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.
Category Archives: riding
Los Angeles, we’re yours
It’s no secret that I’m in love with Los Angeles. Like, ridiculously, unapologetically, possibly clinically insanely in love with Los Angeles. So it was really only a matter of time before I’d grab your sleeve and tug your attention towards Los … Continue reading
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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Philadelphia freedom
Ah, Philadelphia. The birthplace of our nation, the home of self-evident truths, the city of Brotherly Love. And Sisterly Love. Philly is a city in transition, yet it still manages to nod to its history on every block. Even the subway … Continue reading
Pop! Pffffffffffffft!
That’s the sound I heard as I was cruising along 4th Street yesterday, headed to speak about freelancing at the Upod Academy hosted by my friend David. As soon as I heard it, I knew what had happened, and I … Continue reading
Posted in gelatoing, riding
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New
Just here for a few days, hosting a GOOD event for Urban Design Week, eating bagels, and—of course—riding the subway. Unless the subway wasn’t working, as happened one afternoon. It just happened to be the day I was swearing my … Continue reading
Posted in riding, speaking, traveling, walking
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LAX: How I gave up my car (yes, in LA!)
Today I’m posting my story that’s featured as a video in the current exhibition Rethink LA: Perspectives on a Future City. The show closes at the A+D Museum this Sunday, so if you’d like to see the video in person, head over … Continue reading
It’s a trip
You know that feeling the week after you get back from a great vacation? It’s like a whole new level of despair you thought previously unachievable. Post-partyum depression. You stare at the blank, soulless computer screen, trying to do your … Continue reading
Posted in riding, traveling
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How would you beautify bus stops?
I wrote a story earlier this week for GOOD about the designer Julie Kim and her project to put a coffee table (which she designed) at a bus stop in Koreatown. You can watch the video above to see what … Continue reading
Public Transportation: Who needs it?
A few months back I wrote a story about Vintage Los Angeles, a Facebook page dedicated to the lovely, lost world of L.A. Since then, the neverending stream of eye candy (and mind candy) delivered by the amazing Alison Martino … Continue reading
Posted in Good, riding, walking, watching
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