Tuesday Tube: Bunker Hill in Downtown L.A. 1940s and Today

The New Yorker’s YouTube channel has a clever new video that lines up 1940s film footage on downtown L.A.’s Bunker Hill with contemporary video. It is a great peek into the heyday of L.A. transit, and, frankly, the anti-urban results of late 20th Century “urban renewal.”

7th Street then and now - part of the xxx
7th Street then and now – part of A Fare to Remember up now at El Pueblo. Images via PERHS website.

If readers enjoy that video, plan to catch a similar series of still photo juxtapositions in the “A Fare to Remember” show at El Pueblo‘s new El Tranquillo Gallery at 634 N. Main Street in downtown L.A., located right next to La Golondrina Restaurant on Olvera Street. The free exhibition is open now through July 28. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details at Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

L.A. Live, Pinnacle of Modern Design, or Bad Urbanism?

By Damien Newton |
How do Los Angeles’ residents want their city, and neighborhoods, to develop?  Are big projects that raise a lot of money for developers and provide entertainment and dining for thousands of people better than smaller developments that better serve the communities in which they are placed? That debate has been a hot one for decades, […]

L.A.’s Urban Future: More Places Where I Want to Sit

By Gerhard Mayer |
I sometimes dream about a different Los Angeles; not the sprawling congested city, but an L.A. that is a series of walkable villages, like for example Santa Monica. They would be full of life and economic vitality, with corner stores, markets, coffee shops, plazas and parks. And they would all be connected by rail lines; streetcars that can whisk us away […]

L.A. vs. S.F.: How Does Transportation Really Compare?

By Joe Linton |
Last week, the Los Angeles Times published an article titled, “San Francisco residents relying less on private automobiles.” It is summarized at today’s Metro transportation headlines. The Times highlighted recent good news, reported in early February at Streetsblog SF, that 52 percent of San Francisco trips are taken by means other than a private car: […]

Downtown Streetcar Project Opens Website, Seeks Feedback

By Damien Newton |
A street car on Tornoto’s King Street. Photo: Kevinseanw/Flickr Activist and blogger Eric Richardson, and indeed the whole Blogdowntown team so some extent, have been heavily involved in advocating for bringing streetcars back to Los Angeles on Broadway and beyond.  Thus, it’s little surprise that Richardson has the scoop on L.A. Streetcar Inc.’s new website […]

This Week in Livable Streets

By Joe Linton |
Metro Bike Share kicks off this Thursday! Plus High-Speed Rail, train memorabilia, bicycling in Watts and Monrovia. Tuesday 7/5 – tonight! The East Side Riders Bike Club host their Taco Tuesday Fundraiser every Tuesday at the ESR CoOp at 11321 S Central Avenue in Watts. This includes from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight. Details at Facebook event. […]