Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles
@esotouric.bsky.social
Just a couple of lifers looking out for Los Angeles. Join us for architecture, crime, literature & history tours, preservation battles. Newsletter: http://esotouric.substack.com
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Los Angeles is confounding, by design, but it is not unknowable. These folks are telling real L.A. stories if you want to listen.
go.bsky.app/zi1abc
go.bsky.app/zi1abc
Today! Victorian Los Angeles lives in Angelino Heights... but all is not as it seems! Join us for a most revealing and amusing walk "above the fly and dust line," featuring the lovely homes where curious L.A. characters made history. esotouric.com/event/angeli...
ANGELINO HEIGHTS & CARROLL AVENUE TIME TRAVEL WALKING TOUR
Visit the post for more.
esotouric.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Today! Victorian Los Angeles lives in Angelino Heights... but all is not as it seems! Join us for a most revealing and amusing walk "above the fly and dust line," featuring the lovely homes where curious L.A. characters made history. esotouric.com/event/angeli...
There's a cool new neighborhood history mural from @tapia.323 going up at Daly and Broadway in Lincoln Heights, featuring low riders, Honest Abe and a snappy crocodilian representing the Lincoln Park Alligator Farm!
February 14, 2026 at 1:51 AM
There's a cool new neighborhood history mural from @tapia.323 going up at Daly and Broadway in Lincoln Heights, featuring low riders, Honest Abe and a snappy crocodilian representing the Lincoln Park Alligator Farm!
Curren Price's handpicked successor Jose Ugarte settling with Ethics Commission for failure to disclose income on form 700s. Interesting to see a Mitch O'Farrell PAC on the client list in light of the sketchy PLUM vote NOT to landmark Selma Las Palmas. ethics.lacity.gov/pdf/agenda/2...
February 14, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Curren Price's handpicked successor Jose Ugarte settling with Ethics Commission for failure to disclose income on form 700s. Interesting to see a Mitch O'Farrell PAC on the client list in light of the sketchy PLUM vote NOT to landmark Selma Las Palmas. ethics.lacity.gov/pdf/agenda/2...
Moving old houses to vacant lots--it's greener, cheaper and a thrill see! On Saturday's Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue tour, we'll celebrate some happy moves and others that went off the rails and into the mud. Join us for a Valentine's Day adventure. esotouric.com/event/angeli...
ANGELINO HEIGHTS & CARROLL AVENUE TIME TRAVEL WALKING TOUR
Visit the post for more.
esotouric.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Moving old houses to vacant lots--it's greener, cheaper and a thrill see! On Saturday's Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue tour, we'll celebrate some happy moves and others that went off the rails and into the mud. Join us for a Valentine's Day adventure. esotouric.com/event/angeli...
New tour dates just listed through June, including the very popular Know Your Downtown L.A. featuring the Dutch Chocolate Shop and speakeasy tunnels (Saturday, March 28). Come see a side of Los Angeles history that's rarely on view, in good company. esotouric.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:46 PM
New tour dates just listed through June, including the very popular Know Your Downtown L.A. featuring the Dutch Chocolate Shop and speakeasy tunnels (Saturday, March 28). Come see a side of Los Angeles history that's rarely on view, in good company. esotouric.com
Self-storage developer La Tierra Consulting uses Papa Cristo’s logo in renderings presented to the Neighborhood Council, but has not actually asked Chrys Chrys if he wants to reopen his displaced family business. Neighbors say they want housing. Sigh... thelalocal.org/neighborhood...
February 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Self-storage developer La Tierra Consulting uses Papa Cristo’s logo in renderings presented to the Neighborhood Council, but has not actually asked Chrys Chrys if he wants to reopen his displaced family business. Neighbors say they want housing. Sigh... thelalocal.org/neighborhood...
This is intriguing: business management firm Grant Tani Barash & Altman seeks a conditional use permit for a restaurant/bar/BOOKSTORE(!!) in Cameron Silver's shuttered Art Deco Decades vintage shop. Is culture coming back to the Melrose District?
planning.lacity.gov/pdiscaseinfo...
planning.lacity.gov/pdiscaseinfo...
February 12, 2026 at 4:20 AM
This is intriguing: business management firm Grant Tani Barash & Altman seeks a conditional use permit for a restaurant/bar/BOOKSTORE(!!) in Cameron Silver's shuttered Art Deco Decades vintage shop. Is culture coming back to the Melrose District?
planning.lacity.gov/pdiscaseinfo...
planning.lacity.gov/pdiscaseinfo...
We can have Taix AND new housing! Why let lack of imagination from a Washington developer, Utah restaurateur and ex-councilman/Oklahoma resident Mitch O'Farrell stand in the way of something cool for Angelenos and Echo Park?
youtu.be/codeONPA_Ac
youtu.be/codeONPA_Ac
Let's Talk Taix: The Most Interesting Historic Preservation Battle in a Generation
Mitch O'Farrell's record breaks the record player, and everyone who cares about Los Angeles history needs to pay close attention. Today Taix, tomorrow... the Bradbury Building?
esotouric.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:22 PM
We can have Taix AND new housing! Why let lack of imagination from a Washington developer, Utah restaurateur and ex-councilman/Oklahoma resident Mitch O'Farrell stand in the way of something cool for Angelenos and Echo Park?
youtu.be/codeONPA_Ac
youtu.be/codeONPA_Ac
Hmm. Is Nithya Raman's surprise entry into the Los Angeles Mayor's race a Yimby / Abundance response to municipal legal challenges to Scott Wiener's poorly written SB 79? It'll be interesting to see what orgs back this campaign. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
California's blockbuster housing legislation faces rocky rollout
State Sen. Scott Wiener, the author of Senate Bill 79, has not ruled out postponing the July 1 implementation date for the new law because of widespread confusion over what it requires.
www.politico.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Hmm. Is Nithya Raman's surprise entry into the Los Angeles Mayor's race a Yimby / Abundance response to municipal legal challenges to Scott Wiener's poorly written SB 79? It'll be interesting to see what orgs back this campaign. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Matt Lingo and Gregg Garvey shot a lo-fi music video in the Gower Gulch mini-mall, not knowing the owners planned to trash the beloved medicine show wagon soon after. We love this last look back at a quirky, cool relic--and the song's good, too. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtuJ...
February 11, 2026 at 2:30 AM
Matt Lingo and Gregg Garvey shot a lo-fi music video in the Gower Gulch mini-mall, not knowing the owners planned to trash the beloved medicine show wagon soon after. We love this last look back at a quirky, cool relic--and the song's good, too. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtuJ...
The Lucas Museum website has been updated to highlight this charming Pico Rivera tortilla cooking class scene from Leo Politi's "Three Stalks of Corn" (1976), just a taste of the treasures in the artist's family's collection.
lucasmuseum.org/art-and-arti...
lucasmuseum.org/art-and-arti...
February 10, 2026 at 5:34 PM
The Lucas Museum website has been updated to highlight this charming Pico Rivera tortilla cooking class scene from Leo Politi's "Three Stalks of Corn" (1976), just a taste of the treasures in the artist's family's collection.
lucasmuseum.org/art-and-arti...
lucasmuseum.org/art-and-arti...
If you could travel to Downtown LA in the 1920s, you might encounter Raymond Chandler, a tipsy oil company VP with stalled literary dreams. Philip Marlowe wasn't yet a twinkle in his creator's eye. 2/21: tour real places that inspired his noir fiction.
esotouric.com/event/chandl...
esotouric.com/event/chandl...
RAYMOND CHANDLER’S NOIR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
Visit the post for more.
esotouric.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:32 PM
If you could travel to Downtown LA in the 1920s, you might encounter Raymond Chandler, a tipsy oil company VP with stalled literary dreams. Philip Marlowe wasn't yet a twinkle in his creator's eye. 2/21: tour real places that inspired his noir fiction.
esotouric.com/event/chandl...
esotouric.com/event/chandl...
File under: dirty tricks in the improbable true crime theory realm. Steve Hodel claims Alex Baber sought access to his Black Dahlia / Zodiac Killer research files, then used the material to develop a podcast with Michael Connelly. stevehodel.com/2026/02/07/s...
Setting the Record Straight: Black Dahlia, Zodiac and the Historical Timeline - Steve Hodel
February 6, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington A brief clarification of the Dahlia–Zodiac linkage, LAPD investigative findings, and forthcoming evidence inAs Within So Without. Over the past few months there’...
stevehodel.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:40 PM
File under: dirty tricks in the improbable true crime theory realm. Steve Hodel claims Alex Baber sought access to his Black Dahlia / Zodiac Killer research files, then used the material to develop a podcast with Michael Connelly. stevehodel.com/2026/02/07/s...
Scoop: Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman, who sits on the powerful PLUM Committee, seeks to demolish her 1948 Silver Lake residence
esotouric.substack.com/nithyaraman
Will she withdraw the application, now that she's running for Mayor of LA? www.ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServic...
esotouric.substack.com/nithyaraman
Will she withdraw the application, now that she's running for Mayor of LA? www.ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServic...
Scoop: Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman, who sits on the powerful PLUM Committee, seeks to demolish her 1948 Silver Lake residence
Gentle reader,
esotouric.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Scoop: Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman, who sits on the powerful PLUM Committee, seeks to demolish her 1948 Silver Lake residence
esotouric.substack.com/nithyaraman
Will she withdraw the application, now that she's running for Mayor of LA? www.ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServic...
esotouric.substack.com/nithyaraman
Will she withdraw the application, now that she's running for Mayor of LA? www.ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServic...
Ticketing bug is FIXED--if you were trying to sign up for the Hollywood Noir walk, departing at 10:30am from Lazy Acres across from Charles Bukowski's beloved Pink Elephant Liquor, now you can and we would love to see you! esotouric.com/event/hollyw...
HOLLYWOOD NOIR WALKING TOUR
Visit the post for more.
esotouric.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Ticketing bug is FIXED--if you were trying to sign up for the Hollywood Noir walk, departing at 10:30am from Lazy Acres across from Charles Bukowski's beloved Pink Elephant Liquor, now you can and we would love to see you! esotouric.com/event/hollyw...
Today! Join a lively crew of history lovers celebrating Kim's birthday with Hollywood Noir, a tour that weaves an unholy L.A. rug of black sex magic, dirty cops, teen runaways, serial killers, movie censors, private dicks and iconic Film Noir locations. esotouric.com/event/hollyw...
HOLLYWOOD NOIR WALKING TOUR
Visit the post for more.
esotouric.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Today! Join a lively crew of history lovers celebrating Kim's birthday with Hollywood Noir, a tour that weaves an unholy L.A. rug of black sex magic, dirty cops, teen runaways, serial killers, movie censors, private dicks and iconic Film Noir locations. esotouric.com/event/hollyw...
Homeboy Industries to take over Monastery of the Angels? This L.A. Times story is curious. www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Assessor shows no sale recorded. Why did Homeboy ghost the Neighborhood Council on 2/5? Why not seek comment from preservation advocates? esotouric.com/monastery/
Assessor shows no sale recorded. Why did Homeboy ghost the Neighborhood Council on 2/5? Why not seek comment from preservation advocates? esotouric.com/monastery/
February 6, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Homeboy Industries to take over Monastery of the Angels? This L.A. Times story is curious. www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Assessor shows no sale recorded. Why did Homeboy ghost the Neighborhood Council on 2/5? Why not seek comment from preservation advocates? esotouric.com/monastery/
Assessor shows no sale recorded. Why did Homeboy ghost the Neighborhood Council on 2/5? Why not seek comment from preservation advocates? esotouric.com/monastery/
Preservation pal msrandomnotes1 sounds the alarm about serious tagging on the mostly empty E. Clem Wilson Building (Meyer & Holler, 1929) at Wilshire and La Brea. The owner who opposed landmarking efforts needs to secure the tower, clean it up! www.instagram.com/p/DUYz2EjkoW...
February 6, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Preservation pal msrandomnotes1 sounds the alarm about serious tagging on the mostly empty E. Clem Wilson Building (Meyer & Holler, 1929) at Wilshire and La Brea. The owner who opposed landmarking efforts needs to secure the tower, clean it up! www.instagram.com/p/DUYz2EjkoW...
For the first time since February 2020, the Esotouric Players--a one-off theatrical troupe made up of willing tour guests--will be tapped to perform a classic scene from "Double Indemnity" on Saturday's Hollywood Noir walk. Wanna show off your anklet? esotouric.com/event/hollyw...
February 6, 2026 at 1:01 AM
For the first time since February 2020, the Esotouric Players--a one-off theatrical troupe made up of willing tour guests--will be tapped to perform a classic scene from "Double Indemnity" on Saturday's Hollywood Noir walk. Wanna show off your anklet? esotouric.com/event/hollyw...
We use the Yimby-centric Reddit to share news about endangered Los Angeles landmarks, public hearings and tools Angelenos can use to get the city to address blight in their neighborhoods. After today's successful Hollywood Center Motel CHC vote, our account was blocked. HELP!
February 6, 2026 at 12:38 AM
We use the Yimby-centric Reddit to share news about endangered Los Angeles landmarks, public hearings and tools Angelenos can use to get the city to address blight in their neighborhoods. After today's successful Hollywood Center Motel CHC vote, our account was blocked. HELP!
Pasadena Churrigueresque.
February 5, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Pasadena Churrigueresque.
Shock result: Cultural Heritage Commission reject negative staff report, move to designate surviving mid-century elements of Hollywood Center Motel as a protected landmark, grill staff on how to hold property owner accountable for demolition by neglect.
February 5, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Shock result: Cultural Heritage Commission reject negative staff report, move to designate surviving mid-century elements of Hollywood Center Motel as a protected landmark, grill staff on how to hold property owner accountable for demolition by neglect.
Landmarked!!!! Cultural Heritage Commission takes a stand for Hollywood Center Motel!!!
February 5, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Landmarked!!!! Cultural Heritage Commission takes a stand for Hollywood Center Motel!!!
Cultural Heritage Commission President Barry Milofsky is pressing City staff for what consequences can be imposed on Hollywood Center Motel owner for the demolition by neglect.
February 5, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Cultural Heritage Commission President Barry Milofsky is pressing City staff for what consequences can be imposed on Hollywood Center Motel owner for the demolition by neglect.
Unanimous YES! Landmark status recommended for King Taco #1! A great Los Angeles culinary success story, from an ice cream truck to a beloved chain. Are you a King Taco lover, too?
February 5, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Unanimous YES! Landmark status recommended for King Taco #1! A great Los Angeles culinary success story, from an ice cream truck to a beloved chain. Are you a King Taco lover, too?