New writing inspired by Esotouric excursions, and the dark side of the West Side is calling you

Gentle reader,

Greetings from your friendly historic Los Angeles sightseeing tour company, now offering digital programming until we can again organize groups to gather and explore the city we love.

We’ve always enjoyed the fact that our tours (and now webinars) attract such a creative audience, bringing us in contact with interesting people who often bring their own unique interpretations of Los Angeles to the events we host. Recently, we were sent a couple of books loosely inspired by our tours, demonstrating the incredible range of L.A. storytelling and the Esotouric community.

Catherine Auman’s newly published Guide to Spiritual L.A. is an illustrated seeker’s map to the Southland’s most highly-charged holy places, and has its roots in an early tour called Maja’s Mysteries, hosted by Maja D’Aoust, the White Witch of Los Angeles. If you’re curious about Southern California’s rich history of occultism and alternative faith pursuits, you’ll find much to muse upon within, from public-facing temples and churches to folk art environments and former cult HQs.

Novelist and comics author Duane Swierczynski is a recent transplant from Philadelphia who got to know Los Angeles by getting on the bus. He was so intrigued by the places he visited on Desert Visionaries: Llano del Rio, Antelope Valley Indian Museum & Aldous Huxley's Pearblossom Ranch that he made them the backdrop for TWITCH, the 5-part comic turned graphic novel in John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction series. In this disturbing tale, he taps into the thick vein of psychosis and violence that is as much a part of that section of the desert as is the dreamy seekers’ path we followed. You’ll wince as the astronomers gazing into the cosmos atop Mount Wilson inadvertently invite something terrible to visit, unleashing an uncanny killing spree that takes out at least one landmark.

What new creative project is germinating in the mind of you, gentle reader? If it touches on Los Angeles cultural history, we hope you’ll let us know about it. It is always our pleasure to help spread the word about those who are finding new ways of thinking about this remarkable place.

Tomorrow at noon, please join us for Esotouric Celebrates Los Angeles Historic Preservation, 1900s-1980s. Every 21st century L.A. preservationist stands on the shoulders of giants—so let’s get to know them, and hear from a few as well (Margaret Bach and Ruthann Lehrer of the Los Angeles Conservancy and Jean Bruce Poole from El Pueblo). From Mission mender Charles Fletcher Lummis to the savior of Olvera Street Christine Sterling, visionary city planner Calvin Hamilton and hard-driving Cultural Heritage Board leader Carl Dentzel, from Heritage Square to Carroll Avenue, the birth of Hollywood Heritage and the L.A. Conservancy, it’s a wild ride. To sign up, click here.

Next Saturday’s webinar In The Shadow of the Hotel Cecil: A Main Street Time Travel webinar is a must for fans of true crime and sleazy history, and is synced to come out around the time we appear on the new Netflix series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. The notorious SRO hotel has become an object of pop culture fascination since tourist Elisa Lam disappeared after checking in to one of its quasi-legal shared hostel rooms in 2013. But the hotel is so much more than a crime scene. We’ll tell its story, through the lens of true crime and urban development, and the story of the fascinating neighborhood that surrounds it. Once a year-round carnival midway, Main Street has changed with Los Angeles, and its many facets will amaze, horrify and inspire you. For more info, or to reserve your spot, click here.

And just announced for February 20, we’re continuing to bank the historic true crime hearth with a virtual visit to the seaside crime scenes that obsess us: The Dark Side of the West Side. Kim was a tot on a then-sketchy Venice walk street, and has a particular fascination with terrible things that have happened within the sound of the pounding surf. We think you’ll enjoy this grim yet loving time travel trip, and invite you to sign up here.

Stay tuned as we roll out a new webinar program each Saturday. And remember if you can’t watch live or need to leave mid-stream, you can watch the recording for one full week. There’s still time to see Touring Southern California’s Architecture of Death with historian Nathan Marsak through Saturday night.

These webinars are now available as On-Demand recordings: Crawford’s Markets • John Bengtson’s Silent Film Locations • George Mann’s Vintage L.A. • Pershing Square 1866-2020 • Cafeterias of Old L.A. • Programmatic Architecture • Angels Flight • Grand Central Market • Ohio River Valley • Bunker Hill • Charles Bukowski • Raymond Chandler • Black Dahlia • Dutch Chocolate Shop • Bradbury Building • Tunnels • L.A. Times Bombing and 13 Uncanny Crimes & Mysteries.

And we’d love to see you tomorrow at noon for Esotouric Celebrates Los Angeles Historic Preservation, 1900s-1980s.

yours for Los Angeles,

Kim & Richard

Esotouric

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Subscribe! In the latest subscriber's edition of this newsletter—$10/month, cheap!—The Most Disturbing Item We Ever Discovered While Doing Research at The Huntington Library—A story about brains, knockout drops, family traditions and a bad night on New York City's Tenderloin.

WANT TO SUPPORT OUR WORK?

If you enjoy all we do to celebrate and preserve Los Angeles history, please consider signing up for (or gifting) the subscriber’s edition of this newsletter, or putting a little something into our digital tip jar. Gift certificates are available for any webinar in our library or upcoming calendar, starting at $10. Printed matter? We’ve got a swell selection of books and maps, some written by us, others sourced from dusty warehouses. For a wider selection, Bookshop uses the power of distributor Ingram to help independent bookstores stick around. We've curated a selection of uniquely Los Angeles titles, and when you order from these links, it supports participating local shops, and us, too. You can also click here before shopping on Amazon... & if you love what we do, please tell your friends.

AND WHAT'S THE NEXT TOUR? WHO KNOWS?!

We're dark until public health officials determine that groups can gather safely. But in addition to weekly webinar programs, we've got 138 episodes of the podcast You Can't Eat The Sunshine free to download for armchair explorers, and videos of the Downtown L.A. LAVA walking tours, plus Cranky Preservationist videos.

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AND FINALLY, LINKS

Los Angeles has lost a giant, and we have lost a dear friend. Big John Maljevic, 1927-2021.

We get asked to do a lot of true crime television, and turn down most inquiries because they're exploitative and stupid. We didn't turn down Joe Berlinger, and are as curious as you are to see how the tale of the Hotel Cecil of old Skid Row gets told.

The heartbreaking end of an era: Sears is hiring temp workers to help shut down the Boyle Heights store.

Charming 5-unit bungalow court on the market in Culver City, with room to turn the garages into a couple additional units. Hope that a preservation minded buyer sees this listing.

Esotouric supports the efforts of the Los Angeles Sunshine Coalition to force local government to reveal its workings to citizens interested and otherwise. If you believe knowledge is power, send a letter.

RIP 307 North Wilton (1920), three tenants evicted under the Ellis Act, now being clawed from the earth as if 101 years of service as multi-family housing meant nothing. Weird sales history: sold for $1M in 2017 then immediately for less than half that?

RIP 1027 North Heliotrope (1908), sold October 2019 for $975,000—but nobody moved in. The vacant house burned a year later, and remains a blight on the block today.

More Than a Pop Art Nun: Preserving the Studio of Sister Mary Corita Kent. It was quite a meeting when the Cultural Heritage Commission was persuaded by the public they'd been wrong. Let’s hope City Council will be swayed, too.

Will the third time be the charm for a vote on Jose Huizar’s $24 Million Pershing Square scheme? We hope not! Another public hearing is scheduled for February 10, and you’re encouraged to call in and urge restoration instead. Details here.

A sweet SoCal Scene featurette on the restoration of Sheila Klein's Vermonica, East Hollywood’s original vintage L.A. streetlamp sculpture. This campaign was the culmination of all we've learned about historic preservation, public policy and infrastructure.

After 67 years, the pandemic and street violence have closed the book on Haru Florist, serving families visiting the Eastside cemeteries for generations.

Is time running out for Rancho Sinaloa Market and the art deco business block on Beverly that was the Culinary and Bartender workers dental clinic when new? Union members received no-cost fillings and cleanings here as a membership perk. That green fence scares us!

A once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure the landmark Chalfonte Apartments in the time capsule 700 block of South Normandie is preserved as affordable housing. City of L.A., are you paying attention?

LACMA's Michael Govan, visionary or huckster? (Odd, Govan’s newly purchased home is soon to be on the market again. Is something up?)

Once upon a time, on the Latin Strip.