Hey there! My name is Alissa. I’m a writer, a gelato-eater, and a walker in LA.
You can learn more about who I am, what I write, why I walk, and even see where I live and work. Last year I was honored to be named as an USC/Annenberg Getty Arts Journalism fellow. You also might like this talk I gave about how to do the work you love.
Welcome to Gelatobaby
Follow me at @gelatobaby
- No public Twitter messages.
Come say hello
- GOOD Design for Cities
A new event series hosted by Alissa and supported in part by ArtPlace is coming to Portland and St. Louis. Here's how creatives can apply to be part of it.
- GOOD Design for Cities
Check out our next de LaB
- Design East of La Brea is a monthly party I co-host with Haily Zaki, Marissa Gluck and Erin Cullerton. Almost always east of La Brea. Learn more about past de Labs and sign up for our monthly newsletter.
-
Click on some recent posts
Read my articles elsewhere
You can find my writing most days at GOOD, or at Fast Company's new design site, Co.Design, or over at Dwell. You can also read about my 13 favorite stories from 2010.
- Waaaaay Back to the Future
Fast Company, August 2011
Nike's 23-year journey to make Marty McFly's AirMag shoes real. - Meet the Makers
Details, July 2011
Profile of Saul Griffith, an engineer and inventor who could change the way we make... everything. - Sasaki's Heartbeat
Dwell, June 2011
A studio visit with the Japanese-born artist Sasaki, who has been drawing people's heartbeats for 15 years. - Is LA's Public Transit a Joke? This Comedian Sure Hopes So
GOOD, June 2011
For comedian Kristina Wong, living car-free isn't just an act. - Middle School Students Tell LAUSD: No More Styrofoam
GOOD, April 2011
A group of sixth graders mounts a campaign to rid their school of the evil white foam. - The Future of Reading Online [Video]
Fast Company, March 2011
At SXSW, I interviewed designer Khoi Vinh about tablets, pay walls, and browsers. - How LA's "Farmers Field" Could Boost Urban Agriculture
GOOD, February 2011
Let's turn the city's new football stadium into the world's biggest urban farm. - BOOM! Palm Springs Plans a Wacky Old Folks Community
Fast Company, February 2011
10 architects have collaborated on a very unique new kind of retirement home for gays. - The Design Difference
GOOD, January 2011
How can design help create change in the underserved community of Brownsville, New York? A three-part series. - Why We Don't Need Any More Anonymous Critics
GOOD, January 2011
Let's stop the dining in disguise and make food critics powerful, public voices for real social change. - The Rise of the Bus-Riding Celebrity
GOOD, October 2010
Why don't more eco-minded celebrities in LA take public transit? - Can Design Save the World?
Fast Company, October 2010
Profiles of superstar emerging designers Candy Chang and Bobby C. Martin, Jr. - Where My Ladies At?
GOOD, August 2010
Why aren't there more women in industrial design? - At Home with Ed Begley, Jr.
Dwell, June 2010
I visited LA's greenest celebrity to talk about gardening, solar panels and riding the bus. - Why I Write About Design Now
GOOD, May 2010
How we need to cover the design industry: Without a chair in the world. - Here's Why the Banksy Movie is a Banksy Prank
Fast Company, April 2010
The world's most famous street artist makes a documentary? I'm not buying it. - If You Lived Here, You'd Be Urban By Now
GOOD, Spring 2010
The case against fake "walkable urbanism" developments which are neither walkable or urban. - Why Can't the World's Best Architects Build Better Websites?
Fast Company, March 2010
Loading... - The Fake Freeway Sign that Became a Real Public Service
GOOD, January 2010
Artist Richard Ankrom's act of guerrilla public service improved the commuter experience.
- Waaaaay Back to the Future
View my photos
Try some gelato
- Catch up on my latest gelato adventures, or find gelato using my Gelatobaby GeLAtomap.
Monthly Archives: August 2008
Virginia Postrel and Kate Coe go Deep
Two of the smartest writers in town, Virginia Postrel and Kate Coe, are now collaborating on Deep Glamour, a blog that explores glamour “in its many manifestations, from movies, fashion, and advertising to real estate, politics, and sports.” You might … Continue reading
Posted in building, creating, designing, wearing
View Comments
Eat My Words: The Oakley Thunderdome
Among my favorite pieces to write are the Space Shot stories for Fast Company, in which I get to infiltrate some corporate headquarters and get the lowdown on a company’s quirky work culture. For this particular assignment to visit Oakley‘s … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, building, designing, Fast Company, watching
View Comments
On Today’s DnA: Theatrical design
I’ve been lax in reporting on the goings-on behind-the-scenes at DnA since I felt so far removed from the scene for so long. But there is some very exciting design and architecture news happening over at KCRW, not the least … Continue reading
Posted in building, creating, designing, DnA
View Comments
Where Walkers dare to run
After a week of stuffing my face with restaurant news over at Eater LA, there was only one thing I could do last weekend: Run it off! On Sunday Kara, Rita and I ran in the Bulldog 25K, an annual … Continue reading
Posted in growing, walking
View Comments
Being a good Eater
For the next week, I’ll be guestblogging for the irreplaceable Lesley Balla over at Eater LA while she goes somewhere to eat without having to dash back to the computer and write about it afterwards. I’ve got the Eater tipline … Continue reading
Posted in eating, gelatoing, writing
View Comments
Beauty and the streets
Two of my favorite lady artists, Martha Rich and Esther Pearl Watson, are leaving LA tomorrow on a cross-country road trip to interview people about beauty. They’ve just posted their itinerary, which includes dozens of cities across the U.S. as … Continue reading
Posted in creating, traveling
View Comments
Available now
I’m looking for a new place to live for the first time in four years. And boy, do I have a lot to learn. I’m exceptionally puzzled by these new-fangled terms used to hype apartments. Any idea what they could … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, building
View Comments
Eat My Words: Thinking outside the wine in a box
It’s been awhile since I did one of these so I’m a little behind in my articles; forgive me, please. But this piece on wine packaging in the June issue of Fast Company was one of my favorites to write. … Continue reading
Posted in creating, eating, Fast Company, greening, growing
View Comments
If I did it, here’s how it happened
On the outset, it seemed like an impossible task. Canvas the streets of New York, gawk at each architecturally significant property in the city, dream up 25 perfect walking itineraries, tear through them at marathon pace and still manage to … Continue reading
Posted in building, City Walks, creating, walking
View Comments
