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: growing
Fall colors
Guava, persimmon, pomegranate, all in a row. How I love autumn in LA. More fall.
Posted in eating, growing
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The little things
It’s amazing really, how something handmade can instantly trump the tallest towers. How seeing the evidence of someone’s hard work makes you want to stop and stare. And the little imperfections make these contributions far more interesting than anything else … Continue reading
Posted in building, designing, growing, USC/Annenberg Getty, walking
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Soup’s on
Okay, okay, so it was 85 today. But there were Santa Ana winds, somewhere. And I swear I saw a few yellow leaves on the street, maybe. So autumn must be right around the corner, right? Right? Perhaps to nudge … Continue reading
Posted in eating, growing
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Colorful Colorado
I know what you’re thinking: Forget gelato, Los Angeles, walking. What this blog needs is more photos of trees! And I agree! Being the fall-deprived Angeleno that I am, I went all the way to Crested Butte, Colorado to snap … Continue reading
Posted in growing, traveling, walking
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Magic forest
Last week my friend Liz and I slipped away to the gorgeous Enchantment Resort in Sedona for less than 24 hours of much-needed R&R. We got up early the next morning and took a hike through Boynton Canyon, the steep tangerine … Continue reading
Posted in eating, growing, traveling, walking
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LAX: Sunny, much to my dismay
I’ll go ahead and apologize ahead of time to those of you suffering from a late-summer heatwave, the aftermath of Irene, early morning drizzle. This is going to be a story about what everyone says doesn’t exist in LA: weather. … Continue reading
Tomato tree
So we thought we’d grow some tomatoes this year. We bought a few varieties and stuck them in our planter box that we built last spring. But things didn’t go as planned. The plants either didn’t like the hot sun … Continue reading
Posted in building, crafting, eating, growing
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Saving the giants
I didn’t really understand until I saw them myself. But I would say that seeing the sequoia trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is one of those things that everyone needs to do. Imagine this. You stand in … Continue reading
Posted in growing, traveling, writing
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Passion flower
Is there anything better than the summertime flora of Los Angeles? Spotted on a chain-link fence in Hollywood. Yes, passion fruit grows wild on the streets of LA. More Street Walker photos.
Posted in growing, Street Walker
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Walking with mom
My mom’s in town for a few days so we took a walk around the neighborhood to visit some of my favorite spots. (Don’t worry, mine is 100% dairy-free sorbet… and it was good!) It’s funny to walk through a … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating, designing, growing, Street Walker
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