How To LA

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.

Hey there! After 317 new episodes, the How to LA team is turning the page. We won't be producing weekly episodes anymore, but you'll hear our reporting on LAist 89.3 FM, on our website and on social media. Before we exited the party, we wanted to hang out with our homies, comadres and contributors one last time.

Thank you for lettings us in your homes, speakers and communities. Follow along at LAist.com/newsletters and Instagram. 

Guests:
Gab Chabrán, LAist food editor

Cato Hernández, LAist reporter

Joshua Letona, LAist social media producer

Erin Stone, LAist reporter

Antonia Cereijido, LAist Studios host

Monica Bushman, LAist Studios producer

Victoria Alejandro, LAist Studios producer

#317: LAX tends to be a place that Angelenos avoid if they can help it, but today we're taking you there to check out a very cool, but not very well-known museum. It's one of 64 museums that are featured in a new book titled, “Also On View: Unique and Unexpected Museums of Greater Los Angeles.” Guests: author Todd Lerew; Jean-Christophe Dagohoy Dick, president of the Flight Path Museum

#314:

L.A.'s musical vibes are a mix of cultures -- stop on any street corner and you'll hear 80s radio hits, rock en Español, contemporary pop, or reggaeton blast from all sorts of cars over the roar of traffic.

Join us for this episode, where we explore the history of remixing Spanish sounds and cultures to create radio hits, and talk with Girl Ultra, a contemporary artist who's touring songs in Spanglish that are just as inspired by Britney Spears as they are by Mexico City. 

Guests: Mariana de Miguel, aka Girl Ultra; Professor Nathian Shae Rodriguez

#315: It’s Halloween! So we’re bringing you a slightly spooky episode today. Actually, whether you think it’s spooky really depends on how you feel about cemeteries —and Hollywood Forever Cemetery isn’t just any cemetery. Today, the Hollywood Forever is probably best known as the site of Cinespia’s popular outdoor movie screenings, which have been going on for more than 20 years, but the history of the cemetery itself goes back much further.

GUEST: Karie Bible, Hollywood Forever’s official tour guide

Bringing one back from last year! Keep up with the How to LA team via our Saturday night newsletter. Sign up here. 

#173: Marigolds – or cempasúchi as the Aztecs named them – have long been the flower of choice for Dia De Los Muertos celebrations. This time of year, you've probably seen these bright, orange flowers all around your local flower shops, farmers markets and grocery stores. But traditionally, they're used in the making of ofrendas, the alters set up to honor those who have died for the day of the day.  

To learn more about the meaning behind these beautiful, symbolic flower, HTLA heads over to Boyle Heights to speak to the owner of LatinX With Plants. 

Guest: Andi Xoch, artist and founder of LatinX With Plants

#314: Actor and comedian Marval Rex’s first solo show, “REXODUS: Out Of The Closet Into The Tribe,” draws on his experiences with religion, identity, gender — and this city. We had him on the show to really get into the state of transmasculine community in L.A. and how he's navigated 10 years of creating art and his exploration in acting and performance.
We'll also hear from friend of the pod, journalist and author of  “We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film,” Tre'vell Anderson to get the scoop on what's going on with transmasculine roles in Hollywood today. 

Don't forget to sign up for the HTLA newsletter here: https://laist.com/newsletters And you can read Brian De Los Santos' LAist story here: https://laist.com/news/rexodus-marval-rex-transmasculine-actor-to-create-his-own-show-los-angeles
Guests: Marval Rex, Tre'vell Anderson

#313: We are back today with LAist’s Gab Chabrán for another episode of Cheap Fast Eats. This time, we’re taking you to West Hollywood. First up was Super Rad Sub Shop to sample some super tasty sandwiches that combine East Coast tradition with West Coast flavors. Later on, we got a taste of the midwest at Dtown Pizzeria, which serves up Detroit-style pies with lots of unique options (just don’t try to order a single slice). And finally, we topped everything off with some smoothies at Kale Me Crazy.

#312:  We know summer is over, but hot dogs are an L.A. staple year round! We all know those bacon wrapped street dogs after a concert...

In this episode, HTLA host Brian De Los Santos is joined by LAist food editor Gab Chabrán as we dig into the history of hot dogs in L.A, and the unexpected flavors that shape this city's most famous dogs. And since it's a food story, you know we're leaving the studio for a hot dog field trip. Stay tuned as we check out the world famous Oki-dog.
For more, read Gab's story for LAist here. And check out our newsletter signups here.

We're working on fresh episodes, so we're bringing you an oldie, but goodie from earlier this year! Dig in and enjoy!: 

You know this podcast LOVES our food episodes, so we're teaming up with someone who loves LA's food scene as much as we do: Alex Cottrell, better known as LA Try Guy. In this new segment, Down To Feast, Brian and Alex show each other their favorite meal in the neighborhood. This first one is in Westchester, so next time you're going to LAX (or next time you're in the need of some ridiculously delicious Jamaican food) you've got some solid recommendations to choose from.

Best Chicken Sausage Sammich (Brian): The Coffee Company

Best Oxtail (Alex): Hungry Joes

Music in this episode composed by: Austin Cross, Cortex, Dexter Thomas, Makoto Matsushita, Moon Mullins, The Sweet Enoughs

#311: The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have wrapped, and right now in the sports world (or at least here in the U.S.) a lot of the focus is shifting to the start of football season. But today on How To LA, we’re focusing on the increased attention that women’s sports have seen in recent years, and how that's playing out in L.A. Helping us do that are some Angel City ultra fans, the club's co-founder and president, some long-time Sparks fans, and Sparks players Azurá Stevens and Dearica Hamby.