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
- Thrilled to be speaking at @MoxieCon in Chicago on April 28: "A one day workshop to inspire confident creatives" http://t.co/c2l1wfMw
- @jamorefield 11-13!
- @samkap Not speaking, just listening!
- @charmgirl Thanks! Keep writing!
- @chillychoons Nice!
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: June 2011
The best way to see the Hollywood sign
Living in Hollywood, like I did for almost seven years, it was the one question I got asked more than anything else: “What’s the best way to see the Hollywood sign?” Being the generous LA resident that I am, the … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, building, traveling, walking
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Rose bowling
“Do you think it’s a problem that every time we’re together we buy stuff?” My friend Sonja was concerned as we navigated the pastel canyons of vintage dresses. I looked at us, each balancing a produce basket on our hip … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating, designing, wearing
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Hot rod
Only in LA do we have yellow cars and purple trees. Spotted in Hollywood. An hour later I saw a woman driving this car about a mile away. More Street Walker (or shall I say Street Rider?) photos here.
Posted in Street Walker
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This is where we used to live
On the way home from a meeting in Hollywood the other day, I rode past my old house. Ten years ago, when I first moved to LA, this is where I lived with three guys, at least one family of … Continue reading
Posted in building, riding
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A Walker in… Beverly Hills?
The lovely Ellen Lutwak sent me this photo of what she came across while walking in the Hills of Beverly. “Note the row of lions behind me,” she writes. “Unabashedly BH.” Thanks, Ellen!
Posted in Street Walker
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Steve goes to the mayor (again)
Last night before I went to bed I watched this video, as many of you did, where Steve Jobs personally presented the plans for Apple’s new headquarters to the Cupertino City Council. I, like everyone else who immediately pushed their … Continue reading
Posted in building, creating, designing
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“Cycling’s slow-food movement”
In case you haven’t gathered from every single post on this blog over the last month, I GOT A NEW BIKE! But apparently I’m not the only one. A new article in Bicycling Magazine, ”The Good Life,” explores this movement of … Continue reading
Posted in riding
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Pink shoes
I find a lot of interesting things on the streets. I find a lot of shoes. Like this adorable pink one that was, sadly, just a bit too small for my foot. But then I looked down and realized that … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
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A gelato-less June
There’s probably nothing stupider I could do this month. As the days get longer, the nights get warmer, I will not be participating in one of the season’s greatest rituals. Not even on the very first official day of summer. For … Continue reading
Posted in eating, gelatoing
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