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 • 21:00
Listen • 21:00

Black Tacos Are A Thing In LA
#290: Today we're doing one of our favorite thing on HTLA: explore – and eating – LA's rich food scene.
Every heard of Black tacos? Or as some people refer to them: Black people tacos?
Well, they're a thing, especially in LA, and they are delicious. Think traditional soul food spices and braised meats with all the Mexican fixins' that Angelenos love.
We love our tacos here in LA, and today we're exploring the origins and evolutions of the Black taco. And we eat at Sky's Gourmet Tacos.

Guests: Veronica Daniel, LAist Studios intern, Deborah Freeman, food anthropologist and food editor for Style Weekly, Barbara Burrell, owner of Sky's Gourmet Tacos

Places to grab a Black taco in LA:
- Ms. Ruby’s Bakery
- Taco Pete’s (has been serving the South L.A. community for more than 50 years)
- Alta Adams (try their jerk-spiced grilled plantain tacos for brunch)
- All Flavor No Grease Food Truck
- My 2 Cents
Listen • 16:20

Listen • 16:20

Kristen Bell Brings 'Reefer Madness' to Hollywood Blvd

#289:

"The deadly weed with its roots in hell" is here on Hollywood Boulevard! A new production of the musical "Reefer Madness," based on the cult classic 1936 black and white film, has opened in Los Angeles at the Whitley Theater.

In this episode, HTLA producer Victoria Alejandro talks with host Brian De Los Santos about some Hollywood history, and brings us a chat with actress and producer Kristen Bell.

You can check out HTLA's earlier story on Hollywood history here: https://laist.com/brief/news/how-to-la/htla-up-close-and-personal-with-the-hollywood-sign

Guest: Actress and producer Kristen Bell
Listen • 20:37

Listen • 20:37

Hollyhock House's LA Significance — With 'Etan Does LA'

#288: Today, we're meeting up again with one of our favorite L.A. history lovers, Etan Rosenbloom (of Etan Does LA), to check out a special Los Angeles landmark. Hollyhock House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1921, is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of L.A. Guests: Etan Rosenbloom; Abbey Chamberlain Brach, curator of Hollyhock House
Listen • 14:44

Listen • 14:44

LA Explained: When LA's Gays Went West - REDUX

#98: Today we're celebrating pride by revisiting our deep into the history of Queer LA. Our LA Explained reporter, Caitlin Hernández, took us back in time to explain how West Hollywood became recognized as a mecca for LA's gay community. It was part of their research for the LAist series, Queer LA, where Caitlin's highlighting the joy, culture, and history of queerness in this city.

You can find more of their reporting at laist.com/QueerLA

Music in this episode composed by: Rae Bourbon, Austin Cross, Kylie Minogue, Masayoshi Takanaka, Fats Waller, Woo.

Archival audio courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Listen • 20:40

Listen • 20:40

How We Make HTLA (We Need Your Help)

#287: Join us behind the scenes at Studio B, HTLA's home base here at LAist Studios. Today we're talking about what it takes to make our show possible... Because here's the thing: we love making this show, but we can only do it with your support.

To give you a little inspiration, Brian's putting HTLA's producers in the hotseat and asking them to share their favorite moments working on the show.

How To LA — and ALL the other news content and podcasts from LAist — is Pubic Media. That means we only get funded if you, dear listener, decide to fund us.

We want to keep bringing you stories for LA, by LA. Please help us do the work you love by becoming a member at LAist.com/joinHTLA.

Thank you so much, and we'll see you with some architectural history tomorrow!

~team HTLA
Listen • 22:05

Listen • 22:05

A Challenging Year for LGBTQ+ Teachers — Even in SoCal

#286: It's pride month, and today we're looking at how that's showing up in the classroom.

In this episode, host Brian De Los Santos speaks with LAist reporters Caitlin Hernandez and Mariana Dale about what this school year was like for LGBTQ+ teachers in SoCal. In districts big and small, from struggle to joy, Hernandez and Dale heard it all, and they're here to share what they found with us.

You can find their digital story on LAist's website here: https://laist.com/news/education/lausd-lgbtq-los-angeles-county-chino-antelope-valley-teacher-student-support

Guests: LAist reporters Caitlin Hernandez and Mariana Dale
Listen • 26:28

Listen • 26:28

'Inheriting' Makes AAPI History Personal

#285: Today, we’re bringing you my conversation with NPR’s Emily Kwong, the host of a new LAist Studios podcast called “Inheriting.” It’s about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, and explores how a single event in history can ripple through generations.
Listen • 1:20

Listen • 1:20

Are You Ready To Get WeHo Proud??

WeHo Pride is THIS weekend! The three-day event celebrating everything LGBTQ will feature drag artists, gay pop icons, and lots and lots of glitter. To get a head start on the festivities, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos sits down with OUTLOUD festival founder Jeff Consoletti, and pop artist VINCINT, to talk about Pride at West Hollywood, and about what it means to be a queer icon.

Check out the full episode in the HTLA podcast feed.