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
- @JinxMcGillicudd Crested Butte, Colorado
- Due to last night's blizzard, the snowbride is now wearing a fashionable veil. http://t.co/PiYYUYB0
- @GetDianeFarr Ha! Thanks, I like to keep my readers on their toes.
- What's a park, really? My story on Southern California's first parklet, located in Long Beach, is in today's @LAWeekly http://t.co/HWgVcrtY
- My story at @ForYourArt on Suzanne Lacy's powerful public performance artwork @3WeeksInJan http://t.co/R2sWn7XL #RapeEndsHere
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.
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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: November 2009
Do the robot at Unique LA!
We don’t celebrate Black Friday in my family. It’s Craft Friday around these parts, and believe me, there’s nothing like some heavy crafting to jolt you out of a persistent tryptophaniac state. It’s been an especially busy 24 hours at … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating, teaching
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On design writing in Communication Arts
Communication Arts‘ Design Annual is out and it’s full of all the regular goodness that it brings to design students each year who need to know which doors to go knocking on (at least I know that’s how I used … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, designing, writing
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Dollar dollar bill, y’all
Keith has spent the last week or so making some truly beautiful—and probably illegal—art in our garage. Now he’s giving away $100 (I know! $100!) to anyone who wants a Gocco-printed dollar bill. Pretty impressive right? They’re numbered and come … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating, designing
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Old hotel, new school
A few weeks ago, I posted that I got a private tour of the school being built on the site of the nearly-totally-demolished-but-not-totally Ambassador Hotel. I was absolutely astounded at the measures that the architects took to make sure the … Continue reading
Posted in building, Good, teaching
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Hank
Tonight at the Art Directors Club in New York they had a ceremony honoring a group of people they call GrandMasters: “four distinguished educators who have inspired generations of creatives and whose legacies are a far-reaching network of industry leaders … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, designing, teaching
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Eat My Words: Saturday in Silver Lake
Talk about a dream assignment! I was asked by the lovely Alex Bozikovic from The Globe and Mail (that’s a Canadian newspaper) asked me to put together a travel piece on the perfect day in Silver Lake, the neighborhood where … Continue reading
Posted in building, crafting, eating, gelatoing, Globe and Mail, reading, traveling, walking
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Street Walker: Top o’ the steps
Taken from the top of the Micheltorena steps in Silver Lake, walking up from Sunset back to my house.
Posted in building, Street Walker, walking
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Eat My Words: East LA from the Gold Line
I could not be more excited about being one of the first people to hitch a preview ride today on the Gold Line Eastside Extension, a brand-new rail line for LA which will officially chug out of Union Station this … Continue reading
Posted in ArchPaper, building, designing, riding, Street Walker, traveling, walking
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Street Walker: Fall harvest
I bused it from the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning with all of this on my back and arms. The bus was $1.25 each way (cheaper than a bundle of rainbow chard), and I didn’t have to deal with the … Continue reading
Posted in eating, growing, riding, Street Walker
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Street Walker: Sunset on Sunset
Okay, okay, so if the bottom 1/8th of the frame doesn’t make it obvious, I was actually in a car when I took this. But to have you miss out on this shot would have been a crime.
Posted in riding, Street Walker, writing
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