Navigating Taylormania Today and This Weekend (And Other Headlines)

It’s finally your moment, Swifties. Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is taking Los Angeles by storm starting TODAY.

Taylor Swift takes over L.A.

Now, before I talk about how BIG of a deal this is, I must mention that I am not a Swiftie myself. I only know three things about Taylor:

She’s a country star turned pop icon who has become one of the best-selling artists of all-time (her new album just debuted at No.1, which means that she now has more top-ranked albums than any other woman in history). She’s famous for writing hits about her exes. And we share the same birthday.

Whether you’re a fan of the pop princess or more of a Beyhive kind of person or even if you just have bad blood (pun intended), her SOLD OUT L.A. tour will likely impact your life. After all, no other artist has performed consecutively for this long in SoFi stadium. With capacity for as many as 100,000 seats, one can expect around half a million Taylor Swift fans to storm Inglewood through the weekend. This brings about an important question: Is L.A. ready for other big events we have going on? Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour next month? The FIFA World Cup 2026? The 2028 Summer Olympics?

In the latest How To LA podcast episode, host Brian De Los Santos gave us the lowdown on how to navigate this huge concert.

Here’s my down and dirty guide to what’s discussed in the episode:

• Word on the street is that a lot of people will be driving to the concert (good luck with that) but here’s what L.A. Metro is doing to get people to and from the SoFi stadium. 
• We hear from Inglewood residents and area businesses about how they are gearing up for the onslaught (hint: there's a little bit of anxiety). Plus, Brian talks to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. about how officials are restricting tailgating (otherwise known as “Tayl-gating”) at SoFi and handling traffic throughout the city. 
• Lastly, we’ll hear from Swifities who waited overnight to buy swag from the merch truck on why this is all such a big deal. Also, what’s the talk about a BIG announcement possibly coming from Swift this weekend? 

To get the full breakdown of Taylormania, make sure you give an ear to the latest episode of How To LA with your morning cup of joe.

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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(After you stop hitting snooze)

• The Writers Guild of America said in a statement the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios and streaming companies, reached out to them to again start discussing contract negotiations. The two sides meet Friday. 
• The Thai Community Development Center, a facility where workers can learn about their rights and how to organize, opened this week in L.A. It is the first of its kind for Thai workers in the nation. My colleague Josie Huang has more details about this advancement for this community of immigrants that have faced exploitation for decades. 
• It’s almost time for the Perseid meteor shower to show up and show out for us. So, when is the best time to see this spectacular sight? My colleague Robert Garrova has more about how and where you can watch it to get the best views. 
• Looking for something to do this weekend? Be amazed at the pop culture artwork at CRAZY4CULT/Nan Lawson at the Gallery1988 Pop-up on Friday night. Swing dance to the sounds of a jazz big band at Summer Swing Nights 2023. Watch the Pacific Opera Project: Engelbert Humperdink’s Hansel & Gretel at Descanso Gardens this weekend. These events and more are detailed in LAist’s Best Things To Do list.

Wait! One more thing...

concha cuties countywide

A customer gets an assortment of conchas from Panaderia Coatzingo.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Last week, my colleagues Gab Chabrán and Brian De Los Santos shared their favorite places to get a Mexican sweet bread roll called concha. They asked for your recs too for good pan dulce and you all did not disappoint.

From cute mini conchitas in concha cups in South Pasadena to matcha-flavored concha in Highland Park, our readers and listeners gave us a good list of conchas that we could dip our coffee in all throughout the month of August!

Check out the hottest picks in Gab’s latest article.