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: partying
11 Questions for 2012
My friend Gregory just tagged me in one of those chain letter-type posts where if you don’t answer 11 questions about yourself and forward it along to 11 more people someone close to you will be severely maimed in a … Continue reading →
Christmas cookies
For the last few years I’ve been making dough ornaments to decorate our tree and give out as gifts. (Last year, you may remember, I used a new Williams-Sonoma cookie cutter set to make a Star Wars themed-tree.) The recipe … Continue reading →
Holly jolly
Christmas: The one (and only) time of year when it’s socially acceptable to wear the eye-searing combination of red and green together. Man, I love the holidays. More festive outfits.
It’s beginning to look
More hints of holidays.
Words to live by
If I had a manifesto, I think it would look something like this. Tips for life and living by the great Jonathan Adler, the designer of one of my favorite possessions. This manifesto was called out in this delightful article … Continue reading →
Why let kids have all the fun?
The one drawback of being involved with 826 LA is that we adults have to sit there and watch, day in and day out, all the exciting things that kids get to do when they arrive at the tutoring center-slash-writing … Continue reading →
Wet Hot Echo Park Halloween
It was maybe one of our best Halloweens of all time. If you don’t know the movie—which turned 10(!) this year—get thee to Netflix. More scary photos.
#wining
Why do we love going to wine country so much? Is it because it’s the one place where it’s totally socially acceptable to down three flutes of bubbles before noon? Because you’re wandering fields of wildflowers? Or surveying infinite rows … Continue reading →
This is our time
You’d be correct if you think LA feels a bit different today (and not just because of the rare torrential downpour). The massive art-stravaganza known as Pacific Standard Time has begun its reign over LA’s cultural consciousness. Over 60 exhibitions. More than … Continue reading →
Granted
I have typed so many words about this today that my fingernails are about to fall off, but, really, who needs fingernails when you have such great news to share! I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that GOOD Design, the program … Continue reading →
