La Placita Olvera: Olvera Street

           

After visiting Chinatown, I traveled to Olvera Street, which was just two blocks away from Chinatown. The close distance of the two areas surprised me, especially since both areas are composed of two different cultural backgrounds: Chinese and Latino. How can two entirely distinct cultures be so close to each other? The answer: that’s Los Angeles for you.

Visiting and walking through Olvera Street was so surreal. Standing in the first heart of Los Angles, the birthplace of Los Angeles itself, I felt the history and authenticity of Olvera Street.

 Los Angeles was founded in an area southeast of Olvera Street by Spanish popladores— the 44 settlers who founded Los Angeles in 1781. They named the area El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles “'The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels.” As I walked through the plaza in Olvera Street, I noticed the original name of LA, “Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles” on the entrance of a church archway. This was different from all the other signs I read that said the word Los Angeles and not El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles The name I saw turned out to be part of the oldest church in Los Angeles La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles. The Church is one of the first three Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments! Even though I have visited Hollywood and seen the walk of fame and the Hollywood sign, visiting the church had a bigger impact. It one of the first architectural building in Los Angeles!

Olvera Street is well- known as the Mexican Marketplace. Selling Mexican art, clothing, gifts, and souvenirs, Olvera street has traditional Mexican goods that are similar to those sold in Mexico. Each store was reasonably priced. My favorite items were colorful Maracas and the leather purses with the unique burned designs. Walking around all the stores, I heard the Mexican Mariachi band playing, creating traditional and authentic Mexican feel as I shopped.

To eat Mexican tacos, I went to El Cielito Lindo, a taco stand located at the beginning of Olvera Street. The tacos were cheap and tasted amazing, especially with the guacamole. The most authentic and traditional Mexican restaurant in Olvera Street is La Golondrina Café. Although I did not get a chance to eat there, La Golondrina café was a highly recommended restaurant by the shop owners of Olvera Street. To add the cherry on top of my visit, I went to Mr. Churro which is by far sells the best churros. Selling churros filled with chocolate, caramel, custard, and fruit, the fresh churros taste cheap and delicious. I tried the custard filled churro, which had a crisp and cinnamon taste on the outside and a warm and sweet custard on the inside. 

The Food and the shopping are not the only attractions in Olvera Street. The historic buildings and sites that should be visited are:

·         Masonic Hall: First Masonic Hall built in Los Angeles

·         Pico House: National Hotel from 1892-1920

·         Merced Theater: Oldest theatrical building

·         Plaza Firehouse: First fir house built in Los Angeles

·         Italian Hall: Political, Theatrical, and business building for Italians

·         Garnier Building: Housed Chinese businesses

·         Plaza Methodist Church: Built on the adobe owned by Agustin Olvera (Judge who Olvera Street was named for); Had the first missionary work for both Hispanic and Chinese People

For a Map of Olvera street: Click Here 

Chinatown 唐人街

In the heart of Los Angeles lays downtown. Associated with a metropolitan city life, downtown is the home to many businessmen, buildings, and traffic. Deceptive in appearance, downtown is also the home to the multicultural life of Los Angeles. In the heart of downtown LA I found Chinatown: home of the Chinese Americans.

       

Originally founded in 1870 in Los Calles de Los Negros, between El Pueblo Plaza and Old Arcadia Street, Chinatown was settled by Chinese Immigrants. With the establishment of restaurants, shops, and families, Chinatown flourished and became a cultural community. Until the demise of Old Chinatown in 1910 due to Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinatown was a tourist attraction. The Chinese Exclusion Act, which prevented the immigration of Chinese immigrants, caused a decrease in the influx of Chinese to Chinatown. Along with the decrease in Chinese immigrants, the corrupt media in Los Angeles portrayed Chinatown with negative images of opium dens, gambling houses, and tong warfare, causing a decrease of business and tourists to the area.  Chinatown underwent a cultural and social demise until 1930 when it was repopulated and named New Chinatown. Modernized, but still holding true to the Chinese culture, new Chinatown offers cultural attractions that appeal to the Chinese cultural and religious traditions and architecture.

Traveling to Chinatown this past weekend, I experienced the cultural life of the town. Walking around I noticed that Chinatown keeps true to the traditional Chinese architecture. Each building is like a geometry problem. It is made up of many geometric shapes and colors that help accentuate the Chinese design. The little red lanterns that hang in between the stores and the buildings add to the rich color of Chinese architecture: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. Even though it might sound cliché, I realized that I don’t take the time to appreciate the small things in life. I haven’t been to Chinatown for about 4 years, I used to go more when I was younger, but this trip opened my eyes to the world. After looking at the unique buildings of Chinatown, I noticed that there is so much to appreciate through art. Going to Chinatown when I was younger, I only looked forward to buying the little Pop Boxes that made a loud noise when thrown on the floor. Going to Chinatown as an “adult”, I appreciated Chinatown more. I guess it is true that you appreciate things in life more as you age. After seeing the Thien Hau Temple, which was built for the goddess of the sea, I was amazed at how the architectural design of the building, with dragons and Chinese symbols, reflected the Chinese culture tradition. Seeing the temple opened my eyes at the world, making it one of the unique buildings that is a must-see.









Thien Temple

  

 Shopping in Chinatown was different than shopping at a regular outdoor mall. The stores in Chinatown are little bazaars that are owned by the Chinese residents in Chinatown. From clothes to toys to jewelry and shoes, each store in Chinatown sells distinct Chinese cultural merchandise. One of the main reasons I liked shopping in Chinatown was that all of the items can be bargained for.  :]

        



Even though I do not know much about cooking, I do know how to appreciate different types of food. (I sometimes think that I appreciate food a little too much). The food in Chinatown is not only based on cultural Chinese foods, but it also has Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisine. I like seeing the diverse number of Asian food in Chinatown because it shows the effects of different cultures on Asian cuisine. One of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown is the Golden Dragon. The most popular Chinese dish in Chinatown (and my favorite dish to eat at the Golden Dragon) is Dim Sum, steamed food such as dumplings, egg rolls, and wontons. Unlike American food, dim sum is served on rolling carts which allows each individual to selectively choose the types of dim sum they want. Other popular Chinese restaurants in China town that serve dim sum are the CBS Seafood Restaurant and Empress Pavilion. However, to get a culturally enriched dining experience the Chinese restaurant, Hop Woo, is designed with Chinese Lanterns and each waitress is dressed in cheongsam, the cultural Chinese female attire.

Making a wish at the Seven Star Cavern wishing well in Chinatown, I realized that the wishing well is a symbol for the Chinese American Community. As the Chinese in Old Chinatown were culturally and ethnically targeted, due to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the media, the wishing well represents hope and luck for the Chinese. Even though the wishing well does not offer a symbolic meaning to many of the visitors in Chinatown, it offers luck, wealth, health, and happiness instead. Inside the wishing well are buckets, each representing one of these four good fortunes.  The residents in Chinatown believe that if your coin fell into one of these buckets as you made a wish, then your life will be blessed  with the certain lucky word on the bucket.

And don’t forget to rub Buddha’s belly for good luck on your way out!