Discover the oldest of Los Angeles!
Mimi Slawoff will share some amazing discoveries from her book Oldest Los Angeles. A great gift for history buffs!
Masks are required for attendance.
About Oldest Los Angeles: While Los Angeles is known for beaches, film studios, and a sunny climate, it’s worth digging deeper to discover the city’s soul created by an ethnically diverse culture dating to the 18th century. Blending history and some local travel, Oldest Los Angeles takes readers on a journey through the past to the oldest buildings, businesses, and neighborhoods in the City of Angels.
The pages open with a walking tour of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, a district that marks the city’s birthplace in 1781 when a group of 44 immigrants formed a farming community. What started as a humble pueblo evolved into a vibrant metropolis that’s home to over 10 million people and 185 languages.
Explore L.A. and learn about the whimsical Looff Hippodrome on the Santa Monica Pier, why Pink’s Hot Dogs names some menu items after celebrities, and where to find a 250-year-old grapevine (still producing grapes!). Walk the halls of Rockhaven, a former women’s sanitarium in a residential neighborhood, and visit the site of California’s surprising gold discovery in Santa Clarita—also home to a nearly forgotten ghost town.
Read touching family stories about the first Mexican restaurant, El Cholo; the oldest confectionery, Fugetsu-Do; and why the Palacios family was determined to save the oldest children’s bookstore against all odds. Seen through the lens of veteran travel journalist and L.A. native Mimi Slawoff, Oldest Los Angeles is both informative and engaging with insider stories and nuggets of fun facts.
About the author: Native Angeleno and seasoned travel journalist Mimi Slawoff is a former Los Angeles Daily News reporter who writes for AAA, Travel + Leisure, L.A. Parent magazine, Traveling Mom, and many other print and digital publications. A first generation Bulgarian American, Mimi enjoys taking photos and writing about local and global destinations. And she never tires of exploring L.A. with her husband and three kids. Mimi is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and North American Snowsports Journalists Association. Follow Mimi on Twitter @Mimitravelz and Instagram @Mimitravels.
