Interviews, conversations & articles featuring Etan Does LA

Los Angeles Times: 72 awesome things to do with kids in L.A. before they grow up

Yo LA parents, here are 72 things to do with your kids this weekend (or any weekend), courtesy of the Los Angeles Times. I wrote the blurbs for six of them.

Only one of the six is on the National Register, but I love ’em anyway. More info:

In a Minute with Evan Lovett Podcast: Here’s Who to Follow in L.A.!!!

If ya don’t already know his name, Evan Lovett is the clear standard bearer within next-gen LA history circles. His LA in a Minute account has transcended its social media roots to carve out a presence on TV, major print news outlets, huge podcasts, etc. So it was a huge surprise to wake up to a DM from Evan, letting me know that he included Etan Does LA in his podcast episode about the LA accounts to follow on social media.

Fast forward to the 5-minute mark to hear the part about me.

To say I’m honored is an understatement. His list includes a lot of my LA history heroes and friends, the people that inspire me every day, and a bunch of people that I didn’t know until I listened to the episode. It also means a lot to be recognized by Evan, a dude whose dedication to and passion for this city is evident in everything he posts. There is no question he deserves all the success he’s had over the last couple years, and he always makes the effort to shine a light on other people who haven’t yet gotten the same level of attention.

So give the podcast episode a listen (here it is on Spotify and Apple Podcasts) and discover some new LA lovers to follow. I’m the first person he mentions, about 5 minutes in.

Glendora Historical Society Newsletter: The Glendora Bougainvillea (July-August 2024 issue)

Honored to have my article about the Glendora Bougainvillea reprinted in the official rag of Glendora’s historical guardians. Click the image below to download a PDF version of the issue.

Thanks to Scott Rubel of the Glendora Historical Society for reaching out.

LAist.com: Looking for Summer Fun with a Side of LA History? Check Out These 6 Spots (June 14, 2024)

LAist’s Monica Bushman asked me to recommend six LA landmarks to visit this summer for this breezy article.

Here are the sites I chose, along with links to my own writing about each one (aside from Adamson House, I’ll write about that one after I take the tour):

LAist “How to LA” Podcast: Hollyhock House’s LA Significance — With ‘Etan Does LA’ (Episode 288 – June 10, 2024)

The same day that I visited Hollyhock House for Etan Does LA visit #212, the How to LA podcast folks interviewed me on site about the history of Frank Lloyd Wright’s first Los Angeles commission. It was a surreal experience, chatting about the history of a house I hadn’t been inside in over a decade. But we remedied that quick with a guided tour by Abbey Chamberlain Brach, Curator of at Hollyhock House since 2015. Give a listen to this most excellently produced podcast featuring both me and Abbey.

You can also find the episode on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen to stuff.

The Rogue Historian Podcast with Keith Harris (June 1, 2024)

I’m a big fan of Keith Harris‘s form of history pedagogy on social media: he’s conversational, he’s helpful and he addresses topics big and small in engaging ways. The kinds of qualities that make him a good high school teacher, and also a great interviewer! Keith and I had a wide-ranging chat about the landmarks that preserve LA’s physical history, and why it’s important to keep those ties to our past even in the face of development.

You can find the episode on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your audio entertainment. While you’re at it, give Keith a follow on Instagram.

LAist “How to LA” Podcast: A Fan of LA’s Historic Places Explains What Makes ‘Bungalow Courts’ So Special (Episode 254 – March 18, 2024)

In early February, Host Brian de los Santos and his delightful crew accompanied me on my visit to Pasadena’s Gartz Court (see visit #191). We talked about the history of bungalow courts, as a way into learning about LA landmarks and the National Register. My favorite part is how they wove in the voices and stories of Gartz residents Hanni Fox (the most recent resident) and John Ziegler (who’s lived there since 1985), for a much richer look into what it’s like to live at a historic place.

You can also find the episode on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen to stuff. And check out show producer Monica Bushman’s excellent writeup about the episode, too.

Angel City Press: L.A. Through the Pages (KCET Artbound | Season 14, Ep. 5 – November 2023)

So this was unexpected! I’ve got a verrrry brief cameo in an episode of KCET’s excellent Artbound series, all about the heroic enterprise of LA-centric book publisher Angel City Press. Little did I know they were filming at the LA Times Festival of Books, right as I was visiting the Angel City booth to meet one of my LA history heroes, Frances Anderton. Right around the 40:55 mark you’ll hear me spelling out my name, and saying goodbye to Frances. I hope you watch from the beginning, even the parts without me are worth watching.

LA Conservancy: People + Places – The Haunted Halloween Edition (October 2023)

I joined my dear friend Karie Bible (the Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s famous “lady in black”) and the LA Conservancy’s Senior Director of Advocacy, Adrian Scott Fine to explore how LA’s built environment embodies the spirit of Halloween, from celebrity cemeteries to spooky architecture.

In this fun and informative virtual chat, we discuss the dramatic designs of iconic locations like the Ennis House and Spadena House, explore how community and culture play a central role in cemeteries and final resting places, and TRY to answer the question: just what makes a place “scary”🤔?

Listen to My Interview with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM 102.7 (September 2023)

On 7:20am on Monday, September 11, 2023, KIIS FM listeners driving into work heard Ryan Seacrest interview some random dude with a weird name about three LA landmarks that everyone needs to see. SPOILER ALERT: I was that random dude with a weird name.

Ryan Seacrest & Etan

Listen to the full interview right here, or watch a video of me, my daughter and my cat reacting to it live.

Los Angeles Times: I’m Visiting All 600 L.A. Spots on the National Register. Here Are 10 You Can’t Miss (February 2023)

The Los Angeles Times asked me to put together a list of 10 Los Angeles landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places that you need to see.

LA Times - NRHP cover image

Check out the article (if you’re a Times subscriber) or click through for deep dives on each selection on EtanDoesLA.com.

Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (November 2022)

Here’s a “Trail” guide I curated for the good folks at FORT:LA, about five of my favorite historic houses on the NRHP that you can go to with your kids.

Get the Let’s Hit the Trail Kids! Five Historic Houses on the National Register Every Family Needs to See Trail at the FORT:LA website: https://www.fortla.org/trails-films-research/trails. It’s free, but you gotta enter your email address first.

Los Angeles Conservancy Interview (July 26, 2022)

Read the full LA Conservancy interview here.

Environmental Directions Radio Interview (May 30, 2022)

An audio interview about Etan Does LA with environmentalist Nancy Pearlman. Recorded at her mountain cabin in Idyllwild, CA, designed by my favorite architect John Lautner.

Los Angeles Times (May 3, 2022)

On our visit to Idyllwild on my 40th birthday weekend, we visited the awe-inspiring Alpenglow Lilac Gardens, owned by the loveliest man on planet earth, Gary Parton. LA Times photographer Dania Maxwell just happened to be wrapping up a photoshoot there as we stopped in, and now the whole family is famous!

Read the LA Times story here.