Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Boyle Heights

Mexico Meets Eastside: Ruminations on Buses, Metro, Bicycles and Swap Meets

Metro would never go for this Guatemalan styled bus, but it would sure turn heads. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog

It's a copout to compare my travels in Mexico and Guatemala to anything on the Eastside. But, I can't help it. It's one of the biggest things on my mind the entire time.

Every time I saw a bicycle in Mexico City selling flowers, or taking water canisters to businesses, I would think of the mobile bike vendors with chips and junk food I saw once riding down First Street a block from the Pico Aliso Gold Line Station. Every tiangus, or marketplace, whether the size of a small neighborhood or an outpost outside of a metro station, I recalled stories of the Breed Street market.

So, here's what I saw, the similarities, and the things I think could help the Eastside:

How many ways can you say bicycle

Metro

Bus

Now in Theaters: La Camioneta, The Journey of One American Schoolbus

Parklet

Others

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Some Stories That Shaped L.A. in 2025

Some stories that shaped 2025: ICE terror, climate disruption, new light rail, bus lane enforcement, bikeways, open streets and more

December 30, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines

"Large Asphalt Repair", potholes, WeHo, LB, speeding, Waymo, Burbank, car costs, car-nage, and more

December 30, 2025

Friday’s Headlines

Rain, ICE, bus rider killed, Waymo vs. Santa Monica, Westwood VA, South L.A., Glendale, Malibu, Pershing Square, car-nage, and more

December 26, 2025

Dear Streetsblog Readers…

Even though we’re still a small team, Streetsblog L.A. punches above its weight in the depth, quality, and volume of its content.

December 23, 2025
See all posts