How To LA

Episodes

Listen • 50:06

Listen • 50:06

This Old House Radio Hour: Designing for Disaster: How Los Angeles Builds Back Smarter + Saving The Outsider’s House + Four DIY Fixes: Chimneys, Circuits, Ceilings, and Steam

This week on This Old House Radio Hour—what does it mean to rebuild not just homes, but entire communities?

Sunset Magazine editor-in-chief Hugh Garvey joins us to discuss the magazine’s special issue devoted to the rebuilding of Altadena and Pacific Palisades in the wake of January’s devastating wildfires. Sunset, a voice in California architecture for over 125 years, has assembled an extraordinary coalition of architects, planners, artists, and historians. Together, they offer not just a plan, but a call to action—for fire-resilient homes, culturally grounded design, and a West that can weather what’s coming.

Then we travel from the hills of Los Angeles to the streets of Tulsa, where Danny Boy O’Connor—from House of Pain—takes us inside his remarkable second act. After bottoming out, he bought a run-down house for $15,000... and it just happened to be the house from The Outsiders. What followed was a full restoration, a pilgrimage, and a new life. We take a tour of the Outsiders Museum and meet the community that made it possible.

Later, Cheap Old Houses is back—Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein spotlight a dreamy 1870s Victorian in Fredonia, Kentucky and an off-the-grid cabin on federal forest land in Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, both for under $100,000.

Plus, another round of House Rules, our listener-powered game that tests your home renovation know-how. And in The Simple Fix, we show you how to find a stud in your baseboard—without breaking the wall.

And as always, we’re taking your calls. Got a house problem, project hurdle, or just need a little advice? Call us at (877) 864-7460.

All that and more, coming up on This Old House Radio Hour.

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Listen • 19:38

Listen • 19:38

Revival House: Movies Under — And Among — The Stars At Hollywood Forever

#275: Go back to the movies with us!

It's heating up in the city, so Revival House continues with a classic of spring and summertime in L.A. — a film at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Run by Cinespia, you can picnic and catch a revival film on the iconic grassy knoll. What keeps people coming back year after year? What's the history of it all? Listen along to find out.

Learn more about the cemetery tour here: https://www.cemeterytour.com/

Find more about Cinespia here: https://cinespia.org/

Guests: Cemetery tour guide Karie Bible, Cinespia founder John Wyatt.
Listen • 3:44

Listen • 3:44

Understanding The Hustle Of A Street Vendor

L.A. is often called the street vending capital of the country, and for good reason. And vending can a great hustle for people who want to be their own boss... but it's a LOT of work.

We meet Daniel Martinez, co-owner of Tacos 5 y 10, to get a sense of what's involved.
Listen • 16:26

Listen • 16:26

The Birth Of The Cheeseburger - REDUX

#223: Announcing The Tournament Of Cheeseburgers! Vote for your favorite burger in LA at this link: https://laist.typeform.com/to/Eq4UczlJ?typeform-source=www.google.com#campaign=xxxxx

The top three burgers will be crowned at a special Smorgasburg event at The Row in DTLA on July 7.

Here are the details:https://laist.com/events/tournament-of-cheeseburgers-at-smorgasburg-la

To get us in the burger mood, we're revisiting our episode about the first cheeseburger... which was, probably, right here in LA. This episode originally aired on July 6, 2023.

The cheeseburger turns 100 this year - we're pretty, anyway. (There's a few conflicting dates here) But more convincing is its birth place: Pasadena, California. That's where The Rite Stop first slapped some cheese on a patty - and it's also where Cheeseburger Week is celebrated every year. And this year's Cheeseburger Week is extra special, since it's recognized as the cheeseburger's centennial!

We're learning all about it with Hadley Meares, over cheeseburgers and fries at Paasadena's famous Pie 'N Burger.

Make sure you check out her article for more: https://laist.com/news/food/pasadena-claims-to-be-the-home-of-the-cheeseburger-but-theres-beef

Guests: L.A. historian Hadley Meares and Rob Osborn, son of Michael Osborn, owner of Pie N' Burger.
Listen • 21:24

Listen • 21:24

Unpacking LA's Street Food Hustle

#274: L.A. is often called the street vending capital of the country, and for good reason. Our street food has so much diversity, whether it's served out of a truck or a puesto. And it's not just food — people sell sunglasses, clothes, groceries... It can a great hustle for people who want to be their own boss, but it's also a LOT of work.

To get a sense of what's involved, we're hanging out with some street vendors in mid city. Plus, we're talking with LAist correspondent Leslie Berestein Rojas to get up to speed on the latest news and legislation for vendors.

Featured Vendor: Daniel Martinez, co-owner of Tacos 5 y 10 on Hauser & Apple, just north of Adams Blvd in West Adams / Mid City.
Listen • 20:42

Listen • 20:42

Comedian Leslie Liao's Love For LA (And Secretly, OC Too)

#273: Leslie Liao is an L.A.-based stand-up comedian, actress and writer who went from working at Netflix (in the HR department) to now being on Netflix.
For a long time she was juggling both her corporate job and stand up, but she went full time with comedy this year. She was featured in the streamer’s series called "Verified Stand-Up," she’s been on "The Tonight Show," and she’ll be performing in the Netflix is a Joke Fest starting this Thursday (May 2) in L.A.
Listen • 17:19

Listen • 17:19

Connect To Yourself — And Others — Through Dance

#272: We're back with another episode in our How Not To Be Lonely in L.A. series.

Brian is out but, today, How To LA producer Megan Botel takes over the mic and explores these questions: What does it mean to connect to yourself, and why is it important for warding off feelings of loneliness? How do you do it? And in a group setting?

One way is to do the things you loved as a kid and connect with that "inner child." For Megan, that was ballet, so we are checking out Studio A, a funky little dance studio tucked behind the Hyperion Arts Building in Silver Lake.

Guests: Cati Jean, dance instructor and choreographer at Studio A; Cat Moore, director of belonging at USC, dance student.

For more on the importance of moving in sync with others while connecting to oneself, read her LAist article here: https://laist.com/news/how-to-la/in-a-social-funk-pickleball-dance-and-other-physical-group-activities-could-be-a-solution
Listen • 25:08

Listen • 25:08

The Man Behind 'L.A. In A Minute'

#271: We love LA over here, but perhaps no one is a bigger fan of our city than Evan Lovett, the guy behind the LA history and discovery show: "L.A. in a Minute!"
Today, How to LA host Brian De Los Santos sits down with Evan to talk about how he stumbled into his career as a content creator, what truly makes L.A. special AND some of his favorite spots around town that really reflect the city's flavor.
PLEASE NOTE: Evan Lovett has previously worked as a paid influencer for LAist to expand the reach of our voter and gift guides, and other civic engagement work.
Listen • 30:45

Listen • 30:45

Author Michael Arceneaux On Grief, Family, And His 'Badder Bitch' Glow Up

#270: Today, we’re coming to you once again from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where we had the chance to speak with some local authors about their work. In this episode: Michael Arceneaux, the New York Times-bestselling author of “I Can’t Date Jesus,” “I Don’t Want To Die Poor,” and his latest book, “I Finally Bought Some Jordans"; and Amy Price, former general manager of the Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A., and author of "Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel."