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
- @souris @ljoliet So cute! I think we've come around to possibly investing in Tolix!
- @LangeAlexandra So cute! (and not wrong at all!)
- Pretty sure I need these Marimekko Chuck Taylors for all my walking needs http://t.co/RXPABleX cc @LangeAlexandra
- @souris @ljoliet I think Tolix are a little too "French bistro" for us. Or maybe I'm just saying that because we can't afford them!
- Looking for metal (powder-coated?) chairs for our new outdoor dining table. Can be old or new. Any ideas where to buy in LA? @Ljoliet?
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.
Author Archives: Alissa
Listening to Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a noisy place. But have you ever stopped and listened to it, picking apart all the sounds that create this perpetual cacophony we call home? Right now, just sitting at my desk, I hear birds, rain (yes, … Continue reading
Posted in building, creating, designing, watching
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Another brick in the wall
I recently wrote about a wall in Silver Lake. But from the comments that have been posted to the article, you might have thought this wall was in Berlin. Read the story over at the LA Weekly and let me … Continue reading
Posted in building, eating, LA Weekly, walking
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Multi-family dwelling
Everybody’s got one. That house in your neighborhood that makes you stop in your tracks. You find yourself walking by it more and more—maybe even rerouting your walk just so you can slowly, casually, nonchalantly stroll by it. Eventually it … Continue reading
Posted in building, designing, Dwell, Street Walker
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Cold sunset
The sun sets a bit differently out in Crested Butte compared to the typical view out my studio window. Back to my normal warm-weather programming tomorrow. More photos.
Posted in traveling
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Snowbride
Based on how they spent their weekend, I think it’s safe to say that my parents are really excited we’re getting married. Those are red peppers for her lips, by the way. Update: Due to last night’s blizzard, the snowbride is … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating
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Beverly Hills
1. Every neighborhood in LA should have some kind of sign like this. 2. That reminds me, I’ve been wanting to do this project where I take photos of people taking photos of themselves in front of the Hollywood sign. … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
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“The payoff is that you have this record”
There has been a lot of ink (pixels?) spilled lately on this idea that we’re so obsessed with Tweeting, Facebooking, Instagramming the important moments of our lives that we’re not actually living them. NY Times technology reporter Nick Bilton recently … Continue reading
Posted in Street Walker
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See you in Portland February 16!
If you remember a few months back, I posted about a very exciting new grant I received from a new creative placemaking foundation called ArtPlace. Getting a grant is at once an exhilarating and terrifying thing, as you are basically … Continue reading
Silverlake Independent
Lovely Golden Hour strolling on Sunset. I didn’t even mean to crop it that way, I swear. More Street Walking.
Posted in Street Walker
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310 vs. 213
You might know that I am the co-host of an event series called design east of La Brea, or de LaB. We like to feature designers, architects, artists and various other urban instigators who are working, making and experimenting—you guessed it!—east … Continue reading
Posted in building, designing
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