T231730Z UID:10000483-1660991400-1661002200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IS FOR BOOK LOVERS DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a tour revealing the bookish cultural history in the heart of the city\, packed with tales of colorful Los Angeles writers\, readers and booksellers. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, where the young John Fante hustled cheap fruit from the Japanese vendors to fuel his dreams of becoming Bunker Hill’s great novelist\, we’ll blaze a time traveler’s trail along Hill\, Grand and Broadway\, visiting Central Library with its street corner monuments to Fante and Ray Bradbury\, to former locations of legendary book sellers Jake Zeitlin\, Caravan\, Dawson’s and Fowler’s\, explore Pershing Square’s rich literary history and symbolism\, and so much more. Featured players include Jack Kerouac\, Charles Bukowski\, Hart Crane\, John Rechy\, Aldous Huxley\, Carey McWilliams and legendary early city librarians Mary Foy and Tessa Kelso. And because it’s an Esotouric tour\, you’ll enjoy lesser known\, offbeat tales about L.A. books and the oddballs who love them. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/book-lovers-dtla/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Booklovers-downtown-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220903T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220903T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220806T002657Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220828T202149Z UID:10000485-1662201000-1662211800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HUMAN SACRIFICE: THE BLACK DAHLIA\, ELISA LAM\, HEIDI PLANCK & SKID ROW SLASHER CASES (postponed due to heat wave) DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave\, the Skid Row historians featured in “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel\,” and their special guest Joan Renner\, on a true crime and cultural history walking tour that explores the terrifying intersection of real estate speculation\, housing insecurity and death in Downtown Los Angeles from the 1940s to the present. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll fan out over the historic core to visit significant sites in the investigations of three notorious and heartbreaking cases: the kidnapping and murder of Beth Short in 1947\, the serial killing of seven poor or homeless men by Vaughn Greenwood between December 1974 and January 1975\, and Elisa Lam’s disappearance and drowning while staying at the Stay on Main hostel inside the single room occupancy Hotel Cecil in 2013. We’ll also talk about the October 2021 disappearance of Heidi Planck\, although we won’t trek as far as the Hope + Flower apartments where she was last seen. \nYou’ll learn about the importance of newspaper reporting to 20th century crime investigations\, and the role of internet communities today\, hear about how previous generations slept rough in all-night movie theaters\, alleys and under bushes\, how the high cost or lack of housing options make victims more vulnerable\, and about property developers who bend the rules to transform low-income residency hotels and market rate apartments into profitable blind spots where people can vanish. \nAlong the way\, you’ll get to know the victims as sympathetic and relatable people who serve as fascinating windows into real life and death in Los Angeles over the decades and learn how public policy choices can set the stage for avoidable tragedy. \nCan understanding why true crimes happened help Los Angeles finally solve its housing crisis? We think it can! \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/human-sacrifice/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Hotel-Cecil-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220917T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220917T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030130 CREATED:20220902T230247Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220903T023435Z UID:10000487-1663410600-1663421400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:WESTLAKE PARK TIME TRAVEL TRIP DESCRIPTION:When Los Angeles was young\, Westlake was a favorite pleasure park\, with boating\, a mini-zoo and exotic trees for lovers to spoon under\, surrounded by grand mansions and elegant hotels. Then in 1934\, Wilshire Boulevard punched through the lake\, marking the ascendency of the automobile. Westlake would never be the same. \nEsotouric invites you to take an immersive trip back in time exploring the layers of history hiding in plain sight in and around Westlake (MacArthur) Park. \nStarting from the tropical garden courtyard of the elegant William Penn Hotel—now called The Sinclair LA—we’ll set out to discover the rich and compelling cultural\, architectural and true crime history of this fascinating L.A. neighborhood. \nOn this walk\, you’ll learn about the legendary booksellers and influential art academies that thrived here\, see where cult leader Jim Jones lost his cool\, visit a little known monument to detective novelist Raymond Chandler\, learn where a bomb was set for the publisher of the Los Angeles Times\, thrill to the offbeat goings on at the Elks’ Lodge\, plus enjoy early pleasure park lore\, silent film locations\, mysteriously mummified infants\, and a stop to admire the only art nouveau castle home in Los Angeles\, a rare domestic commission by master architect John Parkinson. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at The Sinclair LA at 2200 W 8th St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90057. Please arrive on time and proceed through the lobby to the central courtyard check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT\nPlease do not park at the Auto Club. There is street parking and several paid lots nearby\, including: \n\nAmple street and metered parking in the neighborhood\, especially around St James Park.\nUniversity Gateway at Figueroa & 32nd Street with a daily maximum of $18 that kicks in after 2 hours.\nUSC Village at 3301 S Hoover Street\, $5/hour and a daily maximum of $30.\n\nIf using street parking\, please read all signs carefully\, as restrictions apply. The nearest Metro station is Grand/LATTC. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/westlake-park/ LOCATION:The Sinclair LA\, 2200 W 8th St\, Los Angeles\, 90057\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/westlake-featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220927T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20220927T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20220922T020245Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240106T190942Z UID:10000538-1664305200-1664310600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:El Pino in Peril: Development Threatens the Beloved Sentinel Tree of East Los Angeles DESCRIPTION:Sorry\, there were technical problems that made it impossible to stream this webinar for later viewing. But you can see Dr. Don Hodel’s site visit videos on YouTube (Part 1 and Part 2) or in our newsletter. \n\nJoin Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for the fourth in an occasional series of free webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how YOU can get involved. \nTo sign up for this free webinar\, enter your name and email address and click the “REGISTER” button BELOW. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \n\n\nOur special guest is distinguished horticulturist Dr. Donald R. Hodel. \nWhen Dr. Hodel published “Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles” (1988)\, he selected as the representative example of the Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) the massive tree at the center of the quad at Rancho Los Amigos\, the County Poor Farm that was established exactly 100 years earlier\, in 1888. \nThe cult classic film “Blood In Blood Out” (1993) had yet to be made\, so it was mainly the community of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights that knew there was another ancient tree with a claim on the title of L.A.’s most exceptional Bunya Pine. \nWith the fencing of Rancho Los Amigos\, the many fires and the ongoing demolition of historic structures\, Downey’s Bunya Pine is hard to visit\, and that tree is now suffering the after effects of a lightning strike. \nBut East L.A.’s beloved El Pino remains healthy and highly visible\, whether you’re mourning a loved one at Evergreen Cemetery\, inhaling a taco at Los Cincos Puntos or cruising with your sweetheart down old Brooklyn Avenue—the big tree on the hill is always there. \nBut El Pino is in danger—and needs your help. \nAround Christmas 2020\, disturbing rumors circulated on social media that a new owner had deliberately cut the trunk to harm the tree\, and had plans to chop El Pino down. Hundreds of concerned community members came to the corner of Folsom and Indiana to mourn and bear witness. A petition was circulated. Newspapers and local television stations covered the story. \nWe’ve been tracking the threat to El Pino here. \nIt turns out that the rumors were exaggerated\, but a new owner does have worrying dense residential development plans for the property—plans that if they go forward as proposed will almost certainly kill El Pino. \nBut it doesn’t have to be that way. Tune in to this webinar as Dr. Hodel shares a prescription for preservation of this iconic living landmark of East Los Angeles\, explains where Bunya Pines come from and why they’re so special and potentially deadly. Plus he’ll introduce you to another rare tree in El Pino’s shadow\, and asks Supervisor Hilda Solis to help save El Pino and commission a Flora study of rare trees in East Los Angeles. \nThen we’ll take your questions about El Pino and Bunya Pines\, tools for saving endangered trees and how you can help. \nWatch this short webinar when it airs at 7pm on September 27 (or later\, on demand)\, then help amplify Dr. Hodel’s prescription for saving this beautiful tree\, so it can be a friend and a beacon to future generations and to Angelenos today. \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture that will bring the history and future of El Pino to life\, while empowering you to help preserve this tree and other historic trees in your community. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. So tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later\, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \nAbout our special guest: Donald R. Hodel is emeritus landscape horticulturist with the University of California\, Cooperative Extension\, a position he held for 36 years\, all in Los Angeles\, before retiring in 2019. He led a varying career\, performing applied research and conducting educational programs primarily for the landscape and tree care industries and secondarily for the residents of Los Angeles County. His expertise is in the taxonomy\, selection\, and management of woody plants\, primarily trees and palms. He conducted over 150 research projects\, made over 600 presentations to varying audiences\, and authored or co-authored 110 peer-reviewed publications and nearly 600 other publications\, including eight books about the classification\, selection\, planting\, water use\, nutrition\, and disease and pest management of woody plants. He is the recipient of several awards for his work and is often invited to peer-review others’ publications. Don has earned a national and international reputation and been an invited speaker at numerous symposia\, conferences\, and meeting across the United States and in other countries. He has traveled widely and performed research in most of Latin America\, the Pacific\, Southeast Asia\, and southern Europe. Don received a B.S. in ornamental horticulture from California State Polytechnic University in 1974 and an M. S. in tropical horticulture from the University of Hawaii in 1975. He worked in nurseries and botanical gardens in Hawaii and California before landing his job with the University of California in 1983. Upon his retirement in 2019\, the University awarded him emeritus status and he now continues work on selected projects and publish articles sharing the results of his work. \n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/el-pino-in-peril/ CATEGORIES:Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/el-pino-blood-in-blood-1920-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221001T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221001T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20220902T233512Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220925T212424Z UID:10000488-1664620200-1664631000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:FRANKLIN VILLAGE OLD HOLLYWOOD TIME TRAVEL TRIP DESCRIPTION:There is one Los Angeles neighborhood that seems to vibrate on a special frequency\, where the layers of offbeat spiritual\, cultural\, music industry\, motion picture\, architectural and true crime history knit together to tell an only-in-Hollywood story: Franklin Village. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive walk back through time to get to know the colorful characters\, faith\, folly\, fantasies and heartbreak that left their eternal mark on this beautiful and historic corner of the city. \nStarting from the hillside Hindu ashram Vedanta\, where the English writers Christopher Isherwood and Aldous Huxley expanded their minds as the Hollywood freeway cut the neighborhood in two\, we’ll descend down into the flats then up again on a tour that spans the highest consciousness and the depths of depravity\, lovely architecture and landscapes\, real life and fictional noir narratives that will have even locals exclaiming “I never knew that!” \nStops include the Parva Sed Apartments from Nathanael West’s dark Hollywood fantasy The Day of the Locust\, the Chateau Alto Nido from Sunset Boulevard\, the site of the high profile police raid that inspired Jack Webb to create Dragnet\, a nightmarish tale of a Capitol Record co-worker run amok\, City Hall gadflies\, torched landmarks\, lost restaurants\, a serial killer who hunted in his own backyard\, and a visit to Monastery of the Angels\, the nearly century old community of Dominican nuns that is beginning a new chapter with its recent suppression by the Vatican. \nOn our return to Vedanta as the tour concludes\, you will have an opportunity to shop in the temple bookstore. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. It was featured in the VERA Virgin Atlantic in-flight magazine feature\, Lost Angeles. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CHECK-IN DETAILS:\nTour begins at 10.30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am under the Bo Tree to the right of the domed temple at the Vedanta Society of Southern California\, 1946 Vedanta Place\, Los Angeles\, CA 90068. Please arrive on time to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nYou may park in the open air lot at the Vedanta Society of Southern California\, 1946 Vedanta Place\, Los Angeles\, CA 90068. The nearest Metro station is Hollywood and Vine on the B line. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting about 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, but you are welcome to bring one. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MAP TO VEDANTA TEMPLE URL:https://esotouric.com/event/franklin-village-walk/ LOCATION:Vedanta Temple Hollywood\, 1946 Vedanta Place\, Los Angeles\, 90068\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Vedanta-Featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221014T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221014T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221012T225432Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221012T233343Z UID:10000543-1665774000-1665777600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Save Old Trapper’s Lodge\, A California State Landmark DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric\, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company\, for the fifth in an occasional series of free webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how YOU can get involved. \nTo sign up for this free webinar\, enter your name and email address and click the “REGISTER” button BELOW. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear\, just click this link. \n\nIn a remote section of the campus of Pierce College in the San Fernando Valley\, there is a remarkable and little known folk art environment\, Old Trapper’s Lodge (California State Landmark 939.5)—but it might not be there for much longer. \nDuring the pandemic lockdown\, while the campus was closed to visitors\, some members of the Pierce community hatched a secretive plan to brand the landmark as too racist to remain on campus. Their scheme was based on a flawed and superficial interpretation\, and ignored the fact that the sculptures represent artist John Ehn’s own Native American family members. \nThen\, Los Angeles Community College District administrators spent nearly $30\,000 in public funds on a professional art appraisal and report\, which described in minute detail how Pierce College should safely pack up and move the delicate sculptures to a new home. \nBut the appraisal and report was never shared with the public. Instead\, LACCD voted to dispose of Old Trapper’s Lodge under the deliberately deceptive phrasing\, “Approve Donation of Surplus Property at Pierce College.” Then they let an amateur crew associated with Valley Relics Museum dig up the Boot Hill Cemetery portion of the landmark and cart it off in the back of a pick up truck. \nAnd it was after seeing the small sculptures treated like yard waste that artist John Ehn’s family said “Enough!” \nYou can read much more about the situation at Old Trapper’s Lodge on our preservation campaign advocacy webpage\, including links to all the important documents. \nNext week\, Pierce College has threatened to dispose of Old Trapper’s Lodge if the Ehn Family doesn’t come and personally collect the huge and heavy sculptures. \nWe join the Ehn Family in asking Pierce College to stop making threats\, and do what it should have done in the beginning: secure the artwork\, issue a public RFP (Request For Proposals) to find a suitable new home for Old Trapper’s Lodge\, and to work with that new home on a safe and appropriate art transit plan\, to ensure this California State Landmark can be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come. \nOur guests for this special webinar are John Ehn’s grand-daughter Marsha Klopfenstein and great-granddaughter Kristen Cassidy. In an original short film produced by preservation storyteller Damian Sullivan\, you’ll tag along as Marsha and Kristen pay their first visit to Old Trapper’s Lodge since the Boot Hill Cemetery sculptures were brutally dug out of the ground\, to reconnect with the sculptures that represent their beloved family members\, share stories of grandfather John Ehn’s creativity and larger than life personality\, and to express their profound concerns about how poorly Pierce College is treating the landmark\, the community and their family. \nThen we’ll take your questions about Old Trapper’s Lodge\, how it was saved from demolition in the 1980s\, and the current campaign to protect it\, and what we all hope will happen next. \nThis webinar is an illustrated lecture that will bring the history and future of Old Trapper’s Lodge to life\, while inspiring you to look around your own community for ways you can help to keep old places around with fresh new uses. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session\, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. So tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles\, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later\, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat. \nFYI: Immediately upon registering\, you will receive a separate\, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices\, Mac\, PC\, iOS and Android. \n\n\nAbout Esotouric: As undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz\, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave inexplicably hated one another on sight. (Perhaps less inexplicably\, their academic advisor believed they were soul mates). A chance meeting 18 years later proved much more agreeable. Richard wooed Kim with high level library database access\, with which she launched the 1947project true crime blog\, highlighting a crime a day from the year of The Black Dahlia and Bugsy Siegel slayings. The popular blog’s readers demanded a tour\, and then another. The tour was magical\, a hothouse inspiring new ways for the by-then-newlyweds to tell the story of Los Angeles. Esotouric was born in 2007 with a calendar packed with true crime\, literary\, architecture and rock and roll tours. Ever since\, it has provided a platform for promoting historic preservation issues (like the Save the 76 Ball campaign and the landmarking of Charles Bukowski’s bungalow)\, building a community of urban explorers (including dozens of free talks and tours under the umbrella of LAVA) and digging even deeper into the secret heart of the city they love.\n \nRights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar\, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted\, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/save-old-trappers-lodge/ CATEGORIES:virtual,Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/trappers-lodge-preservation-page-collage-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com LOCATION: END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221022T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221022T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20220924T231523Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221021T003628Z UID:10000541-1666434600-1666445400@esotouric.com SUMMARY:ALVARADO TERRACE & SOUTH BONNIE BRAE TRACT TIME TRAVEL TRIP DESCRIPTION:When people talk about Victorian Los Angeles\, they usually bring up Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights and the lost neighborhood of Bunker Hill above Downtown—and we offer tours of both those neighborhoods. But there are other time capsule residential districts that are just as beautiful and compelling\, hiding in plain sight just off Pico and Olympic in the heart of the city. \nEsotouric invites you to take an immersive trip back in time exploring the layers of history to be found in Westlake / Pico-Union\, on a walk that includes two stunning National Register Districts: Alvarado Terrace and the South Bonnie Brae Tract\, as well as the handsome homes and apartment hotels that are their near neighbors. \nStarting from the tropical garden courtyard of the elegant William Penn Hotel—now called The Sinclair LA—just south of MacArthur Park\, we’ll set out to discover the rich and compelling cultural\, architectural and true crime history of these historic residential neighborhoods\, and the commercial corridors that connect them. \nOn this walk\, you’ll see gorgeous homes reflecting the eclectic range of styles in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras—Queen Anne\, Gothic\, Colonial Revival\, Craftsman\, Mission Revival\, Chateauesque\, Shingle\, Chalet and Tudor—and get to know the interesting original residents and the curious characters drawn to their white elephant mansions in later decades. Featured players include a colorful cast of self-dealing politicians\, crooked cops\, gay physique photographers\, cult leaders\, civil rights activists\, wild teens\, do-gooders and lost souls whose stories will stick with you. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at The Sinclair LA at 2200 W 8th St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90057. Please arrive on time and proceed through the lobby to the central courtyard check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThe nearest paid public parking lot is at 730 S Lake St 90057. This lot has an attendant to take your $10 payment (cash only). \nThe nearest Metro station is Westlake/MacArthur Park station on the B and D lines. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting about 3 hours. There are a few slight hills along the way but mostly we will be walking over level ground at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. \nA restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/alvarado-terrace-walk-fall-2022/ LOCATION:The Sinclair LA\, 2200 W 8th St\, Los Angeles\, 90057\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Alvarado-Terrace-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221029T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221029T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20220924T231746Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221021T003720Z UID:10000542-1667039400-1667050200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:EVERGREEN CEMETERY\, 1877 DESCRIPTION:Los Angeles\, 1877: a sleepy village of 10\,000 souls on the cusp of a wild real estate boom. In the budding Eastside suburb of Boyle Heights\, a group of civic minded citizens establish a 67 acre cemetery with room to grow for the city to come: Evergreen! \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip from the cemetery’s founding through the present day\, revealing the colorful characters who helped shape the ethnically mixed\, non-denominational cemetery and the city\, including prominent families like Lankershim\, Hollenbeck\, Van Nuys\, Bixby and Workman\, and other fascinating figures who rest forever among 300\,000 souls. You’ll see beautiful early monuments crafted by local stonemasons and a rare signed memorial\, spot the lucky lizard\, the hidden maiden and the prancing pink tiger\, descend into the Chinese Shrine and visit the shores of the lost Crystal Lake. \nThis walking tour draws on newly discovered\, unpublished documents to tell the forgotten early history of L.A.’s oldest cemetery\, and is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am just inside the main cemetery gate. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n BE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable\, closed-toe walking shoes\, sunscreen\, and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is plenty of parking inside the cemetery along the main roads. Please do not use the stalls in front of the office or park close to the chapel. The nearest Gold Line station is Indiana. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/evergreen-halloween-2022/ LOCATION:Evergreen Cemetery\, 204 N Evergreen Ave\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90033\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EastsideBabylon-evergreenGates-Cropped.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221112T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221112T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20220924T231159Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221021T003809Z UID:10000540-1668249000-1668259800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:ANGELINO HEIGHTS AND CARROLL AVENUE TIME TRAVEL TRIP DESCRIPTION:Angelino Heights is the living\, beating heart of Victorian Los Angeles\, a nearly perfect late 19th century neighborhood where time seems to stand still. \nBut the historic district—including every location scout’s favorite Carroll Avenue—is actually the happy result of decades of carefully planned house moving\, vintage streetlight sourcing\, power line burial\, design guideline crafting and passionate advocacy by local preservationists. They did such a terrific job that it looks as if it’s always been this way. \nEsotouric invites you to take an immersive trip back in time into Angelino Heights\, on a walk that tells the stories of the early Los Angeles neighborhood\, its notable characters\, landscape and landmarks\, and the visionary Angelenos who invented new tools to protect and improve the district. \nStarting from the foot of Angelino Heights on Sunset Boulevard\, where the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul operated the city’s first hospital\, we’ll set out to discover Angelino Heights’ rich and compelling cultural\, architectural\, historic preservation and true crime history. You’ll see fascinating bits of Victorian infrastructure both original and salvaged\, get to know colorful locals like the artist Leo Politi\, discover the architects who shaped this early streetcar suburb\, see where little Marion Parker was held in the kidnapping case that captivated the nation\, and enjoy a stroll among some of the most beautiful and eclectic residences in town. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am just south of Farm Cup Coffee under the Elysian apartments\, at 1115 Sunset Blvd.\, Los Angeles\, CA 90012. Please arrive on time and proceed to the bottom of the hill\, at White Knoll Drive and Sunset to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \nBRUNCH / SNACK OPTIONS\nFarm Cup begins serving Latin/Indonesian fusion brunch at 9am\, as well as offering pastries and coffee drinks from the counter. They have indoor and patio seating available. Brunch reservations are suggested\, but not required. If you plan to eat\, please plan to arrive early\, as the tour will begin promptly at 10:30am. \nUse this link for brunch reservations. \nFarm Cup’s phone number is: (213) 354-6099. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is ample unmetered street parking with no time restrictions throughout the neighborhood. Please read any posted signs before parking. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/angelino-heights-walk-fall-2022/ LOCATION:Farm Cup Coffee\, 1115 Sunset Blvd\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90031\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/angelino-heights-featuredWP-use.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221119T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221119T150000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20220924T231043Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221021T021253Z UID:10000539-1668853800-1668870000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HIGHLAND PARK ARROYO TIME TRAVEL TRIP (RICHARD’S BIRTHDAY) DESCRIPTION:Come take a walk back through time in one of our favorite early Los Angeles suburbs: Highland Park\, down around the Arroyo. We’ll begin the adventure at El Alisal\, the Pueblo Revival / Craftsman style home of author\, preservationist and civic booster Charles Fletcher Lummis. Following a tour of the house museum and tales of The Old Man’s advocacy for saving Southern California landmarks\, documenting traditional recipes and songs\, and recognizing Native American achievements in art and architecture\, we’ll set out on a stroll around the lower Arroyo\, for tales of fascinating characters\, remarkable buildings and places where the past is so very present you can almost kiss it. \nOn our walk\, we’ll explore Griffin Avenue\, part of an early subdivision\, and share stories of crimes and oddities that took place there. And we’ll stop at the one-time home of Florencio Morales\, to honor the neighborhood hero folk artist whose wild holiday displays were a citywide sensation in the early 1990s. \nWe’ll stop outside the Arturo and Mabel Bilderrain House (1912)\, an unusual\, transitional home that blends the then popular Craftsman and Mission Revival styles with elements that reflect the inward facing adobe culture of the Spanish Colonial-era\, to learn about the famous pet rooster\, and ascend 40 steps to see the landmarked Young-Gribling Residence (R.B. Young\, 1885) and enjoy fabulous city views in the company of California historian and neon sign maker Paul Greenstein\, who restored both homes. \nAnd we’ll visit Heritage Square\, the living history museum of rescued buildings\, to hear about the tragedy of the landmarked mansions The Castle and The Salt Box that were moved from Bunker Hill. And we’ll hear some much happier historic preservation success stories. Plus you’ll get to see Heritage Square’s vintage Los Angeles streetlight boneyard\, with rare lamps awaiting future restoration. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CHECK-IN DETAILS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at Lummis House\, 200 East Avenue 43\, Los Angeles\, CA 90031. Please arrive on time to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow\, and take a stroll around the grounds. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is ample unmetered street parking with no time restrictions along Carlota Boulevard\, by the East gate of Lummis House. Please read any posted signs before parking. The nearest Metro stops are Heritage Square / Arroyo and Southwest Museum. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over mostly level ground moving at a casual pace\, however\, halfway through the tour we will walk up 40 steps to get to an late 19th century home. We will have to go back down those same 40 steps as well to leave. Total distance walked is about 3 1/2 miles. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/arroyo-birthday-walk/ LOCATION:Lummis House/El Alisal\, 200 East Avenue 43\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90031\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/arroyo-featurd-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221204T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221204T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221026T172013Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221130T161725Z UID:10000546-1670149800-1670160600@esotouric.com SUMMARY:Canceled Due to Inclement Weather: LA BREA TAR PITS TIME TRAVEL TRIP DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive excursion all around Wilshire and Fairfax\, the western terminus of the Miracle Mile. We’re on the trail of a layered history that leads from Columbian mammoths foraging in the last Ice Age to today’s construction cranes\, with some fascinating detours along the way. We’ll explore the La Brea Tar Pits as a zone of pre-colonial commerce and Victorian scientific discovery\, revealing the fossil hoard’s role in east coast theatrical spiritualism and a deathless romance. Then on to Wilshire Boulevard\, where bean fields turned almost overnight to an ultramodern Jazz Age canyon of car culture commerce\, including the magnificent Art Deco May Company (and yes\, it’s a crime scene). And as the county’s art museum struggles to remake itself with a controversial new building and curatorial vision\, we’ll honor the institution that was\, and sneaky artists who got their work displayed without curatorial review\, all seen through the candid lens of your guides’ advocacy for preserving the 1965 William Pereira campus. Plus\, a stroll through the immediate neighborhood on an architectural treasure hunt\, including some sweet echoes of the lost LACMA. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. And next time some silly person tries to tell you Los Angeles doesn’t have any history\, having taken this tour will give you everything you need to set them straight. \n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 12 noon sharp\, with check-in time 11:30am at the picnic tables near the restrooms in the southeast corner of the La Brea Tar Pits park\, at the Wilshire & Curson Avenue entrance. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is street parking in the neighborhood\, on Sixth Street\, Orange Street\, Crescent Heights Boulevard\, Eighth Street\, and Hauser Boulevard. As the tour is on a Sunday\, there are no restrictions on street parking. The nearest Metro station is Wilshire/Vermont. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting about 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/tar-pits-time-travel-12-4-22/ LOCATION:La Brea Tar Pits\, Wilshire Blvd & S Curson Ave\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90036\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/TarPits-3-Cropped.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221210T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221210T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221026T163505Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221028T184013Z UID:10000545-1670668200-1670679000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:ALL AROUND THE AUTO CLUB WEST ADAMS HISTORY TOUR DESCRIPTION:For everybody who ever drove to the Automobile Club HQ to renew their registration or pick up maps for a road trip\, or cruised by at 70 mph on the 110\, here’s a chance to slow down and explore an early Los Angeles neighborhood that rewards a pedestrian’s pace. \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip beginning with the Automobile Club of Southern California itself\, to admire the mini museum of vintage highway signage and two of the southland’s great trees. Then we’ll stroll along West Adams Boulevard\, once the city’s most elegant address for interesting Angelenos like oilman Edward and bookworm Carrie Doheny\, screen vamp Theda Bara and tragic comic Fatty Arbuckle. You’ll see early irrigation infrastructure\, elegant clubhouses\, esoteric faith centers\, homeless shelters\, gay archives\, the surveyor’s edge of Spanish Los Angeles and our first gated community\, discover a lost mansion that lives on in Hollywood’s Magic Castle\, and take a spin through the elegant St. James Park National Register District to admire gorgeous homes and learn about the ongoing battle to preserve this pocket of 19th century Los Angeles from insensitive development. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos and maps you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am in the courtyard of the Automobile Club of Southern California at 2601 South Figueroa. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT\nPlease do not park at the Auto Club. There is street parking and several paid lots nearby\, including: \n\nAmple street and metered parking in the neighborhood\, especially around St James Park.\nUniversity Gateway at Figueroa & 32nd Street with a daily maximum of $18 that kicks in after 2 hours.\nUSC Village at 3301 S Hoover Street\, $5/hour and a daily maximum of $30.\n\nIf using street parking\, please read all signs carefully\, as restrictions apply. The nearest Metro station is Grand/LATTC. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/around-west-adams-12-10-22/ LOCATION:AAA Los Angeles\, 2601 S Figueroa St\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90007\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AAA-featured-image-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221217T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20221217T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221027T170054Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221217T152650Z UID:10000537-1671273000-1671283800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BUNKER NOIR! TRUE CRIME ON LOS ANGELES’ BUNKER HILL TOUR DESCRIPTION:Until the redevelopment agency bulldozed it all\, Los Angeles had a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of the city\, with Victorian mansions converted to boarding houses\, meandering stairways and lush gardens. The buildings were old\, but full of character. Bunker Hill’s residents included retirees and workers\, artists and writers\, families and loners… crime victims and perps. \nJoin Esotouric and Nathan Marsak for a time travel trip through a lost neighborhood viewed through the bloodstained lens of its true crime history. Long before Nathan was the esteemed author of Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir\, he was a collaborator on our 1947project blog\, an experiment in understanding Los Angeles by exploring its forgotten crimes and crime scenes\, with one full year dedicated to an archeological exploration of old Bunker Hill.  Nathan is so committed to preserving Bunker Hill that he’s recently become an Angels Flight operator\, to help keep an eye on the tiny funicular that once served the community’s mass transit needs. \nThis immersive time travel trip is the ghoulish companion to the Bunker Hill\, Dead and Alive\, tour\, shifting the focus from architecture\, history and redevelopment to some of the strange and awful things that happened on Bunker Hill\, which when combined with its use as a film location\, helped to shape the neighborhood’s abiding reputation as the noir stain on the land of sunshine. \nOn this tour\, you’ll get to know the darker side of Bunker Hill\, but the astonishing beauty of its buildings\, culture and community will also shine through. It is recommended for mature audiences.  Bunker Noir! is also the name of Nathan’s true crime zine\, a collection of terrible tales and rare photos that will be available for purchase and signing after the tour. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nOur priority is to provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere for our guests and guides on these outdoor walking tours. Because guides will not be masked when telling stories\, and because different people have different levels of risk tolerance\, we have strict mask policies for attendees. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated. These simple rules are being implemented for the benefit of all attending. Anybody not abiding by these rules will be given one chance to shape up\, then asked to leave the tour if it happens again. There are no refunds or exchanges for anyone removed from a tour for violating the rules. \nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 2 1/2 to 3 hours moving at a casual pace. We’ll mostly be moving over level ground\, but there will be some uphill grades to tackle along the way. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen\, a hat and a medical-grade mask. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nMASKS & SOCIAL DISTANCING: Attendees must bring a medical-grade mask (i.e. N95\, KN95\, KF94) to wear when checking in\, during those portions of the tour when the group is gathered together listening to the tour guides (who will not wear masks when telling stories)\, and when talking with the tour guides one-on-one. If you are more comfortable not wearing a mask while walking between tour stops\, you’re free to remove it\, while maintaining physical space from anyone not from your household. Masks must be worn properly\, covering mouth and nose completely\, and not have any exhalation valves\, vents or holes of any kind. Thank you for working with us to keep guests and guides healthy\, and please let us know if you have any questions about these policies. \nARGH\, I FORGOT MY MASK: Wave to us from a healthy distance at the check in table and point to your cute face. We’ve got you. \nVACCINATION: We do not require proof of vaccination for outdoor walking tours. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/bunker-hill-noir-12-17-22/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/bunker-hiil-noir-featured-3-WP.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230121T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230121T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221203T031152Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230119T230101Z UID:10000534-1674297000-1674307800@esotouric.com SUMMARY:HUMAN SACRIFICE: THE BLACK DAHLIA\, ELISA LAM\, HEIDI PLANCK & SKID ROW SLASHER CASES DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave\, the Skid Row historians featured in “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel\,” and their special guest Joan Renner\, on a true crime and cultural history walking tour that explores the terrifying intersection of real estate speculation\, housing insecurity and death in Downtown Los Angeles from the 1940s to the present. \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll fan out over the historic core to visit significant sites in the investigations of three notorious and heartbreaking cases: the kidnapping and murder of Beth Short in 1947\, the serial killing of seven poor or homeless men by Vaughn Greenwood between December 1974 and January 1975\, and Elisa Lam’s disappearance and drowning while staying at the Stay on Main hostel inside the single room occupancy Hotel Cecil in 2013. We’ll also talk about the October 2021 disappearance of Heidi Planck\, although we won’t trek as far as the Hope + Flower apartments where she was last seen. \nYou’ll learn about the importance of newspaper reporting to 20th century crime investigations\, and the role of internet communities today\, hear about how previous generations slept rough in all-night movie theaters\, alleys and under bushes\, how the high cost or lack of housing options make victims more vulnerable\, and about property developers who bend the rules to transform low-income residency hotels and market rate apartments into profitable blind spots where people can vanish. \nAlong the way\, you’ll get to know the victims as sympathetic and relatable people who serve as fascinating windows into real life and death in Los Angeles over the decades and learn how public policy choices can set the stage for avoidable tragedy. \nCan understanding why true crimes happened help Los Angeles finally solve its housing crisis? We think it can! \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n About Our Guest Host\nJoan Renner is a true crime author and commentator. Her blog\, Deranged L.A. Crimes\, covers 20th century crimes and scandals. The L.A. Weekly called her book The First with the latest: Aggie Underwood\, the Los Angeles Herald\, and the Sordid Crimes of a City\, “A great introduction to some long-forgotten L.A. crimes.” Over the past decade\, she has appeared in over sixty TV shows and podcasts such as City of Angels\, City of Death; Deadly Women; Buried in the Backyard; and Hollywood & Crime. She is currently working on a book for University Press Kentucky about Los Angeles during the Prohibition era. When she’s not writing about or researching crime\, Joan volunteers as an archivist at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Museum. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Click the “+” button for the number of tickets desired\, then click “Get Tickets” to check out. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/human-sacrifice-winter-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Hotel-Cecil-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230129T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230129T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221203T030026Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221231T001229Z UID:10000533-1674988200-1674999000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:MIRACLE MILE MARVELS & MADNESS DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric for an immersive excursion all around Wilshire and Fairfax\, the western terminus of the Miracle Mile. We’re on the trail of a layered history that leads from Columbian mammoths foraging in the last Ice Age to today’s construction cranes\, with some fascinating detours along the way. We’ll explore the La Brea Tar Pits as a zone of pre-colonial commerce and Victorian scientific discovery\, revealing the fossil hoard’s role in east coast theatrical spiritualism and a deathless romance. Then on to Wilshire Boulevard\, where bean fields turned almost overnight to an ultramodern Jazz Age canyon of car culture commerce\, including the magnificent Art Deco May Company (and yes\, it’s a crime scene). And as the county’s art museum struggles to remake itself with a controversial new building and curatorial vision\, we’ll honor the institution that was\, and sneaky artists who got their work displayed without curatorial review\, all seen through the candid lens of your guides’ advocacy for preserving the 1965 William Pereira campus. Plus\, a stroll through the immediate neighborhood on an architectural treasure hunt\, including some sweet echoes of the lost LACMA. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. And next time some silly person tries to tell you Los Angeles doesn’t have any history\, having taken this tour will give you everything you need to set them straight. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 12 noon sharp\, with check-in time 11:30am at the picnic tables near the restrooms in the southeast corner of the La Brea Tar Pits park\, at the Wilshire & Curson Avenue entrance. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is street parking in the neighborhood\, on Sixth Street\, Orange Street\, Crescent Heights Boulevard\, Eighth Street\, and Hauser Boulevard. As the tour is on a Sunday\, there are no restrictions on street parking. The nearest Metro station is Wilshire/Vermont. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting about 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Click the “+” button for the number of tickets desired\, then click “Get Tickets” to check out. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/miracle-mile-winter-2023/ LOCATION:La Brea Tar Pits\, Wilshire Blvd & S Curson Ave\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90036\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/miracle-mile-featured-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230211T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230211T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221203T023310Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221231T001404Z UID:10000531-1676111400-1676122200@esotouric.com SUMMARY:BROADWAY: DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES’ BEAUTIFUL\, MAGICAL MESS DESCRIPTION:Join Esotouric on a stroll through the National Register Broadway Theatre District\, the largest collection of historic motion picture palaces in the country\, on an architectural\, cultural and public policy history tour of a great street that needs a lot of help. How did Broadway take shape in the early 20th Century\, why did the entertainment and retail district decline\, and who are the personalities who have sought to preserve\, reactivate and profit from it—not always successfully? \nStarting from Grand Central Market\, we’ll honor the visionary developer Ira Yellin\, who believed that there was a second life possible for empty early 20th century office buildings\, and changed city law so that Angelenos could live in them. \nAcross Broadway at the Bradbury Building\, Terry McKelvey turned his dad’s dull commercial real estate business into an incubator for creativity\, and dreamed of a Victorian-themed Downtown Los Angeles Gaslight District\, until his personal demons pulled that dream out from under him. \nDown at the United Artists\, obtained through a sweetheart deal involving suitcases full of cash and convenient earthquakes\, offbeat preacher Dr. Gene Scott raised millions through bizarre televised sermons\, for theater restoration\, rare books and preservation of the iconic Jesus Saves neon sign. \nAnd up in City Hall\, ambitious councilman Jose Huizar saw Broadway as a political branding opportunity\, expending civic resources to organize massive street parties with his name on every marquee\, while pushing policies that encouraged speculation at the expense of Broadway’s small businesses—until the FBI came calling. \nSpecial on this edition of the Broadway tour: we’re joined by Miriam and Victoria Caldwell\, sharing insights from the 1950s diaries of their mother Vilma\, whose adventures as a hard-boiled Clifton’s Cafeteria camera girl bring a lost world to life. \nAlong the way\, we’ll talk about what it means to be National Register District\, how the Jewelry District used old buildings in fresh new ways and how the lessons of Wilshire’s Wiltern Theatre could be used to reactivate downtown’s dark venues\, while pointing out the sites of lost landmarks\, hidden details\, ghost signs and magic carpets of terrazzo that make up this beautiful\, magical mess at the heart of the city. \nThis walking tour is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am at the patio outside Grand Central Market in front of Maple Block BBQ at 324 S Hill St\, Los Angeles\, CA 90013. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Parking & Public Transit:\nThere are numerous paid public parking lots around Grand Central Market\, including GCM’s multi-level lot at 308 South Hill Street Los Angeles\, California 90013.  The nearest Metro stations are Civic Center/Grand Park and Pershing Square. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip: \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n TOUR RULES & RECOMMENDATIONS:\nBE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting 3 hours\, over a mix of level ground and occasional hills and stairs moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable walking shoes\, sunscreen and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours\, with the exception of when we visit the cramped and unventilated basement speakeasy beneath the King Edward Hotel or the Dutch Chocolate Shop. Please bring a mask to wear for this portion of the tour. If you forget your mask\, we can provide one on check in. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n  \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Click the “+” button for the number of tickets desired\, then click “Get Tickets” to check out. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/broadway-winter-2023/ LOCATION:Grand Central Market\, 308 South Hill Street\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90013\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Broadway-magic-WP.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230218T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230218T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T030131 CREATED:20221203T023913Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221231T001358Z UID:10000532-1676716200-1676727000@esotouric.com SUMMARY:EVERGREEN CEMETERY\, 1877 DESCRIPTION:Los Angeles\, 1877: a sleepy village of 10\,000 souls on the cusp of a wild real estate boom. In the budding Eastside suburb of Boyle Heights\, a group of civic minded citizens establish a 67 acre cemetery with room to grow for the city to come: Evergreen! \nJoin Esotouric for an immersive time travel trip from the cemetery’s founding through the present day\, revealing the colorful characters who helped shape the ethnically mixed\, non-denominational cemetery and the city\, including prominent families like Lankershim\, Hollenbeck\, Van Nuys\, Bixby and Workman\, and other fascinating figures who rest forever among 300\,000 souls. You’ll see beautiful early monuments crafted by local stonemasons and a rare signed memorial\, spot the lucky lizard\, the hidden maiden and the prancing pink tiger\, descend into the Chinese Shrine and visit the shores of the lost Crystal Lake. \nThis walking tour draws on newly discovered\, unpublished documents to tell the forgotten early history of L.A.’s oldest cemetery\, and is illustrated with rare photos you can view on your smartphone. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n MEETING INSTRUCTIONS:\nTour begins at 10:30am sharp\, with check-in time 10am just inside the main cemetery gate. Please arrive on time and proceed to the check in table to get signed in and logged in to the smartphone slideshow. Scroll down for tour rules and recommendations. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n BE PREPARED: This is a walking hour lasting approximately 3 hours\, over level ground moving at a casual pace. Wear comfortable\, closed-toe walking shoes\, sunscreen\, and a hat. Bring your smartphone so you can view the tour slide show. We will have a cooler with cold water\, and you’re encouraged to bring a full water bottle. A restroom will be available at the start and end of the tour. If you need more information about what to expect\, please email us. \nCOVID SAFETY: At this time\, we no longer require that masks be worn on walking tours. \nCAMERA POLICY: No video- or audio-taping unless it has been pre-cleared with us\, please. Still cameras and sketchbooks are fine. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSIT:\nThere is plenty of parking inside the cemetery along the main roads. Please do not use the stalls in front of the office or park close to the chapel. The nearest Gold Line station is Indiana. If using public transit\, this link can help you plan your trip. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CONTACTING US ON OR BEFORE TOUR DAY:\nEmailing is the best way to communicate with us\, but after 8am on tour day you can call or text Richard on his mobile phone\, 213-915-8687. \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY:\nIf you’re sick\, please do not attend the tour. Get some rest\, and let us know not to expect you. If notified at least 72 hours before tour departure\, we can refund or reschedule your booking. As long as you contact us before the tour begins\, we are happy to move your reservation to a future tour date. You may also gift your ticket to someone else—we will need their name\, email address and phone number to make this switch. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Click the “+” button for the number of tickets desired\, then click “Get Tickets” to check out. URL:https://esotouric.com/event/evergreen-winter-2023/ LOCATION:Evergreen Cemetery\, 204 N Evergreen Ave\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90033\, United States CATEGORIES:walking tour ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://esotouric.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EastsideBabylon-evergreenGates-Cropped.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Esotouric":MAILTO:tours@esotouric.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR