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.
-
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: February 2011
Power to the people
The latest issue of GOOD is all about energy, a hot (ha!) topic that we thought would be sure to spark (ha, ha!) some good conversations. So, through Meetup Everywhere, a really nifty little organizing tool for events, we launched … Continue reading
Posted in designing, Good, speaking, writing
View Comments
Winter in LA
Everyone’s been asking me lately, as reports of my shivering have drifted to Twitter and Facebook: What’s it like in LA in the winter? Is it cold? Does it snow? Can you still eat gelato? So I thought I’d compile … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
View Comments
Horsin’ around
Not too far from where I live, there’s a very special Los Angeles neighborhood with some very special residents. You’ll know you’re there when you start to see the signs. They have their own special crosswalks, with their own special … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
View Comments
Love is in the air
Just on my short walk today to the eye doctor—yes, I always go to the eye doctor on Valentine’s Day because nothing says Valentine’s Day like “eye love you”—the streets were covered with cues that today was different. For example, … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
View Comments
Haunted house
The Ghost Project – Alissa Walker / Keith Scharwath from Kartell LA on Vimeo. A few weeks ago, we were asked by our friend Jon to babysit a Kartell Ghost Chair, the regal yet approachable Louis XV-style chair rendered in … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, designing, watching
View Comments
Silver Lake in stitches
My friend Maria (who you should definitely be following on Twitter) just posted a link to Haptic Lab, where an architect and designer named Emily Fischer makes the most beautiful “Soft Maps“—quilts of neighborhoods and cities. I was giddy enough … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating, designing, walking
View Comments
Night lights
I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to get out and do much walking during the day, but last night I managed to catch a special evening-only image as I walked to the A+D Museum for a panel by … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
View Comments
Show and tell
Alissa & Keith – Show and Tell from Friends of Graphic Design on Vimeo. A few weeks ago, Keith and I beamed in to the Portland State University class of Kate Bingaman-Burt to pass along some advice and anecdotes for … Continue reading
Posted in creating, designing, speaking, writing
View Comments
Salted caramel ice cream at the mayor’s house
Nope, there’s not a new ice cream parlor in town called The Mayor’s House. I was really at the mayor’s house, the Getty House to be exact, having dinner with 26 new friends, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. I’m … Continue reading
Posted in gelatoing, riding
View Comments
