#269: Today, we’re coming to you from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where we had the chance to speak with some dope local authors about their work, about Los Angeles, and how it all connects for them. In this episode, my conversation with Héctor Tobar, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and novelist.

#269: Today, we’re coming to you from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, where we had the chance to speak with some dope local authors about their work, about Los Angeles, and how it all connects for them. In this episode, my conversation with Héctor Tobar, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and novelist.

How to L.A. aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that’s something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way. 

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

How to L.A. aims to drop a little knowledge about ALL the things that affect the people of Los Angeles, whether that’s something that makes our city great (tacos!) or something that we need to work on, like the alarming number of traffic collisions. We serve the curious Angeleno who wants to better connect with our city, discover the new, navigate the confusing and even drive some change along the way. 
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

How To LA

[APP] How To LA

This playlist is used to feed content to NPR One via API. It ingests content from other programs in Omny,

This playlist is used to feed content to NPR One via API. It ingests content from other programs in Omny,

NPR One Feed

Héctor Tobar: Why LA Is A Land Of ‘Strugglelitude’ (And Opportunity)

#274: L.A. is often called the street vending capital of the country, and for good reason. Our street food has so much diversity, whether it's served out of a truck or a puesto. And it's not just food — people sell sunglasses, clothes, groceries... It can a great hustle for people who want to be their own boss, but it's also a LOT of work.

To get a sense of what's involved, we're hanging out with some street vendors in mid city. Plus, we're talking with LAist correspondent Leslie Berestein Rojas to get up to speed on the latest news and legislation for vendors.

Featured Vendor: Daniel Martinez, co-owner of Tacos 5 y 10 on Hauser & Apple, just north of Adams Blvd in West Adams / Mid City.

#274: L.A. is often called the street vending capital of the country, and for good reason. Our street food has so much diversity, whether it's served out of a truck or a puesto. And it's not just food — people sell sunglasses, clothes, groceries... It can a great hustle for people who want to be their own boss, but it's also a LOT of work.
To get a sense of what's involved, we're hanging out with some street vendors in mid city. Plus, we're talking with LAist correspondent Leslie Berestein Rojas to get up to speed on the latest news and legislation for vendors.
Featured Vendor: Daniel Martinez, co-owner of Tacos 5 y 10 on Hauser &amp; Apple, just north of Adams Blvd in West Adams / Mid City.

Unpacking LA's Street Food Hustle

The "Netflix is a Joke Fest" kicks off today (May 2) in Los Angeles. Billed as the biggest comedy festival in North America, the festival features more than 400 artists performing over 12 days.

One of them is comedian Leslie Liao. Her standup touches on dating in L.A., and also growing up with Chinese immigrant parents in Orange County, CA. 

You can hear more from Leslie Liao on the most recent episode of the LAist Studios podcast, How To LA.

The "Netflix is a Joke Fest" kicks off today (May 2) in Los Angeles. Billed as the biggest comedy festival in North America, the festival features more than 400 artists performing over 12 days.
One of them is comedian <a href="https://laist.com/news/how-to-la/comedian-leslie-liao-neflix-is-a-joke-festival">Leslie Liao</a>. Her standup touches on dating in L.A., and also growing up with Chinese immigrant parents in Orange County, CA.  You can hear more from Leslie Liao on the most recent episode of the LAist Studios podcast, <a href="https://laist.com/podcasts/how-to-la/comedian-leslie-liaos-love-for-la-and-secretly-oc">How To LA</a>.

Leslie Liao Felt 'Different.' It Led Her To Comedy

#273: Leslie Liao is an L.A.-based stand-up comedian, actress and writer who went from working at Netflix (in the HR department) to now being on Netflix.

For a long time she was juggling both her corporate job and stand up, but she went full time with comedy this year. She was featured in the streamer’s series called "Verified Stand-Up," she’s been on "The Tonight Show," and she’ll be performing in the Netflix is a Joke Fest starting this Thursday (May 2) in L.A.

A lot of Leslie’s comedy focuses on dating in L.A., and what it was like growing up in a predominantly white suburb of Orange County as a Chinese American. She sat down with How To LA at The Hollywood Improv to talk about how she got started, what it’s like being a working comedian in L.A., and even shared some dating tips too.

#273: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/resrieriao/?hl=en">Leslie Liao</a> is an L.A.-based stand-up comedian, actress and writer who went from working at Netflix (in the HR department) to now being on Netflix.
For a long time she was juggling both her corporate job and stand up, but she went full time with comedy this year. She was featured in the streamer’s series called "Verified Stand-Up," she’s been on "The Tonight Show," and she’ll be performing in the <a href="https://www.netflixisajokefest.com/artists/leslie-liao">Netflix is a Joke Fest</a> starting this Thursday (May 2) in L.A.
A lot of Leslie’s comedy focuses on dating in L.A., and what it was like growing up in a predominantly white suburb of Orange County as a Chinese American. She sat down with How To LA at The Hollywood Improv to talk about how she got started, what it’s like being a working comedian in L.A., and even shared some dating tips too.

Héctor Tobar: Why LA Is A Land Of ‘Strugglelitude’ (And Opportunity)

In 3 playlist(s)

How To LA

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips