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 • 21:46

Listen • 21:46

Our fave 'cool' drinks: Boba, tepache, and kava nectar

#307: Today we're heading out with LAist's Gab Chabrán to test some tasty cool drinks in L.A. — that's "cool" as in temperature, but also meaning something a little unique.
We stopped for boba (and other tasty tea and coffee drinks) at Hey Hey on Sunset, sampled fermented Mexican drinks (tepache and pulque) at Mírate in Los Feliz, and finally tried out kava nectar (new to both me and Gab) at Kavahana in Santa Monica.
Listen • 1:05:45

Listen • 1:05:45

HTLA Live: Culinary Connections — Ice Cream Social

#306: We're publishing this on a Friday and you know what that means: we all scream for... (waiting for you to say it.)

LAist food editor and Cheap Fast Eats co-conspirator Gab Chábran and HTLA host Brian De Los Santos host Culinary Connections: Ice Cream Social. It was a chat with owners from three Southern California ice cream eateries: Kinrose in Pasadena, Tocumbo Ice Cream in Anaheim, and 626 Hospitality Group in Arcadia.
Listen • 13:53

Listen • 13:53

Artists, not objects, take center stage at The Brick

#305:

What's the deal with the new mural on Western Avenue? A man holding a flowerpot crawling out of the sky?

That's performance artist Pope L., inviting folks into the new, permanent home of the non-profit formerly known as LAX Art. They've rebranded as The Brick, and their new brick and mortar gallery and exhibition space is formally opening in September.

How To LA host Brian de los Santos spoke with artistic director Hamza Walker, and artists in the 3B Collective, to get the scoop on what this space means for contemporary art in L.A.

For more on the artists mentioned:

Pope L.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N7OnQkch7s

3B Collective: https://www.craftcontemporary.org/exhibitions/highway-hypnosis/

Guests: Hamza Walker, the 3B collective
Listen • 23:54

Listen • 23:54

The Black and queer history (and future) of house music

#304: Today, we’re bringing you a deep dive into house music and how a music equipment lending library called Feminist Synth Lab is lowering the barriers to entry for people interested in DJing and making electronic music in L.A.
This episode was reported by How To LA intern Veronica Daniel.
Listen • 11:18

Listen • 11:18

Our favorite museums: ft. LACMA jazz nights and Judy Baca

#303: We're continuing our summer series of places to explore - and this time we're heading to Miracle Mile and following the sweet sounds of jazz down Wilshire and onto the LACMA campus.

As LA's county museum, LACMA is exploring all sorts of ways to make sure the public feels welcome, from free membership for teens, free admission for LA County residents, and free jazz nights in the summers. You might even run into a friend, or see someone like artist Judy Baca working in the galleries. We ducked inside to get the scoop and see some art in the AC. And later, we shout out our other favorite museums around the city.

Read more on Judy Baca and LACMA on LAist here.

Guest: Chelo Montoya, assistant VP of public programs at LACMA
Listen • 14:43

Listen • 14:43

Why BIPOC-led run clubs in LA are growing

#302: Today we're talking about run clubs and how they foster community in L.A. Our associate editor (and our special resident marathon runner) Aaricka Washington looked into running clubs that were founded by Black, Asian and Latino people, the ways that they're offering inclusive, safe spaces for Angelenos, and why they've been growing more popular.

Read more at LAist: How BIPOC-led run clubs are fostering community and inclusivity in LA
Listen • 18:39

Listen • 18:39

Our favorite parks in Los Angeles: Ft. TreePeople

#301: We're continuing our summer series of places to explore - and this time we're stepping out of the studio and into the wild. Evan's taking Brian on a tour of a park that meant a lot to him as a kid - and we're meeting the organization that acts as its steward: TreePeople.

You've probably heard of them before - they do everything from trail restoration work to planting shade trees, just about everywhere in Southern California. But this is their home base, and when they're not reforesting swaths of the Angeles National Forest you can find them in the heart of LA at the top of Coldwater Canyon.

Guest: Alex Miller, director of communications for TreePeople

Music in this episode composed by: Austin Cross, Imaginary Softwoods, Jerimiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer, Josiah Steinbrick, M. Sage, Mort Garson, Nicklas Nygren, Patricia Wolf, Wilson Tanner
Listen • 19:16

Listen • 19:16

Cheap Fast Eats #14: Fountain Valley

#300: Three hundred episodes y'all! Can you think of a better way to celebrate than with the movable feast that is Cheap Fast Eats? I'll wait...

No? Okay. Well buckle in and get ready to chow down as LAist's food editor Gab Chabran takes Brian to our first location OUTSIDE of LA County... From breakfast burritos to baklava and everything in between. This is Cheap Fast Eats, Fountain Valley.

Restaurants featured: Artisan - 7 Leaves & Crema Bakery, Naugles, Ikram Grill