The iconic neon sign at the original Tommy’s Burgers location on Rampart Boulevard.
L.A. TACO is embarking on its biggest mission yet: to create a taco and food guide for every single neighborhood in Los Angeles! Along the way, we will also be releasing brief histories of each neighborhood to understand L.A. a little more and celebrate how each and every neighborhood makes our fine city the best in the world.
The best way to know your neighborhood is to walk your neighborhood. Photographing Filipinotown on 35mm film for the past half-decade, I sometimes feel like I've walked every inch of the neighborhood countless times. But while working on this photo essay, I found plenty of places that I was unfamiliar with, from offices, homes, and studio spaces to homeless encampments hidden from the road, new plants, flowers, and murals. The experience reminded me that neighborhoods are constantly changing, and you’ll never see everything.
The iconic neon sign at the original Tommy's Burgers location on Rampart Boulevard.The iconic neon sign at the original Tommy's Burgers location on Rampart Boulevard.Morning light hits one of my favorite store front signs.A Victorian-style house that's been converted into apartments with DTLA skyline views.An elderly man walks by a 20th century craftsman house as it's being demolished.A tree grows out of a wall in a parking lot.A tree grows out of a wall in a parking lot.A sign that's no longer around.A sign that's no longer around.The farmacia in this photo is now Brooklyn Bagels.The pharmacy in this photo is now Brooklyn Bagels.Craftsman homes on a residential street in Historic Filipinotown.A driver kills a man riding a motorized bicycle on a dangerous stretch of Beverly Blvd that has seen numerous fatalities and reckless driving incidents in recent years.A Victorian-style home with Halloween decorations outside.Businesses on the eastern edge of Historic Filipinotown.Body shop on Beverly Boulevard.A body shop on Beverly BoulevardA carniceria on Beverly Boulevard that also has a taco stand.A memorial for Karla Duarte, a young woman who was fatally shot in an abandoned home in Filipinotown.Pinay Coin Laundry.Historic Filipinotown at dusk.
Despite online articles showing photos and videos and videos shared by influencers of the purported firefighters appearing at LAX or singing on their way to extinguish fires, L.A. TACO has verified that those videos are inaccurate and that firefighters have not arrived in Los Angeles.
Kevin McGowan, Director of L.A.'s Office of Emergency Management, encouraged people not to disable emergency messages on their phones. “These alert tools have saved lives during this emergency. Not receiving an alert can be a consequence of life and death,” McGowan said. You can verify to see if you’re in an evacuation zone through alertla.org, lacounty.gov/emergency, or by dialing 211 for assistance.
Horrendous fires have tragically ravaged Altadena, the mountainside city of 42,000 residents, leaving more than 5,000 structures burned and lost, including neighbors' homes, businesses, cars, RVs, homes, and sheds. Entire blocks have been obliterated in this devastating, unbelievable tragedy, leaving multiple generations of families of all backgrounds without homes. Local photographers Maks Ksenjak and Suitcase Joe ventured into its streets in the aftermath.
Not only are these among L.A.'s best when it comes to serving great food, they're run by some of L.A.'s best people who are kindly offering famous tacos, mariscos, pozole, and more to those doing their best to help the city.
“L.A. County and all 29 fire departments in our county are not prepared for this kind of widespread disaster,” said the L.A. County Fire Chief Marrone. The County was prepared to respond to one or two brush fires, but not four. “There are not enough firefighters to address four separate fires of this magnitude," he said.
