Week 4- Little India (Artesia) SimplyMaps

Tomorrow is the Muslim holiday, Eid!
So I went to to Artesia, in Cerritos, to buy new clothes (about 32 miles from UCLA). My favorite store is Mirage on Pioneer Blvd. These few blocks on Pioneer Blvd. is also commonly referred to as Little India.

Here you can find stores and restaurants providing primarily Indian goods and services. There are a few that are distinctly Pakistani. But all in all, it caters to the entire South Asian community.

This area is quite different from most other areas in Los Angeles. Here you will find older women and men dressed in traditional clothing. The women will be wearing either shalwar (salwar) kameez or saris. Men might also be wearing shalwar (salwar) kameez. You will also see a lot more men wearing their turbans than in most areas. You will also see women wearing kurtis. And then finally, there are people wearing "normal" clothes. Depending on what the person is wearing, it can be easily deduced which generation they are from, for example the women wearing kurtis are generally first generation Indians and so on.

Even the aromas are different. Instead of smelling pizza or burgers you can smell dosas and chat (just thinking about it makes my mouth water!) And instead of eyeing cupcakes and cookies you'll be craving mathai (Indian sweets).

While I was getting my measurements taken, I was speaking to the tailor in my mix of Urdu and English. A common way I communicate with many of the people there.

We also shop the way we do back in Pakistan, trying to bargain with them. Or rather my mum just my mom, because I have not learnt those skills living over here. Although, it is becoming more common to find stores with the sign - All Prices Final. Even if this sign were adorned in a store in Pakistan, this would never be taken seriously, unlike here.

The grocery stores on this street are selling products coming from around South Asia and also other international markets, like South East Asia and Europe.

UPDATE: 12/1/12

These two snapshots from Simplymaps shows that all the people in the zip code of Artesia are all first generation Americans.

The % of US born citizens- 0%

The % of naturalized US citizens- 100%

Week 3: Third Street (response)

This week, I decided to respond to Linna's blog from this week. She visited Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. She drew on Durkheim's concept of mechanical solidarity.


Here's my own personal picture from Third Street Promenade

Week 2- (mini) Road Trip!

This week, my brother and sister-in-law wanted to meet for dinner. We decided to meet in Manhattan Beach. Usually I would take 405 S, start on Wilshire Blvd and exit Rosecrans Ave. Instead, I decided to take an alternate route, Sepulveda Blvd. Sepulveda is a 42.8 mile road from San Fernando Valley to Long Beach and for the most part, is parallel to 405 (a freeway that can have its own blog). I decided to drive on Sepulveda because it would allow me to drive through several different areas. Allowing me to view how the roads, groups of people, cars, building, etc changed. The heavy flow of traffic aided me in observing what was going on around me. I had my phone on me and recorded audio notes, allowing me the freedom to drive but also not forgetting vital information.

I left my apartment in Westwood and got onto Wilshire (it's common in LA to not use blvd, ave, road etc, when speaking about roads). I soon turned onto Sepulveda slowly, because of the ongoing construction on the 405. While driving for a few miles I saw several busses. I saw an orange Metro,  Culver City's Green bus and Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus. The road was rough and bumpy and there were two tight lanes on each side.

The lines of the areas are blurred, there are of course official limits for each area, but I am using more of my local knowledge I have acquired recently.

At first I passed businesses on either side. I saw Ralph's, Trader Joe's and an Albertsons. as I continued down, the road widened and there were at times 3 or 4 lanes on each side. There were always cars parked on either side of the road. I soon entered in Culver City and not much changed.

I saw people walking around, getting on and off the buses and from place to place. There were a few cyclists (who got way too close to my car because of the random appearances and disappearances of bike lanes).

As I continued down Sepulveda there was more construction by the new Westfield Culver City (previously known as Fox Hills).

After this point I noticed a shift in less people walking around.

After that, I witnessed no more constructions, but there were signs for how they will soon begin on La Tijera.

By this point I had entered Westchester. There were about 4 lanes on each side. There were entrances to residential streets and soon the stores started appearing. We were nearing LAX. I saw big plaza type areas with plenty of parking (and it was all free! No parking attendants or paying areas!)

After I passed the amazing smell of In-N-Out (the scent of animal style burgers and fries wafted into my car) I passed the airport. I had to go through the tunnel, where I was reaching the limits of Westchester and entering Manhatta Beach.

By this point the roads had become very smooth and were in good condition. The roads continued to be 4 lanes on each side. The traffic lights looked newer as well.

Soon I was passing by many restaurants in plazas in between business buildings. I then passed another small mall.

By this point I had reached Rosecrans Ave and turned left. There I turned into another parking structure area, that was also free. There were several higher chain restaurants and movie theater.

It took me in total about 45-ish mins over the normal 30 minutes the 405 would have.

Week 1

I officially moved to Los Angeles on August 24, 2010. But I had been a frequent visitor since I first got my passport at the age of 3 months. I grew up in London, Houston and Doha. My parents are from Pakistan and visiting their hometown, Karachi, often I have experienced several different cultures. Although each city is unique they share many common characteristics. All cities are made up of different groups of people, levels of income, education, general health and so on.

As a Geography/Environmental Studies major at UCLA, I chose this class as my upper division requirement. This class allows me to study a city that I have been visiting and now living in. It is forcing me to take a 10 week trip to explore and observe the city of Los Angeles and the entire metropolitan area. My research methods will include driving, walking, taking public transit, speaking to its habitants and general observation. 

Los Angeles is worldly famous for a plethora of reasons. This is what makes it all the more exciting to explore, break down any stereotypes and enjoy this amazing city.

This is how Discover LA chooses to portray Los Angeles.

Come join me on my personal journey to discover LA.

Mashal.