Olvera Street
So today, on a whim we decided to have some lunch at Olvera Street.
T-shirts, marracas and handbags galore!
It was a debate between driving vs. riding the train. And for some reason or another, (for reasons we are not yet clear on); we decided to drive. In driving there was a bit more traffic than expected, but we managed to find some pretty sweet parking near Phillipe's.
We thought it would be a nice time wandering up and down the little courtyard there. But what really surprised us was how many small museums we happened upon.
The first museum highlighted David Alfaro Siqueiros' mural titled "America Tropical" right in the heart of Olvera Street. In its day, this mural was very controversial.
A docent explained that Siqueiros, upon his expulsion from Mexico in 1932, led him here to teach fresco in Los Angeles for six months where he completed three different murals. "Tropical America" was his most politically fueled piece, which depicted an Indian on a double cross, symbolizing the oppression by the US.
Behold - the mural remains!
This was painted over with white wash and rediscovered in the 1960's when the paint began to peel away (which actually preserved it).
Unbeknownst to us, the museum has its own fancy observation deck where you can look upon the sunshaded mural on the 2nd floor of the Italian Museum. You can also get a great view of the Los Angeles Post Office and Union Station.
We had no idea this even existed, so it was so cool to learn more about LA history in our own backyard. Even Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had this to say about it:
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The next museum we found next door was the Sepulveda House Musuem which was a very old building that they've made up to look like the home of someone who may have lived there in the early 1900's.
There were several spaces behind reflective plexiglass made up with Edwardian era antiques and interactive dialogue in both English and Spanish.
The bedroom was fully furnished, with intricate fixtures, kick-knacks and original metal hardware representing what this building would have looked like when it was constructed.
It had a cool, but spooky vibe.
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The warm hallways and hardwood floors had the vibe of an old haunted house for sure, But today basked in the warm afternoon light, it was almost magical.
Next, we meandered through open aired shops with pinatas, tiny guitars, wooven rugs, and hand carved and painted wooden art like these puppets.
And then, of course, we found the waterbottles made out of hooves, and Luchador masks! You know the deal... all the traditional touristy goodies.
As we went towards the main courtyard, we ran into the sounds of a traditional Pan-flute attracting a pretty good crowd. It reminded me of Long Beach or San Fransisco where live music fills the square which almost feels surreal, just picture it now.
Next thing we wanted to see was the Pico House (which we have seen on an episode of Ghost Adventures). Apparently, this was a lavish hotel back in its day, but looking into the first story window, it looked like it was all cleared out with nothing in it besides some stacked chairs.
Just down the alley, there was a Chinese-American Museum. This three story air-conditioned gallery chonologically documented Chinese immigrants coming to California around 1860. At that time there were 12 living in Los Angeles.
They brought food, traditions, and cultural knowledge with them. In the main gallery there was a chest of drawers they had set up like a Chinese Herbal Medica Shop with medicine bottles, herbs and acupuncture books.
We also got to see the old fire station and a mechanized system with ticker tape to sound alarms when some one needed to call in a fire and sound the alarm bell. Corresponding to the alarm was a giant Thomas Guide to alert the team to go to a specific location. Hard to believe they figured this out way back then!
At this point, we were getting rather hungry so we thought we'd maybe head home, but we had to pass through the street again for a couple more photos.
But on our way back, we noticed our favorite restaurant, Casa La Golondrina Mexican Cafe which was crowded earlier, now had no wait. So we sat on the patio right away, facing the bustling walkway and were greeted with a basket of salty chips and fresh salsa. People-watching was great and the sound of mariachi music really set the scene. We ordered our favorite carne asada burrito and a couple of iced cold sodas and relaxed while watching the tourists and locals alike.
After lunch we mosied on back to the car, taking a few more pictures on the way! But we felt we really learned a lot this time. More about the history, the culture, the art, the immigrants, the music and the food of the people here. We are Angelinos, but revisiting this place really makes you realize how far we have come.
We are a melting pot. We are Americans. We are people who have stars in our eyes and the will to succeed and thrive here.
Not bad for a Saturday afternoon.
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