Week 10: Venice

This week I decided to visit the city of Venice. Venice turned out to be a very lively city with so much recreation and so many activities going on. I explored the boardwalk area, as well as the nearby neighboring streets.

As I was walking through the boardwalk, I noticed there were a lot of small businesses that surrounded this area. Entrepreneurship is a really common thing in the Venice boardwalk, with vendors selling tourist clothing, food, body artwork, and there were also many shops with smoking tools. There were also many people who created their own artwork or crafts that would have their own stand of their creations to sell and make a living from. Their artwork looked genuine and some people were very talented. I also saw many musicians and people using their talent to receive money from people walking around and looking for entertainment. Around this area there were also many sites made for recreation. There were small tennis courts, an outdoor gym also known as the site for "muscle beach," there was a skating area, and also basketball courts. This was a very lively area where people simply came together to enjoy entertainment, outdoor recreational activities, or even just to take a walk near the beach. The area was very accepting of differences and the many talents that people had. I saw many of the people who came to show their talents for a living bonding with each other, possibly because they understood each others struggles. There were also news reporters all around and there also seemed to be a shooting of something. Entertainment in Venice is a common thing. Venice was also full of murals and artwork on many of the buildings, it brought life and color to the boardwalk.

Besides the active and lively atmosphere that Venice had, it also appeared a little corrupted for the amount of tourists that it had. This is a very pretty and unique place to visit, however, there were many homeless people, individuals just standing around begging for money, or people offering medical cards so that people could purchase marijuana legally. This area was especially dominated by the promotion of marijuana, with many smoke shops selling glass pieces for such use. Many of the stores sold clothing, posters, and signs with the marijuana symbol on them. The police was consistently passing by on the boardwalk throughout my visit and at some point I even heard a man who appeared to be homeless verbally abuse the police woman.

I have not visited Venice in two years, and this time around there seemed to be a lot of homeless people on the boardwalk. Last time I visited, it was definitely something I had not noticed, but during this visit, there were so many and they associated with each other. There were even boxes around that said homeless people, I am guessing that they had items that only pertained to the homeless people. I bring this point up because my Los Angeles Times article has to do with Venice and the issue of homeless people, Venice residents and overnight parking.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-venice-parking24-2009feb24,0,424364.story

In this article many of the Venice residents are upset of the fact that there are so many homeless people living in cars and RV's crowding the streets, so they voted to pass parking restrictions where overnight parking would be band from some of these areas of Venice. As I walked around and visited the site, I didn't see any RV's only "NO PARKING" signs that surrounded the area. I don't think this issue has anything to do with the amount of homeless people in the boardwalk itself, but homelessness has become an issue in Venice. I think this area is so pretty, lively, and great to visit, however, it does become a strange place to visit when you have homeless people that are verbally abusing police men or just even lingering around such a beautiful area. 

This also was my bus trip. On my bus ride, I mainly just observed the Santa Monica area, because that is the area in which the Big Blue Bus drives through. It was very commercialized and full of businesses all around. The many people that took the bus were either students, or families that had no other source of transportation or simply people trying to get to work. Overall it wasn't that bad of a ride. I think the Big Blue Bus is one of the most enjoyable bus rides to take because the area in which it drives through is so touristy and full of curious businesses that make you want to visit and check out. 

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Venice and my ride on the Big Blue Bus, next time I might just support one of the vendors and buy a painting because they have some amazing talent!

 

Week 9: City of Torrance

Hello! This week I decided to explore the social differences in a city that once was my hometown growing up, the city of Torrance. I think to most people the city of Torrance is known as a fairly middle class type of city with the one of the biggest mall's in the nation being home to this city, Del Amo Fashion Center. Although Torrance is a pretty big city, the mall almost seems to fit at its center and there being various sides to Torrance that most city natives know and refer to it as North, East, West, Central, and South Torrance. Although Torrance appears to be a city who mainly the typical middle class family can afford to live in, I feel there is definitely social difference in this city because of what I like to call the neglected East side of Torrance. This side of Torrance is basically border lined by one of the main streets, Western Blvd and as soon as you cross onto this side of Torrance all the middle class view of Torrance changes to those who live in a less privileged area. i decided to compare neighborhood parks, streets and homes to see this social difference.

The East side of Torrance is corrupted with gang violence, old buildings that are barely holding up and a fear to be able to walk on the street. Growing up, I was always told not to walk at night because of fear of drive by's or mugging from gang affiliated people. You see Hispanic entrepreneurs trying to make a living selling in ice cream trucks, food trucks, or even in carts selling corn and traditional Mexican food (tamales, hot drinks). It is home to the most active park on this side of Torrance which is Normandale Park. This park is a center of recreation for neighboring people where they provide recreational sports leagues, basketball and soccer, as well as family functioning events. This park's programs strive to keep kids out of trouble and active, which is something I participated in growing up. Although the park's intentions are good, the conditions in which it is found are not. There were trashcans right next to the basketball courts, tagging in the bathrooms and the grass was old and not well kept, but the point of the park isn't its quality, it is the services it provides. I also noticed in the neighborhood that there were many people walking to their destinations, this could be because the neighborhood business (which are mainly family owned) are close by so that those without transportation are able to access them. Although I did see a couple new apartment buildings built in the neighborhood, they just looked so out of place because the rest of the homes are old and not well kept, so it kind of looked awkward in the neighborhood. I also saw many empty spaces of land where there were either dumped old cars or just nothing there and made the neighborhoods look so empty. The neighborhoods are also heavily made up of apartment buildings to accommodate more people who cannot afford the expensive housing in other areas of Torrance. I call this the neglected part of Torrance because being that it is a low privileged area it is the type of place that hardly gets any attention, and when it does it is because a crime occurred and the police show up late to crime scenes. I hardly see police patrolling, they only arrive when there is something wrong. It is that area that has a reputation of being dangerous and although it has gotten better over the years, the thought of walking down a neighborhood at night is still not something recommended.

                        

Now as I crossed over to the other side of Western Blvd, better known as Central Torrance, all you notice is houses, houses, and houses. Two story typical middle class homes, with no businesses around. The streets are quiet with hardly any traffic around or even people around. I didn't see anyone walking through the streets even though this is a nice neighborhood where nothing wrong could possibly happen. I always see police patrolling even though the only thing they ever catch people doing is violating driving rules. In this area of Torrance I decided to go visit the park Sur La Brea, which is a small park in Central Torrance. This park has a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts and is relatively small. There were hardly any people, except for in the basketball courts and the tennis courts. There was no recreational gym. I figure there isn't one needed since this isn't the type of neighborhood that needs those type of programs, the use of this park is different than the one in the East side of Torrance. The grass was well kept, it was very clean and looked spacious when honestly it is a very small space, but its cleanliness made it seem so spacious.

                         

I think it's amazing how by just crossing one main street, a city could change and look so different. When we talked about borders in lecture and talked about the quote by Robert E. Park, I see this city of Torrance being once that is by name one city, yet has a division. The areas themselves explain the conditions for themselves, and therefore social differences are created. People don't live in these different neighborhoods because they want to, they live in them because they can and have the resources to live these type of lives. Someone who lives in East side Torrance wouldn't personally live there because they want to. The neighborhoods are corrupted and are dangerous, they live there because they don't have the resources to live in the nicer sides of Torrance. However the homogeneous lifestyles in these certain neighborhoods is what keeps these neighborhood and residents going, and having neighbors that experience the same lifestyle as you are doesn't make the social difference as intolerable, instead it keeps neighbors united and understandable of each other's lives and struggles.

Week 8: What's that smell in Wilmington?

Hello! This week I decided to explore the area of Wilmington, not necessarily for its characteristics as a city, but its location and what aspects of it have made it a target for the placement of refineries  Wilmington has a high number of low income families living there, and it isn't the safest city to be in either. It's high number of crime and corruption make this area not an attractive place to live. Not only does it make it unattractive, it makes it an area where companies have placed refineries here where they know residents will not have the resources to complain about them.

The refineries in Wilmington are located right next to homes. Although Wilmington is a large area of land, the refineries are actually placed right next to homes, and the odor and sight is just terrible for the Wilmington residents. I live near Wilmington and often have to pass by refineries if I am visiting a friend that lives in this area, and I always have to roll my window up because the smell is dreadful and its awful to breathe in.  I actually found an article from a recent conflict about these Wilmington refineries where residents were complaining about a large refiniery flare that was releasing an awful flare.

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_21566565/wilmington-refinery-flare-sparks-complaints

Residents were complaining about the flare and its smell, however the typical company owners were reassuring residents that the smell from the flare was not harmful.

Struggles such as these are also brought up by Harvey in his "Environmental Justice" reading. Industries such as the refineries target low income neighborhoods because residents simply don't have the resources to move out of the area. Refineries try to justify smells and their location to residents as not being harmful, but in reality, having refineries almost like backyards is such an awful way to live mentally and physically. It is certainly not healthy, but most residents really have no choice if they do not have the resources to move away from these type of areas. The majority of people that live in Wilmington are of Hispanic descent and serve as minorities who might not have a voice to be active in what goes on in their communities. In the article I found, company owners did nothing about the flare, they simply tried to reassure residents that they had nothing worry about because it wasn't harmful. This is a hazardous area to live in but environmental justice is something that is just not seen in Wilmington.

Week 7: DOWNTOWN Long Beach

This week I decided to visit the city of Long Beach, more specifically the downtown commercialized area. This was my walking adventure. I explored Belmont Shore, Pine Ave Pier and the Pike. Throughout these areas, the traffic was always hectic. However, the traffic only consisted of automobiles. I never once saw some type of public transportation around. I saw people waiting for for public transportation but I never saw it really pass by. I thought this was strange because it has many businesses and residential areas, I would think people would need the public transportation to get around. I saw downtown Long Beach as a different version of downtown compared to Los Angeles or other cities that have commercialized centers. I know Long Beach is a very large city therefore I feel like I can't really say that Downtown Long Beach would be the center for Long Beach. Especially the geographic location of downtown Long Beach is right next to the beach and no where near the rest of the Long Beach residential areas. This area of Long Beach also had a different type of residential area. It consisted of many apartments and not as many homes. If there were homes they would be located 2 or 3 blocks away from the madness of the city. There was also a lack of parking near the residential areas around downtown due to so much business around. So essentially, it's hard to imagine this area to be considered as Long Beach's center. I would consider Long Beach to have the more modern way of looking at centers that we discussed in lecture, which is the home is the center and work as the outer zones of this center.

               

Belmont Shore consisted of a long strip of clothing boutiques, restaraunts, bars and random businesses, mainly known as 2nd street. This street is unique because all of the stores are made differently in terms of architecture. There are also a lot more natives to the area than tourists. I always felt lost as I walked around, while all the other people seemed to know where they were and wanted to go. This area also seemed to represent as a place that people would meet up to have lunch, have a drink or two, it was very modern and had a local feel to it.

I also went to visited The Pike and Pine Ave Pier. These two areas consisted of local eating areas, movie theater and boats. This wasn't as populated with people around 5:30 when I went, but as it got darker, cars started to roll in and it seemed the nightlife is bigger in this area. Downtown is very commercialized with some type of business left and right. There were boats that offered cruises, whale watch, and sight seeing.

Lastly, there were many random parks around Long Beach, open space where people could go and sit and do whatever they want. I saw people sitting on the benches eating dinner, I saw people exercising and others simply enjoy the ocean view. Overall, I had a great experience in downtown Long Beach, enjoyed the craziness of the city and saw what it was like to not consider this commercialized area as not the center of a city. The home is definitely more of a center and downtown is simply a place where people go to work and to find some type of entertainment in their lives.

Week 6: City of Commerce

Hello! This week I am commenting on a classmates blog that discusses the City of Commerce, one of the heavily industrial cities in Los Angeles. Enjoy!

http://lanextexit.blogspot.com/


Hi Gurdeep , I found your analysis of the City of Commerce and the Citadel Outlets to be very interesting. As a Los Angeles native who has been going to this outlet and city for a while to find great deals, I have never really payed attention on the type of things that go on.

I think transportation is key in the city of commerce because of all the trailers and people that need to get to the factories and various of businesses. The outlets are actually right next to the freeway and the sidewalks are very narrow there because the street is mainly there for car use.

I think you can apply the Burgess reading and the maps that we have seen in lecture to this type of city. I believe the center for this city is the industrial part of the city because this is what the city is mainly known for. The busiest part of the city is around the outlets and the factories. I also got lost once in this city because all I could find is factories and factories and hardly any neighborhoods to ask for directions to the freeway. However as soon as you leave the streets where the factories are you start to see the neighborhoods that surround this area. However the neighborhoods do look old, and they definitely have remodeled schools that probably were old as well.

I think its interesting the way you pointed out that this city's main concern is business. The christmas tree a month before the actual holiday just goes to show how they try to influence people to start consuming early. I think for the most part, this city's only interest is providing a center for industrial resources only and have it in the most efficient way, wider streets to transport good in trailers and having this area surrounded by various frequently traveled freeways.

Great blog, you made me see this city and the outlets in a different way!

-Erica Mendez

Week 5: Boyle Heights

This is a response to a classmate Katherine Aguilar. Enjoy!
http://kathyinlosangeles.blogspot.com/2012/10/blogging-social-difference-in-la-week-3.html?showComment=1351918671014#c3829446713856963978


Hi Kathy, I agree with your ideas of Boyle Heights, and how it is primarily served only certain ethnic people dealing with the same economic struggles. Boyle Heights is just one example of the many cities in LA that have served as a place for people of the same struggles to come together.

In your example you mentioned that there were murals and ethnic related art that represent the Latin community and I think that is important because like you said, most of the residents that live there are Latin. The city you live in serves you a purpose in life and you have to feel comfortable with the neighborhood and people that reside in it in order to be content with our lifestyle. Based on occupation I think people are able to connect with one another and understand each other's story more with similarities.

However I wish you would have mentioned if there were any boundaries between Boyle Heights and other surrounding cities or if they are all essentially the same. Also I would've been interested to know the type of transportation that dominated this area, or if it was known for crime or the type of groups that inhabited this area.

However I think its amazing that this city has lit streets, murals and a sense of culture to it. The fact that many business owners keep their businesses small and local makes the city seem more intimate and friendly and it goes well with the concept of people residing in cities where their occupation and and residents are essentially similar to them.

Since you mentioned the Chicago School Model, I would have asked your friend if he has seen changes in the neighborhood since he has lived there for a long time, and how the neighborhood was able to process these changes if any, because that was essentially what the sociologists of Chicago were interested in.

Great and interesting post!


-Erica Mendez

Beverly Hills!

This week I decided to comment on a blog by a classmate, Monika H, also blogging about Cities and Social Differences, her blog was about Beverly Hills.

Here's the link...

http://mhwelcomingwanderlust.blogspot.com/2012/10/according-to-emile-durkheim-division-of.html#comment-form

Here is my response...



I also agree that Beverly Hills is a very stratified area in Los Angeles. They create and enforce so many rules that it makes it almost impossible for someone who is not living in Beverly Hills or has the amount of wealth that residents do, to be in the city without a purpose.

We were discussing in lecture about how in the 4th urban revolution, every major city has their own center. With that being said, I think the center of Beverly Hills in definitely its high end fashion district, also known for the street Rodeo Drive. A person who is not looking to spend money on overpriced food and clothing, such as Monika was describing, would feel completely out of place.

I have personally been to this area of Beverly Hills, and as a college student, I agree with Monika that I could not casually visit Beverly Hills due to the prices being so high. I went to get Sprinkles cupcakes, which are about $4 each, paid for like 5 minutes of parking and left. And all I can remember doing was starring out my window because I was mesmerized by the luxurious life these residents of Beverly Hills were living.

The restrictions and social rules they have in Beverly Hills make it so only those who can afford this life can live there. Even all apartment buildings have valet parking, most homes are covered by trees and are gated, and streets all have parking signs with "Permit Only" so public parking is no where to be found. All these social rules and city regulations definitely separates residents of Beverly Hills from others who are simply not living the luxurious life that they do. It simply amazes me how stratified cities have become, but I now understand what happened during the 4th Urban Revolution.

Silver fire hydrants are ridiculous! That was probably the first thing I noticed when I passed by Beverly Hills.

Week 3: Koreatown!

Hello Everyone! So this week I decided to explore Koreatown, and although I have lived in Los Angeles all   of my life, I have never been to Koreatown. This was an interesting experience for me because I have never been to a part of Los Angeles that focuses on another ethnic group's interests and culture.

I can start this adventure by commenting on the car ride to Koreatown. It consisted of the horrible LA traffic that there was! The freeway was jam packed however was very convenient to use to get around the city. For the most part, I was able to see how many of the buildings in Los Angeles are old and in terrible conditions, yet are still preserved because of the history behind them. Public Transportation on the streets was something that was regularly seen, with the many people waiting for buses. The streets were diversely populated with people always looking rushed, which is part of the city life.

As I arrived to Koreatown, I parked in a residential neigborhood and walked my way through the streets of Koreatown. I was not sure how people would react to me exploring this part of town due to me being hispanic. However, I found that there were many hispanics in this neighborhood who were employed by Koreans themselves. I often found some Koreans to smile at me, while others looked at me oddly. I explored the many plazas and gallerias in Koreatown which consisted of many shops and markets that had imported food. When I was in one of the plazas, I walked into a bakery and there were translations for everything. I also sat in a coffee shop where the customers were mainly Asians and Hispanics. I was very surprised to see so many Hispanics because I was unaware of how many were employed by Korean shop owners. As I continued to walk around I noticed that many of the people that were there were regulars and those that worked in shops would have great relationships with customers. All around I always noticed that people frequently knew each other. The younger generation were mainly the ones giving me the best customer service, while the older generation seemed hesitant and not as friendly. I also noticed many Hispanic businesses in Koreatown, which is interesting to see both cultures share this space.

The one thing that I did really notice was the fact that we discussed cities as having their central points and the business aspect of the city. With the central point being the economic/business area of a city, the other layers of the city are then all residential areas, which refers to our reading "The Growth of the City." The author explains how cities expand and how mobility helps with this as well. Los Angeles has expanded in such a way that mobility in this city is absolutely necessary and usually occurs outside of the residential areas. It was amazing to see and observe personally how all these layers of a city are formed. As a Los Angeles native I have never taken the time to observe or even notice such layers of this city, when if fact they can be so obvious.

Koreatown was interesting to explore and I learned so much about how different cultures have come to find a way that works for them to feel comfortable and native to a town or country that isn't necessarily home, but  can feel that way.
This map demonstrates how many Asians have come to Los Angeles and have made this city their home and how the creation of a city such as Koreatown can make living situations better for people.

WEEK 2: When LA Comes Together for Sports

Hello there, so for week 2 my job happened to give me free tickets to a soccer game to watch the LA Galaxy team at the Home Depot Center in the city of Carson. Los Angeles happens to be a lively sports city with die hard fans for about every team it has. I believe that sports brings people in a city together to enjoy something they appreciate and have in common.

The location of the stadium is a neighborhood full of homes and the stadium itself shares common grounds with California State University, Dominguez Hills, which is a heavy commuter school. The location of this stadium makes it convenient for local fans to go to games regularly because its right in the middle of so many homes.

The reason I thought doing a sports game in LA would be perfect for this project was because I was especially aware of how much diversity there was at this game, yet fans felt comfortable within the atmosphere of the game to interact with one another. The amount of diversity that was brought to American soccer was interesting. A group of season ticket holders who were of Hispanic descent brought drums to the game and it brought such a fun and lively atmosphere to game. The sounds of the drums made me want to consistently get up from my seat and cheer throughout the whole game. With the sound of the drums also came cheers that were closely tied to the rhythm and it was interesting to see everyone of all races in that section get up and jump side to side to a very Hispanic dominated rhythm. This comes to show that even though we were all watching American soccer, everyone was able to bring a part of soccer from different home countries where soccer is celebrated and enjoyed differently. This is what is so great about LA, that people can bring so many different backgrounds together and enjoy a similar interest without letting differences get in the way.

The quote that we discussed in class about boundaries which was central for this project came to mind many times throughout this game. The one time I did see boundaries in this stadium was with the seating. It was obvious to see the economic hierarchy associated with race and who dominated the lower level seats (better view, more expensive) and who dominated the higher level seats (less of a great view, cheaper). There were also reserved suites where people could eat dinner and watch the game with a better seating view. This was the only time, I was able to see the social difference in terms of economic status and type of race that dominated these seating areas.

I think that I got the overall diverse Los Angeles experience at this soccer game. Seeing the many different people come together to enjoy something they all enjoy which in this game was the sport of soccer, was amazing. In such a homey neighborhood, such a lively stadium in the middle made going to see a soccer game comfortable, convenient, and fun.

Week 1: INTRODUCTION

Hello my name is Erica Mendez and this blog will be about the social differences and observations that I make throughout the Metropolitan area of Los Angeles. I have lived in Los Angeles all of my life so I hope to discover and go to areas I have not explored yet. Although I have visited areas such as Hollywood, downtown, and the South Bay, I have never really payed attention in detail and observed people and how they use the space and react to the environment they are in. I hope to see Los Angeles in a different more aware perspective after this project.

The class Cities and Social Difference interests me because I love to study cultural geography and I have yet to take a class that focuses on this topic. I know the city of Los Angeles is diverse and it is amazing how one street can have so many different neighborhoods and different people just within a few blocks, and I hope to explore the many different neighborhoods and communities that I can discover.

I'm excited for this project and am excited to share my new experiences in L.A.! :)

-Erica