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Reflection

Before my journey in UHP 401, the extent of my experience in Los Angeles was limited to Long Beach, which is technically considered Los Angeles, but is also often mistaken as a part of Orange County. As an Orange County native, I have always considered Los Angeles to be too different, crowded, and just plain “out there”. However, throughout the coursework, lectures, and actual time spent concerning the entire region of Los Angeles, my perceptions vastly changed positively. I was blessed to have to opportunities to learn more about myself as a student, a denizen of Southern California, and also as a person. I had the opportunity to immerse myself in a new city that was not my own under the mentorship of a professor who specialized in the urban area, the assignments that forced myself to critically evaluate the deeper meaning behind Los Angeles, and the peers to embark on this sixteen week journey with me. As this course went on, my experience of Los Angeles not only grew in quantity of time spent but also in the quality of it.  

    Throughout the course, I learned more about the historical value of Los Angeles and Southern California alone. Although the information itself seemed redundant in terms of whom and when, the historical effects and contemporary value that revisiting Californian history was very interesting. I did not realize that I had only been taught the romanticized versions of history, but also only taught the boring parts. Learning and evaluating the material in this class proved to be more personally rewarding than my past history courses. Some of the information that I had learned was embarrassing for myself not to know prior to the readings and lectures discussed in class. This course gave me more insight into some of the issues that California has gone through from a sociological point of view, as opposed to a literal, factual perspective.

    A majority of the topics were interesting however, the most interesting topic I found had to do with the readings and discussions about suburbanization. Because I grew up in an area that is infamously known as the suburbs, it was neat to compare my hometown to the historical suburbanization process of Los Angeles. It was also the most surprising topic for me because I thought I had known so much about Southern California itself being a native. The suburbs became a very personal topic for me. One of the most important things I learned about this it was also to see that the ideals of the suburbs did have some societal repercussions as well that I was unaware of. I went from really loving the idea of the suburbs to resenting it for what it represents, and also what it does not have to offer like the urbanized areas do. Other topics that I really enjoyed were the four ecologies and the semi-autobiographical novel as well. It was the perfect incorporation of Los Angeles stereotypes and critical analysis of those subcultures. This is another reason I have gained an appreciation for history itself.

    I think the most contributing, valuable part of this course were the weekly blog entry assignments. At first, I felt blogging was not a valid assignment, but after a few weeks I understand the value in not only my own blogs, but also everyone else’s as well. It was really cool to have this social aspect for our class that took place outside of class in a less academically stressful environment. As someone that hasn’t really had an intimate relationship to the Los Angeles area, it forced me to go out and explore the region. I got to spend time doing some of the most fun things in places I had always thought I didn’t like. It was also a good excuse for me to try adventures, foods, and meet people that I normally would never have been interested in doing. I have to say there has been an evolution in my social personality, making me more adventurous and spontaneous. I really did not start enjoying my blogging adventures until about halfway through the semester, by the time when I was used to understanding how to record my memory of my experiences. I feel that my first few posts were not as great as my last posts just because I wasn’t sure how to blog about my experiences, it was something new to me. The Saturday trip where a few of us went to Los Angeles and Olvera Street together was also really fun and valuable. It really helped to see the readings come to life with my friends and get a visual understanding of how the city works. It would have been really cool to take multiple trips there had time permitted to see more than what was in the readings. As an assignment, I really think blogging was a great way to get people out of the classroom and actually experience the world around them and give them credibility or at least an experience to compare their stories with.

    The other assignments regarding the two optional papers were very difficult, but insightful. I have never been assigned those types of history papers but I really think it was worth it to write on those topics that in depth. It went beyond facts, and reminded myself the value and point of studying history as a subject. I am very proud of those papers and the manner they were written in because of the prompts for them. At first, I thought it was too much to ask for from a general education course, but after rereading and working very hard on those essays I understand now why they were assigned and how much more enriched I am with the material. The information I have learned from writing them proves to be more credible and interesting than what a traditional history course would have required.

    As a previous art history major, I had always thought I understood history and its purpose because I majored in it. However, my major was only a subsection of history as whole. I learned how to evaluate art from a historical perspective, but not necessarily evaluate my hometown and surroundings in contemporary perspectives. It was cool that I was able to incorporate some art history into my blogs such as trail markers, and going to LACMA which I would not have otherwise noticed or have done unless it was directly assigned to me. I think this broader perspective of the idea of “history” as a concept will apply well to my findings and future studies in terms of art history, and even economics itself. What I really liked about this class was the new way of thinking, which is completely applicable to the other disciplines that I focus on. My new appreciation of history will serve me well into the future and also make me appear to be well read than before!

    I have to say, after taking this course I have a newfound appreciation for the city, and especially Long Beach itself. I think in combination of graduating and ultimately moving back to my suburban home in Aliso Viejo, I truly am going to miss life in the city of Long Beach. I spend more than forty hours a week between working, schoolwork, and social life in Long Beach these last two semesters and am surprised that after three years of living in Long Beach (prior to this year), it has taken me this long to really enjoy it. I have fallen in love with it and all it has to offer. I originally hated the dark, stereotypical image of Los Angeles, even though I have never given it a fair chance. The combinations of the blog assignments forced myself to analyze and compare my surroundings (between Los Angeles and Orange County) and scrutinize them in terms of a cynical, historical perspective. The blogs were also really fun memories that I had with some of my peers, strangers, and friends I have known for a long time. Aside from the graduation hesitations, I truly do have sad feelings for not being able to love this town when I had the opportunities to. I am graduating in a few weeks and I am incredibly sad to leave this part of my own history behind, but also encouraged to incorporate it into my future.  

    Some of the constructive criticisms (if I have to name some) are more involved with the organization of the course in terms of cohesion. I felt that having optional papers to choose from was relieving as a student, but it also made it harder to discuss the topics with others peers because not everyone was doing the same assignments. It did allow for flexibility, though in terms of scheduling which is nice. Some of the books were a little bit dry for me but I really found the published article readings to be a lot more resourceful and insightful. The books were very long and historic as opposed to the articles being written for the contemporary audience. I also wish there was more time for debate and discussion amongst peers in the classroom about our individual thoughts as opposed to being taught the history and some of the implications itself. I have always found it to be more interesting and helpful to hear a devil’s advocate side to things, especially with controversial and political topics. However, I still found this class to be extremely valuable for its content but also the way it caused me to think about topics. I think that this class would be interesting if the same concept of learning about a city was taught in another area, such as a  “history of Boston” course taught at Boston University. I just do not think that this particular material would apply as well elsewhere outside of the region. I also wish that we were able to spend more time outside in field trips, although I know that makes the organization of the course difficult.

    This course has contributed to my intellectual and also personal growth. My feelings have completely changed. I went from an Orange County perspective to wanting to take chances and explore newer places that I was not comfortable with before. I thought many of the article readings were extremely interesting at an academic level and also insightful to certain topics that I was unaware of. It has to be noted that I think part of what made this class very successful was that it was limited to honors students, making for a smaller, familiar environment. This class not only served as journey into the history of Los Angeles, but it also became a personal one for myself. Overall I have become more cognizant of the sociological issues that are all around myself. Not only did this course give me insight in Southern California, but it also has taught me about the world and how I want to start looking at it. I am more critical and aware of some of the political problems as well and become a little more cynical. I really wish I had taken a class like this when I was younger, but I am not sure if I would have been able to get everything out of it like I have in my final semester of college.

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I though this was SO cute! The cream puffs and chocolate pyramid were on point. 

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Lunch at The Chart Room

On Wednesday, May 6th my friends and I went to lunch at our usual spot on Wednesdays at the Chart Room (after class, of course). However, since we got out early we went around 11:30 or so. 

What was bittersweet about it was that it would be the last Chart Room lunch for us :( because we are all graduating. But I thought it would be cool to write about this experience in particular because Long Beach State has a very special place in my heart. 

For any of you that haven’t been to The Chart Room it is an “upper-scale” buffet style restaurant with incredibly delicious themed meals every week. This week in particular was my favorite: Southern. I ate chicken, macaroni & cheese, and biscuits (with butter, of course). Have to warn you this food is not healthy but it is delicious and worth the calories! The service there is always great and we always sit at the same table in the same places- traditions. 

What this experience in particular though reminded me of was the class trip we took a few weeks ago to LA and especially Grand Central Market. I am such a foodie and the food in Grand Central Market made me think of how much I correlate my experiences with food- which is very “LA-esque” to me. To me, great food= good memories and experiences. 

I would not have any other personal connection (outside of my family) to Los Angeles had it not been for my time spent these last four years at CSULB. And lunch at The Chart Room has been a huge contributing factor to it. 

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A sushi review:

4/12/15

Today I had sushi with a friend at a place in Lakewood called Mamma’s Sushi. Aside from the recent renovation, obvious disorganization, and terrible service, what stood out to me was the distribution of the workers. Anyone greeting customers, seating customers, or making sushi behind the bar, where they were easily seen and partially there for the enjoyment of the customers, was Asian. Anyone busing tables, taking orders, or bringing you food was Hispanic.

This assignment of tasks based upon race is most likely due to the fact that the restaurant wants to uphold an “Asian” aesthetic. Asian food with asian workers just makes sense, right? It makes those who are not used to Asian culture feel that they are having an “authentic” experience. However, aesthetic aside, it is obvious that the multitude of Hispanic workers doing menial jobs sprouts from the fact that minority labor is cheap.

Oftentimes in class, we have spoken about the Hispanic population as those of the working class population. With the growth of white middle class suburbs came the growth of working class Hispanic neighborhoods. The middle class wanted their work to be done for them, and minorities were willing to be paid for these hands-on jobs. This trend has carried itself to our modern day world, where minorities, especially in Southern California, are often employed in working class jobs.

A friend recently told me a story of how one of his coworkers mentioned that you wouldn’t find as many minorities working in fast food restaurants on the East Coast as you would here. And although this coworker was pretty racist, he’s right. That isn’t due necessarily to the fact that minorities can easier surpass social stratifications on the East Coast than on the West Coast. (Maybe they can, but I really don’t know.) Rather, it’s most likely due to the fact that Southern California has a pretty prominent minority population that has lived here since its beginnings.

Contrary to the East’s Plymouth Rock foundation, Southern California was first inhabited by non-white men. Conquerors have aimed to turn the story of Southern California into a Spanish Fantasy, where, similar to the East Coast, the European man has established and grown this wonderful community. But no matter how much minority labor is looked down upon or ignored by those of higher class, it minority labor is an integral part to Southern California’s economic wealth.

On a side note, even though the service was terrible, the sushi was pretty good.

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SO JEALOUS!!!! I have never been to a live Lakers game, only the Clippers :( but the Staples Center is so much fun for concerts, too! LOVE the LA Live! area.

Not long ago I was extended an opportunity to play on the Staples Center court before the game began. The Staples Center is located in downtown Los Angeles near the convention center and Pershing square. I won tickets to shoot hoops on the court for about one hour before the Laker squad started to warm up. Some of the best basketball players of all time got their start with the Lakers and got their start in the Staples Center. Some prime examples include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neil, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson. The court is a lot smaller than it seems on television, and my basketball skills are average so it was difficult to make a three pointer. However I did get to slam dunk on the hoop, so it felt special to dunk where the legends have dunked before. As I was playing there was many people who have to prep before a huge home game like that. There were entire camera crews that were putting up all the different lights and sound systems. There are cameras set up behind the basketball hoop to catch all the professional slam dunk action. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am sure will not be extended again anytime soon. If you can purchase tickets in advance Lakers tickets can be as cheap as forty dollars. I highly recommend that you go to the Staples Center to see an event or just hang out in the L.A. Live area. Parking can be difficult but the blue line runs very close to Staples Center LA live area.

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I heard we have a great Water Polo team!

“Dude, I haven’t been in the water in so long, I am going to get creamed!” I told my friend, as we were walking towards the pool by the Kinesiology building to play a water polo scrimmage with CSULB’s club water polo team. It was late April and it was about 6:45 at night, as my friend and I...

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Grand Prix!

I know this is out of order on my overall blog but I had to write about it because I promised to. It was “so LA” and I had just seen Furious 7 two days prior so I was in the racing mood.

My mom’s work sponsors that Grand Prix every year and she gave me two extra tickets for special access the entire weekend. I only was able to make it to one day, Friday, April 17th (which also happened to be my birthday) after work (I conveniently work across the street with jsherman32) where parking is already paid for and taken care of! So I guess I didn’t completely struggle with the woes of parking in downtown Long Beach. 

I was super excited to go because I could hear the cars racing in my office! The Grand Prix was not what I had expected it to be, though. I thought it was a high class event, but my boss quickly told me that she used to go when she “was single” and “still drank alcohol”. Quickly enough, her remarks about the Grand Prix were pretty accurate. 

There was a lot of dust, heat, and booze. Which was totally fine with me! Our special access tickets allowed us to see the Paddock Area and meet some of the drivers and their crew. It felt very VIP and special, kind of like what people want LA to be. 

My good friend and myself in the Paddock Area. 

Overall, we were there for probably 6 hours and we had spent 1 of them actually watching the race cars....the other 5 hours....were spent drinking and partying with the other young folks that came out, too. Just comes to show that your boss is also always right ;) I was also surprised about how many people were actually from out of town. It seemed like an event for tourists more than it was for the locals.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast and the GP! It was just different from what I had thought it was. 

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Parking is identified in government thinking as a key factor that may serve to either enhance or diminish from the public realm

Stubbs

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She couldn’t have said it better than myself: I LOVE eating at cool places alone! 

Friday, May 1st 12PM

Before I met up with my friends at Ecochella on Friday, I wanted to take some time alone to destress from a hectic week. The night before my trip up to LA, I perused through Yelp to find a place where I could easily eat good food alone in a hip looking place. ...

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This is so relevant to the film industry (which is what Hollywood is stereotypically known for in my opinion). As a prior film-buff in high school, I remember how hard it was to find the perfect settings for scenes. It is a lot of hard work but very rewarding once everything is edited!!!

Location Scouting

April 25, 2015 | 7:00 PM | Long Beach

The past couple weeks, I’ve been busy with school and work. I haven’t had much time to explore the area around me. However, on my free time, I was working on a side film project. I was the producer for the project. As a student film, our crew was limited, so I filled in for other positions for the preparation for the shoot.

Through this project, I got to know the area of Long Beach pretty well. After prepping the script, I had to scout locations with the director to find the best places. I went to multiple locations, took pictures, and discussed what was best for the script. Like I said in a post earlier, southern California offers a wide variety of locations. I got to know neighborhoods a little bit more in the Long Beach area. I feel like there is still so much to explore. Long Beach is a diverse city.

For one of the locations, I needed a street/alley location. The picture above is the location we ended filming. It wasn’t that hard to find a dark street in Long Beach. We needed a place that was dark and somewhat creepy. We had a call time for 7PM and ended around 3AM that day. It was a long day, but it was a learning experience.

I look forward to filming more films in the surrounding areas. I like scouting for locations because it makes me get to know the area. I think its one of the best ways for me to get to know the area, especially in the Los Angeles area.

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Time Spent in Pasadena

A few of my previous roommates and myself went out to my friend’s hometown in San Gabriel Valley on Thursday night after 5pm, May 7th right near Pasadena. We had talked about this area frequently but I have never been!

We started out at Pita Jungle for dinner because we had heard about the Happy Hour specials ($$$$). In the essence to save money and satisfy our hummus cravings, we decided it would be the best choice- and it may or may NOT have had to do with the fact that the bars were right around the corner.

After dinner, we had left and started our bar hopping extravaganza- it was fun. There was definitely a downtown-ish vibe to where we walked around and inside the bars themselves. Although we got home well after 2 it was still a great experience especially from an LA-historic point of view. I will most definitely return soon.

But what was really fascinating to me was the city of Pasadena itself: It seemed like it was exactly what everyone had said it was. The neighborhoods were green, there were a lot of brick buildings and walkways in downtown, and it appeared quite suburban in certain places around it. There was also an upper class air that I got from being around the area-which is what the idea of the suburbs were about when suburbanization became huge. I could see the history in its architecture, people and aura. 

What was also cool in my experience was how different each little area of Pasadena was within it. There were clearly different areas of Pasadena that I saw: from night life to family life, to “red light” districts. Diversity is part of what makes Los Angeles, Los Angeles. Pasadena was no exception in my case. 

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This was such a fun day! jsherman32

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This is cool! If you are looking for a new place to eat as well as support a wonderful cause! This is recommended to my class by a classmate in my History of Los Angeles class. 

On Saturday, before dropping me off at Union Station for the class field trip, my sister and I decided to stop for breakfast. We ended up at Homegirl Cafe, two blocks from the train station down Alameda. Homegirl Cafe is one part of Homeboy Industries. I’d heard of it before because my uncle frequents the cafe in LAX and because one of my high school teacher volunteered as a GED tutor for the organization. For those of you who have never heard of Homeboy Industries, it is a nonprofit organization meant to give former gang members and the previously incarcerated a second chance.  It was started in 1988 by Father Greg Boyle as part of the Dolores Mission Parish in Boyle Heights. Fr. Greg wanted to create something as an alternative to the cycle of poverty and jail time gang members and convicts from the area usually go through. It’s gone through some ups and downs but today the organization is flourishing and is used as a model across the country. Those that go through the program can receive legal aid, educational services, mental health services, and tattoo removal. They can also get job training and experience at one of the organizations businesses. 

We accidentally walked into the Homeboy headquarters and a man waiting to start tattoo removal redirected us through the merchandise shop and into the actual cafe. Inside, it looked like a trendy brunch place that could be found on second street or in some other upscale beach community. The menu was predominately hispanic dishes but they also had traditional brunch items and baked goods. Art from the homeboys was up on the walls for sale. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it was an interesting experience. As we ordered, Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” played quietly over the speakers. The family of five behind us in line were all blonde with blue eyes and looked like people from the stock photos they put in frames. They fit in well with the rest of the patrons. In a sharp contrast, our cashier was a Mexican man with a huge, blue, LA tattoo standing out from his heavily tattooed neck. He also had tattoos all over his forearms and across his eyebrow. My sister and I ordered scones and a plate of machaca to go.  The machaca was good but definitely not the best i’ve ever had and the scones were delicious. I plan on heading back to actually eat there soon.

For more information on Homeboy Industries click here.

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Aliso Viejo Trail Marker

This is a trail marker I saw in my city in South Orange County. I have never seen it before but my friend said it was a new installment throughout the city sidewalks. This one in particular is located on Aliso Creek Road (A big road) right in front of the city’s town center. 

I was walking with my best friend c-db from her house to Stadium’s Brewery for St. Patrick’s Day around 5PM because no one needs a DUI. As we were walking, I noticed this on the ground and noticed I have never seen it before. 

A little background on Aliso Viejo: it is known for its hiking, biking, and running trails behind homes that lead to areas and other trails in Laguna Beach. These trails are filled with all kinds of people throughout the day for different purposes such as dog walking, family time, and heavy exercising. In many of their promotional videos and speeches, the City of Aliso Viejo mentions its trails often. 

What was interesting about this marker though was the reason it was there though and its correlation with the suburban materials we have been covering in class. The nature and safety of the area make the trails appear to be safe and appealing. 

Using the trail marker on its own local sidewalk is a promotion of itself to the denizens of Aliso Viejo. It serves as a reminder that our city has so much to offer to residents and it was a reminder to myself that I love where I live. 

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Hey, Jake!

i just went to that, too for my birthday! I will blog about my experience soon :)

“Have a good weekend!” Yelled my co-worker, as I was on my way to head down the elevator and begin my weekend adventures. As I was leaving the building in downtown Long Beach, I decided to follow the crowd and check out the Grand Prix. I had a free coupon for entering on Friday, so I thought I...

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This was a total accident but it looks like CA, huh?! I will post a blog this week about my trip to a new Crepe restaruant!

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Yup ^^^^^^ 

5/22/15

This past weekend I mostly studied for an upcoming test, and although I did go out Saturday night, the events of the night don’t pertain too well to the prompt of this blog. So instead I will discuss the appropriateness of Southern California being marketed as an island on land.

Since...