RUOKNLA?

A Subjective Guide to the Best Parts of Los Angeles

This pamphlet was originally done for the Anarchist Conference that happened here in LA in August of 2000 but we felt (since few there cared about it) that we should make it widely available to others. So here it it, for whatever it is worth...outdated but maybe useful. Hopefully someday we will update it.

Where you from, Ese?

Hey stranger, welcome to the city of Los Angeles, known as home to many of the people that will be participating in the @ conference and the D2K events. And since we may know this place better than most of you (knowing about Melrose or the zip code to Beverly Hills does not mean you know LA!) we've decided to whip up a little something that may help you get your bearings when your head starts spinning from all the commotion. It's basically a mini-guide to places, things, and resources that are easy enough for us to find but will prove a bit of a challenge (or at least some wasted time) for visitors. It ain't much pero algo es algo!

Mexican tradition finds us wanting to extend our hospitality to everyone that will be visiting, but since our house is only so big, we decided to do the next best thing and give you a hand finding your way around. We've also made a conscious decision to NOT include certain places: most notably the West Side and the Valley. Those places are overrated and not that interesting, generally speaking. (Send your complaints to... ) Besides, they are well covered in all the travel guides and every imaginable media around the world; we are not about to keep pumping them up! You also need to carry around lots of cash in those parts, something most of you may not have. That's why we are focusing on things that are cheap or free.

The LA that my friends and I know is a different one than that which is regularly portrayed on films and television. Middle class values, celebrity sightings, and the pursuit of fame do exist in LA but mainly on the West Side (which is just a bunch of wealthy cities by the beaches, all of which are not even part of the city of LA). The East Side is it's own little world, home to most of the working class people that WORK on the west side, with it's own sights, sounds, and flavors. This is the part of town you now find yourself in! We hope this lil' effort is of some value in making your stay much more pleasurable. Simon que Yes!

History

Does L.A. really have a history? Most residents couldn't tell you about it. The book by Norman M. Klein The History of Forgetting,, describes Los Angeles as a city which has thrived on the continual re-creation of it's own myth. Conveniently, it has been forgotten that the Yang-na people who lived peacefully along the shores of the Los Angeles River originally inhabited this area. Theirs was a culture of little conflict due to the abundance of food and resources the area provided them. This natural beauty and abundance is most likely why in 1781 a contingent of 44 Mexican settlers under the Spanish Crown came to "settle" this fertile land. And settle they did, practically atop the Yang-na people who had lived here for thousands of years. Later on, Yankees settled right on top of these Californios . Quite recently Mexicans have returned to resettle the land the Yankees took. And so on and so forth... thus the legacy of Los Angeles continues. So when you pass a street like Cahuenga or Topanga remember the Yang-na (or Tong-va as they prefer to be called nowadays) who once made this city their home. By the way, the official name of Los Angeles: Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula.

Downtown Los Angeles and Vicinity

Elysian Park and Northeast Los Angeles