Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 4

*This is a comment to Erica Mendez Blog: Blogging Social Difference in L.A.
*Her location was Koreatown.
*Link: http://ericaaam.blogspot.com/2012/10/week-3-koreatown.htmlshowComment=1351315216108#c4866627557696593680


      Erica explored the streets and people around what I am assuming to be a couple of blocks in Koreatown. She noted that the dominant races happened to be Korean and Hispanic. 
       I was not as surprised to read that a great majority of the people were of Hispanic descent because I had previously heard that a prominent race is Salvadoran. However, it is interesting to see that these two groups of people seem to intertwine so well even though you would not typically assume so because of the distinct cultures and history of both groups. You mentioned that you encountered many places which had translations. I feel this ultimately prevents a language barrier from placing a hamper on the local growth of businesses. A smart idea! That I have often seen in other neighborhoods, most likely because of the population size of Spanish-speaking people in Los Angeles.
     I found in interesting that Koreans were distinguished as the employers in two separate circumstances. Why do you think this has happened? After observing the attached picture of the census of Asian population I have come to my own conclusion that Koreans arrived first, therefore had more time to establish their own network of businesses. The influx of Hispanics might have been at a later time. Also as it was mentioned in lecture, the first urban revolution noted that people came together because of agriculture, social desire, safety, etc. This in turn can be applied to the establishment of Koreatown as a city itself. People tend to migrate where family members are and where they see available opportunity and comfort. This can be one explanation as to why the city is populated with these two groups and why you noticed that "All around... people frequently knew each other".
     I must agree with you on your understanding of the article "The Growth of the City". Evidently the residents of Koreatown have helped the city to expand, but mobility has significantly increased the process. Mobility plays a large role in the development of the city. It can help determine certain zones of business, residential life, and ultimately affect individual lives. Although, the author does state that where there is mobility there can also be delinquency and poverty. I wonder how Koreatown would fit in to this assumption. Overall the city seems to be filled with culture and movement. I might want to visit this location for one of my future blogs :)

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 3

       As I was driving down the streets of Los Angeles I arrived at Boyle Heights. More specifically, I observed the block between Mathews and 4^th street near Roosevelt High School.  The neighborhood was rich in trees that extended over the roofs of houses. As I circled around the block I noticed that it was hill after hill after hill. The hills were not too steep but, the streets were quite narrow seeing as how the sidewalks were congested with parked cars. This can be amounted to the vast number of people that inhabit the city of Boyle Heights. It was about 7:00 pm and cars were still roaming up and down the street, when I decided to park the car near the high school. There were several murals painted along the walls of the school. 

      I believe the murals to be of Latin American culture both historically through Aztec Dancers and modernized, with the break dancer on the bottom left hand corner. The pictures depict knowledge, culture, and even state "Unity" and "Freedom". However, the slight tagging on the walls and floor can be related more to lower economic communities.
      The neighborhood was well lit with plenty of meters along the sidewalks and an abundant amount of small businesses, like the one featured in the picture below. The small businesses allow more people to flourish financially than would larger corporations that would profit more on surplus value. The neighborhood seemed to be close knit. The meters on the street can also explore the idea that people come through and out of the neighborhood often- therefore parking is not as available as it is in larger streets.

      During my visit I interviewed a friend of mine who has lived in Boyle Heights for 21 years. Jeremy attended Roosevelt High School and said that his community was 90% of Hispanic decent.  He informed me that the city had one Jewish and one Chinese Temple that everyone was aware of. He also shared how his school was over populated. With over five thousand students some of them had to be transported to an occupational center in order to get an education.

       It is interesting to explore the Chicago School Model and the lecture notes concept that Individuals are distributed according to “residence and occupation” into “natural economic and cultural groupings”.  This is partly what happened in Boyle Heights. Societies tend to form groups in which people of similar financial needs or cultural backgrounds can relate to one another. This agglomeration ultimately allows people to successful live among one another.     

 

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 2

      A great aspect of living in Los Angeles is the various places you can visit. This week I visited a neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles, in particular a street corner. During the day the streets of L.A. are invaded by commuters from all around. People are usually working and cars are constantly moving up and down the street. However, during the night on certain days you are likely to find young people enjoying the "nightlife" especially at night clubs. The city lights brighten up the streets and people are usually in groups. The morning work environment quickly shifts to a more subtle and less crowded one.
      During my visit on the corner of Hill St. and W 11th St. I noticed that the adjacent streets were One-Way only. I did not see a lot of cars at the moment, mostly metro buses, and the only businesses that seemed to be open where three overly priced parking structures and two nightclubs/theaters. The people surrounding the nightclubs/theaters were loud, carelessly smoking out in the open, and everyone seemed to be in conversation with one another. While I stood near the intersection of the two streets I observed my surroundings and noticed that the road was poorly managed and there seemed to be little attention given to its maintenance. Attached below are some photos of Hill Street.

      The picture on the right shows a police car model that is rarely seen, perhaps they are only available in the downtown area. The next picture exposes the cracked road and sidewalk. The driving lanes are narrow and only one car was in sight at the time. In addition to the road conditions the picture on the right shows a group of guys crossing the street. I did not see many girls on the street, most likely because of safety concerns. More males are likely to feel comfortable walking alone at night than females. The "nightlife" that this young crowd lives might be fun, but dangerous. This part of downtown L.A. reveals the difference between older and younger cultures. The morning life is busy and fast-paced versus the night life when a younger crowd is more visible. This may be related to the differentiation that occurs within cities. 

     In my perspective the streets might not be managed as much as they should be because of the heavy early commute and lack of funds. A lot of the observations I made can apply to other street corners in the block perimeter. As I noted before, the cities road conditions can provide disadvantages such as overpriced parking structures to ensure security and the one way street might make reaching a destination more time consuming and difficult. Evidently these city differences lead to differences in the type of people that you see at specific times of the day. My trip to downtown helped me realize how different one place is from another even from day to night.    

     

Blogging Social Difference in L.A. : Week 1

Hello!

      I am Katherine, a third year at UCLA! My blog will follow a journey through exploring the ins and outs of the Los Angeles Metro Region. Seeing as how I am from the San Fernando Valley I find myself in the center of many large cities. The Valley, a typically warmer and vast region is extremely different than my current home in Westwood. The Los Angeles metro region encompasses hundreds of cities and massive groups of people. We are often asked, Where are you from? Crazy how millions of people can simply respond with the same answer, L.A., yet each one leads completely different lifestyles.
      This takes part in the discussion of what we consider as social difference in L.A. Two people can both claim to be from Los Angeles, but it the real cities in which we live in that shape our understanding, behavior, and opportunities. Social difference can include one's gender, ethnicity, class, etc. These qualities are what separate people into groups and what ultimately determines one's access in life. Although San Fernando and Westwood are placed in the same category as L.A. cities, they both exert differences that have given me advantages as well as disadvantages. Evidently difference really does make a difference.

 My two homes: The Valley(above) and Westwood(below)

      I am interested in the way this class will allow me to expand my views beyond those that I have acquired living in my home town my whole life. I am intrigued by the concept that differences in cities create peoples ideas, political views, and overall who we are. What would the world be like if we all lived in identical cities? I am excited to grab a taste of new cities, or as Robert E. Park states "little worlds", and as a return have a new perspective on my own life.