Spring breaking

I'm headed to Paris with a long list of your recommendations, plus an update on the Metro outage, and much, much more

Alissa Walker Mar 28, 2026

LA is not a bloomin' desert

The official look and feel for the games shows, once again, that LA28 doesn't really understand our city

Alissa Walker Mar 24, 2026

Hot links

Downtown's forward motion

The goal is to improve the downtown experience by 2028 by "linking key locations with safer, cleaner, and greener streets, parks, public spaces, and transit hubs"

Alissa Walker Mar 21, 2026

Worst year ever

2 articles

Three kids walking down a gravel path in a park with a large grassy hill, shade trees, and a colorful geometric mural

The year in review

The best Torched stories, worst year edition

LA always feels empty this time of year. But at the end of 2025, the city feels not just deserted, but deflated

Alissa Walker Dec 31, 2025

It's me looking very shocked on a Zoom screen, with a refreshments sign from the 1984 games behind me, talking to Rick Cole, who has a bookshelf behind him

The year in review

Now you can binge all the Torched Talks

I've published the recordings for you to consume anytime you need a megaevent reality check. (Sorry.)

Alissa Walker Dec 29, 2025