Rachel B. Levin - Freelance Writer, Los Angeles » Neighborhoods

re:discover Los Angeles

Rachel B. Levin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:36:30 +0000

MSN.com just launched a refresh of its “re:discover” series, a collection of web guides that explores the souls of cities across America. I was fortunate to be the writer for the Los Angeles update. I got to profile some amazing cultural insiders, including hip-hop MC The Lady Tigra, music editor Adam Smalley, hair stylist Josh Rosebrook, and fashion designer Johana Hernandez. Each of these incredibly creative individuals gave the lowdown on how the city of Los Angeles has inspired them and on their favorite restaurants, lounges, hiking spots, unique shops, and more in town. I also put together a day trip guide to Los Angeles’ natural wonders culled from their recommendations. Last but not least, I got to tour the downtown headquarters of Homeboy Industries, an incredibly innovative and successful gang rehabilitation organization started by Father Greg Boyle (the Homegirl Cafe is a must-stop for lunch!). Writing about all of these various sides of LA renewed my love for the city and its energy as an incubator for creative and humanistic achievements. Re:discover it for yourself by checking out the guide!

From kimchi to karaoke in Koreatown

Rachel B. Levin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:30:35 +0000

Singular Magazine is running a four-part series I wrote on ethnic neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The second stop is Koreatown, where high-tech billboards and dense high rises collide with soothing tea houses (my favorite is Hwa Sun Ji Tea & Coffee) and mineral spas specializing in ancient healing arts. The timing of this piece is perfect, because I spent a good part of my weekend in the Koreatown ‘hood. Friday night, I discovered the Wilshire Spa, which has the most screamingly hot steam room and hot tub you’ll ever experience – talk about detox! Saturday night I went to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings kick out the jams at the gorgeous Art Deco theatre The Wiltern (there’s a lot of fabulous classic Art Deco architecture to be seen in Koreatown). This is a breathtaking venue, and Sharon Jones is a certifiable diva of soul! So, whether you want to find ultimate relaxation or get super pumped up, Koreatown has so much to offer.

Travel the globe without leaving Los Angeles

Rachel B. Levin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:40:39 +0000

You’re in a place where exotic smells waft from sidewalk cafes. All around you, signs are scrawled in foreign scripts and people speak in unfamiliar languages. Food-market bins are crammed with piquant spices and unusual produce. Colorful curios line the shelves of neighborhood boutiques. Surely, you’re very far from home. Or, you’ve just stumbled into one of Southern California’s numerous ethnic enclaves, where a few quarters dropped in a parking meter will buy cultural immersion so complete you’ll feel as if you’ve fled the country.

Singular Magazine is running a four-part series I wrote on these transportive ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles. First stop: Little Ethiopia.

La Cienega: LA’s Restaurant Row

Rachel B. Levin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:20:46 +0000

As a teenager growing up in Orange County, I knew how to get to two and only two places in L.A.: the Third Street Promenade and La Cienega Boulevard. On the rare occasions that my friends and I escaped the ‘burbs, these were the two places we journeyed to in order to — in our minds — blend in with urban cool. Third Street Promenade had packs of teenagers and quirky street performers, but La Cienega claimed the shopping mecca the Beverly Center, with its outpost of the Hard Rock Cafe. Years later, I now realize how tragically unhip we were to flock to these malls and pseudo-malls. And, of course, my palate has outgrown the likes of the Hard Rock Cafe. In those days, we drove right past what made La Cienega authentically cool — the venerable fine dining establishments of “Restaurant Row” — in our quest for burgers and fries and a taste of rock celebrity. Today, La Cienega beckons a new generation of hip seekers, with the arrival of new restaurants, bars, hotels, and design and fashion boutiques. Read about what’s opened within the past year on La Cienega in my little article for the Los Angeles Times.

Writing about the LACC ‘hood for the LA Times

Rachel B. Levin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:19:04 +0000

My article about the ‘Hel-Mel‘ neighborhood — an enclave at the intersection of Heliotrope and Melrose near LA City College — appeared in the LA Times today. It was fun writing about this little ‘hood because, as someone who’s taught for nearly a decade at LACC, I watched it grow before my eyes. For several years, I even lived within walking distance of the district and would sometimes pop into Rincon Chileno for empanadas and rent a movie at now-defunct Mondo Video. I could see the funky potential of the neighborhood back then, even before it became an urban cycling mecca and foodie enclave. In fact, when the Pak Am office supply went out of business and its storefront was renovated, my friend Michele and I cased the joint, trying to think of a good business to start in its place. We toyed with the idea of creating a kind of communal office space for freelance artists. Shortly thereafter, the Bicycle Kitchen arrived, and then Scoops, and the huge Pak Am space was divvied up into smaller storefronts now housing Jenette Bras and an art gallery, among other service shops and retailers. It’s a pity, I guess, that I didn’t follow my instincts and become a part of the Hel Mel zeitgeist. But I love what it’s become and felt like no one could have written this little article better!

Frolicking in the Foothills

Rachel B. Levin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:18:10 +0000

Drive just 20 minutes northeast of downtown L.A., and you can be in the rural, rolling foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where horses outnumber Hummers and quiet cul-de-sacs dead end into the wilds of the canyons. I wrote about two of these foothill communities, La Canada Flintridge and Sunland-Tujunga, recently for the LA Times. The sleepy pace, fresh air, country cooking, and beautiful scenery of these neighborhoods are truly a world apart from the frenetic, smog-choked city sprawl below.

Feeling Luv for the Eastside

Rachel B. Levin — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:43:38 +0000

Every time I visit Boyle Heights, I fall in love with the neighborhood a little bit more. I’ve visited several times lately, first to research a piece for Singular Magazine, and then to research a piece for the Los Angeles Times. The Metro Gold Line Extension (“La Linea de Oro“) is poised to open there this summer and promises to bring changes (hopefully positive) to the neighborhood. The metro will let you off in Mariachi Plaza, ground zero for all your mariachi needs. There’s Casa del Mariachi, where you can pick up a sombrero or embroidered charro suit. There’s La Casa del Musico, which sells accordions and vihuelas for mariachi orchestras. You’ll spot mariachi musicians in full regalia gathered around the plaza’s gazebo waiting to get picked up for a gig or going to/from La Serenata de Garibaldi, a venerable restaurant where they sing serenades.

In the midst of all this old world Mexican tradition, there’s a thriving hipster art scene. I’m enamored with Eastside Luv, the “cholo chic” wine bar where burlesque cabaret and Latin rock bands share the stage. Just up First St., Brooklyn & Boyle is a new literary and cultural salon that puts up monthly art exhibits. I also discovered Teocintli, a boutique that stocks ironic T-shirts with Chicano imagery, from lowriders to Subcomandante Marcos. Hopefully, this hipster strain will continue to thrive in Boyle Heights without bringing the dreaded specter of gentrification.

Other pleasures: Hollenbeck Park, which is surprisingly serene despite hugging Interstate 5. Budget fashion shops along E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. (Melrose-trendy stuff at bargain prices). The smell of freshly baked tortillas coming from La Fortaleza tortilla factory. Fresh horchata at Moles La Tia. The Breed Street Shul — a magnificent remnant of when the Jewish community dominated in the neighborhood in the early part of the 20th century. The people — there’s warmth and pride and hospitality in all of the family owned businesses.

Falling for Fallbrook

Rachel B. Levin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:06:14 +0000

In Fallbrook, a storybook hamlet in northern San Diego county, the avocado is king. The annual Avocado Festival — honoring the area’s signature crop — was the impetus for a neighborhood piece I wrote that just published in the Los Angeles Times. Held this year on April 19, the festival promises mounds of guacamole and even ice cream crafted from the “alligator pear.”

Yet even though Fallbrook is billed as the world’s Avocado Capital, the town has so much more than just fruit to offer. When I rolled into town, my first stop was the Fallbrook Historical Society, and I happened to arrive there just as a board meeting was adjourning. I met some of the town’s elders, some of whom offered me an oral history of Fallbrook’s agricultural and railroad past. I got an impromptu tour of a turn-of-the-century farmhouse and a newly build barn that will house historic Model T Fords. In Fallbrook village, I browsed in gift and clothing boutiques and lunched at Cafe des Artistes, where an herb garden supplies the kitchen and the carrots in the carrot soup tasted freshly picked. Next, I stopped at Live Oak Park, where I wanted to linger all afternoon under the ancient oak trees. With all the crowds that converge on Fallbrook for the Avocado Festival, I’d say skip it. Fallbrook without all the avocado hype is more rewarding.

Shamrock Spirit

Rachel B. Levin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:04:50 +0000

Usually St. Patrick’s Day is not on the top of my list of favorite holidays. I don’t tend to go in for that sort of pub madness. But reporting on St. Patrick’s Day happenings on Main Street in Santa Monica for the Los Angeles Times got me in the mood for some Irish grub and the shamrock spirit. It turns out Main Street — an eclectic shopping lane paralleling the beach — is a pub crawler’s haven. Read about it in my round up of Irish pubs, taverns, and alehouses on the block. Though I didn’t end up hitting a bar to celebrate, I did boil up a mighty fine Trader Joe’s uncured corned beef in solidarity. Read more about it on my food blog.

Yearning for Addis Ababa

Rachel B. Levin — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:40:19 +0000

Check today’s Calendar section in the LA Times for my article on the Little Ethiopia neighborhood along Fairfax Avenue! I visited this enclave several times in the past month while researching the Times piece and a feature for Singular Magazine, which is coming soon. It’s an incredibly special little ‘hood. The people radiate warmth and the food radiates spice in equal measure. Chef Genet Agonafer of Meals by Genet invited me into her kitchen as if I were family to taste a bite of her soul-nourishing dorowat (chicken stewed in red pepper sauce). Staci Cain, who reupholsters vintage furniture with a global vibe at 45 Three Modern Vintage, shared the stories of her most special pieces. The scents of coffee and incense had me yearning for a journey to Addis Ababa.