Duality In Los Angeles

5 Ways of Looking at the Balance of
Duality in Los Angeles From an architecturally prominent downtown to the surf and sand of Venice Beach, Los Angeles is vastly diverse and culturally rich. Life in the City of Angels is like nowhere else. Where else can you spend an afternoon seeing iconic attractions in Hollywood and then visit cultural landmarks like the Getty Museum in the evening? From a unique network of living areas to the world-famous dining venues, Los Angeles has always demonstrated a melting pot of cultures. From its early years as a destination for American travelers to its current role as an international hub, the City is constantly changing to meet the diverse needs of its residents. Angelinos represent a variety of countries
They, and probably you, have been summoned here by a Twitter blast from the Kogi truck, a retrofitted catering van serving Korean short-rib tacos, kimchi dogs and other edible symbols of L.A.’s famous cross-cultural inclusiveness. Although seeming as a new idea, Los Angeles had actually already experience the blend of mobility and dining. The intersection between food and wheels has driven culture in L.A. since at least the 1930s, when the city was already famous for its drive-ins and roadside hash houses designed to look like coffee pots. Food trucks may be nothing new in the U.S. as it has been prevalent among every state, but in L.A., where on some afternoons they can be as thick on the freeway as taxicabs are on New York’s Sixth Avenue, they define the landscape. Trucks like Kogi represent mobility in a city that worships mobility; it is a vehicle that breaks down barriers of race, class and ethnicity; it is selling a social experience as much as it is selling Korean tacos. The experience. That is the best part about food trucks. I recall downloading a food truck app and tracking down The Grilled Cheese Truck for my
“Why can’t we all just get along?” The L.A. Riots were an unforgettable event where racial tension finally snapped and communities had to pay the price. Forever sketched into our minds, the beating of Rodney King by white police officers was something every Angelino saw. To truly understand the causes of the riots and the perspectives on it all, one has to read Anna Deveare Smith’s Twilight. Combined with historical research, Twilight provides a meaningful examination of the underlying causes of the Los Angeles riots. A longer historical view also reveals the larger class tensions and the massive fluctuation of ethnic composition of Los Angeles from 1970 to 1990 that contributed to the climate that could produce such a large-scale