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
- Carbing up for tomorrow's Stair Trek with frozen yogurt topped with Goldfish. http://t.co/iDw3dQaA
- Bubbly at Deborah's in honor of dear sweet Roan. http://t.co/8ySBPr8g
- My take on the Cafe Stella wall in Silver Lake for @laweeklyarts http://t.co/gK7hP5RO #toodamnhigh
- New bus benches for LA to replace the crappy plastic ones! http://t.co/wDHCJHcN
- RT @kristinawalsh: âThe payoff is that you have this recordâ -nice musings from @gelatobaby about capturing moments vs. experiencing the ...
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.
Category Archives: advertising
Why is Los Angeles disliked by so many people?
“It’s not a city, it’s an endless urban sprawl. Carpet store, lamp store, plumbing store, carpet store, plumbing store… on and on for as far as the eye can see. Backing up that urban sprawl are suburbs that either have … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, building, riding
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My favorite stories of 2011
Last year on this day I posted my own version of a year-in-review with my 13 favorite stories of the year. (Why 13, everyone wanted to know? Was I superstitious? Unlucky? Honestly, it just worked out that way.) This year, … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, building, crafting, creating, designing, Details, eating, Fast Company, Good, KCET, riding, traveling, walking
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Ice Cube loves LA, bitch
I once thought of myself as a special kind of cheerleader for Los Angeles, an eloquent advocate for its evasive beauty. I tried to give a voice to LA’s unique brand of urbanism. But now I don’t have to anymore. I’m … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, designing, watching
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Art is underfoot
“Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum” reads the first line of our mission statement for this week. Our Moving Experience team has been embarking on a variety of activities to test this theory. And as a personal exercise, I’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, building, designing, USC/Annenberg Getty, walking
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What’s wrong with this color?
I’ll be glad to see October end on Monday. Not just because that day is also the greatest holiday of the year. But because it will signify the end to the pink-hued month of awareness about breast cancer. I hate … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, traveling
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GM backpedals on anti-bike ad
It’s tough enough being a student right now—fretting about an uncertain economic future while looking forward to a lifetime of mounting debt—yet somewhere during the creative process for designing a series of ads to promote their new “college discounts,” GM … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, riding
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Remembering Steve
Where were you when Steve Jobs died? I was where I usually am. Pounding away at this MacBook Air. Looking at my Apple 30-inch cinema HD display. With my MacMail open. With Safari open. Working in Pages. Listening to iTunes. … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, designing, walking, writing
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LAX: You’re ugly, LA
For the first nine years I lived in LA I was at war with a driving range. I have nothing against golf, mind you. Rather I hated the bloated bubble of green mesh that contained the driving range, a ragged … Continue reading
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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