Esotouric offers five-tour architecture series

In February, Esotouric's 5-tour architecture series reveals an unknown Southern California

WHAT: Esotouric's 5-tour architecture and urbanism series, REYNER BANHAM LOVES L.A., kicks off with THE NEW CHINATOWNS (2/5, 11am-3pm) and SOUTH LOS ANGELES (2/6, 11am-3pm), with ROUTE 66, BOYLE HEIGHTS and DOWNTOWN to follow

WHERE/WHEN: THE NEW CHINATOWNS departs 11am from Phillipe's in Chinatown; SOUTH LOS ANGELES departs 11am from Cafe Metropol in Downtown

WEEKEND TOUR PACKAGES: Enjoy two days of architectural Los Angeles bus tourism, and save $30 with a weekend pass, details at the links below -
http://www.esotouric.com/february2011weekend
http://esotouric.com/boyleheights-route66-discount-2-11

COST: $58/person, or just $45 with a weekend pass

INFO: http://www.esotouric.com, 323-223-2767

Architecture critic Reyner Banham called them "The Plains of Id" those vast, uncharted flatlands between the freeways of Los Angeles, home to millions of L.A. residents but rarely talked about unless something extraordinary happens-- like the recent scandal over outrageous city salaries in poor, tiny Bell.

But to the eclectic tour company Esotouric, The Plains of Id are among themost fascinating parts of Los Angeles, deserving more attention than a brief, scandalous blip. And with their SOUTH LOS ANGELES tour, they delve deep into the uncharted wonders of two centuries of history through the neglected neighborhoods where some of the city's most compelling and unexpected landmarks rub elbows with stucco taquerias and seemingly endless sprawl. The tour rolls through Vernon (the controversial zone of industry with a lively Prohibition-era past), Santa Fe Springs (a bucolic retreat destroyed when oil was discovered -- but not before Irving Gill built one of the most beautiful and little-known houses in Southern California), Bell Gardens (site of the boggling architectural layer cake of an adobe-wrapped-in-a-Victorian-wrapped-in-a-trailer-park), East Los Angeles (important in the history of Southland rail transit) and Downey (home of the Carpenters, Kustom Kar Kulture and the newly restored Johnie's Broiler/Bob's Big Boy drive-in).

Esotouric's February architecture and urbanism tour series includes THE NEW CHINATOWNS (Saturday, February 5), SOUTH LA (Sunday, February 6), ROUTE 66 (Saturday, February 19), the debut of BOYLE HEIGHTS (Sunday, February 20) and THE LOWDOWN ON DOWNTOWN (Saturday, February 26), with $30 off discount tickets for weekend packages on February 5/6 and February 19/20. Inspired bythe British architectural critic Reyner Banham, who host Richard Schave studied under at UC Santa Cruz, the REYNER BANHAM LOVES LOS ANGELES series offers a fresh way of looking at the urban web of history, mass transit, migration and mystery that somehow holds L.A. together.

The SOUTH LOS ANGELES Esotouric bus adventure begins downtown and works its way south through Vernon, Bell Gardens, Santa Fe Springs and Downey, and through the past two centuries, exploring some of L.A.'s seldom-seen gems. The bus goes into areas not traditionally associated with the important, beautiful or significant, raising issues of preservation, adaptive reuse and the evolution of the city from Spanish ranchos to the 'burbs. The locations all speak to the power, mutability and reach of the Southern California Dream.

Tour stops include: The Gage Mansion, Bell Gardens (1808). The oldest adobe structure in L.A. County, this fascinating home sits in the middle of a 65-year-old trailer park on the banks of the Rio Hondo River in Bell Gardens. Between the layers of context at this site is the history of migration and growth in the Southland, from Spanish land grants to the dust bowl to the vast waves of stucco suburbs.

The Clarke Estate, Santa Fe Springs (1919). A recently rediscovered masterpiece by tilt-slab concrete innovator Irving Gill, this Mission Revival-inspired dwelling features symbolic leaves pressed into the walls and feels like a time capsule from a simpler California.

East Los Angeles Train Station, East L.A. (1932). A prominent location inthe 1946 film "The Postman Always Rings Twice," it was built to deal with congestion and overcrowding in the existing downtown terminals. Currently a picturesque Mission-style ruin in the shadow of the wacky Citadel shopping center, will it rise again as the rail lines reassert themselves?

Johnie's Broiler, Downey (1958/2009). A cautionary tale about historic preservation, this beloved Downey drive-in with its landmark neon sign was illegally demolished by a renter who wanted to park use cars in its place. The site was barred from further commercial use due to public outcry, and was recently lovingly restored as a Bob's Big Boy.

Tropicana Bakery. Downey's celebrated Cuban sandwich and sweet shop, creators of such temptations as the Choco-Flan, the giant cake-and-fruit-filled Florentine cookie, and the Flan/Cheesecake layer cake. Passengers will enjoy a snack and conversation stop in this charming establishment.

These are just some of the extraordinary buildings and stories passengers explore on the SOUTH LOS ANGELES edition of "Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles," Esotouric's unique architectural tour series. This tour was also presented as a lecture by Richard Schave entitled "Learning from... Los Angeles" at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal in 2009.

These Esotouric bus adventures provide fresh ways of seeing the Southland and mingling with fascinating fellow travelers, and are a must for urban explorers, architecture buffs and anyone who enjoys turning over rocks to reveal the secrets beneath.

Upcoming Esotouric bus tour and special event schedule
Sat Jan 15 - Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's L.A.
Sat Jan 22 - The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's So. Cal. Nightmare
Sun Jan 30 - LAVA's Sunday Salon at Clifton's Cafeteria (free, info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Jan 30 - The Science and Art of Forensic Investigations: Criminalistics from Test Tube to Testimony (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Feb 5 - Reyner Banham Loves LA: The New Chinatowns (weekend package available)
Sun Feb 6 - Reyner Banham Loves LA: South LA (weekend package available)
Sun Feb 13 - The Science and Art of Forensic Investigations: Criminalistics from Test Tube to Testimony (info at lavatransforms.org)
Sat Feb 19 - Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: Route 66 (weekend package available)
Sat Feb 20 - Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: Boyle Heights (debut, weekend package available)
Sat Feb 26 - Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The Lowdown on Downtown- TheSecret History of Los Angeles
Sat March 5 - Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice crime bus tour
Sat March 12 - Eastside Babylon crime bus tour (weekend package available)
Sun March 13 - Blood & Dumplings crime bus tour (weekend package available)
Sat March 19 - Pasadena Confidential crime bus tour

Esotouric's Richard Schave, Kim Cooper and Joan Renner are proud members ofLAVA - The Los Angeles Visionaries Association.
http://www.lavatransforms.org

For more info on Esotouric, visit
http://www.esotouric.com