Architect Alice Kimm, of John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, is Chair of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of Practice at USC’s School of Architecture. Before participating in a panel on whether downtown L.A. will ever work, she explained in the Zócalo green room that she would never want to read minds, but she would love to have X-ray vision—to see what people are hiding in their pockets.
Q:
What’s your favorite condiment?
A:
I’m Korean so I have to say kimchi. I’ll eat kimchi with steak, with anything.
Q:
What’s your favorite Korean restaurant in L.A.?
A:
I don’t have a particular favorite because it depends on what you’re eating. But a lot of us tend to go to Chosun Galbee, coming from USC or some downtown event. It’s a well-designed space with great food. That’s a good bet.
Q:
If you could annex any country to the U.S., which would you choose?
A:
I wish I were more well traveled, and I could probably give you a better answer. If you asked me what state, I would say Hawaii, for obvious reasons. I’d want to annex Hawaii to California—I’d want it a little bit closer to home.
Q:
What superpower would you like to have?
A:
I know I don’t want to be able to read minds. But I think I would love to have X-ray vision. There’s something about being able to see what people are hiding in their pockets that’s very appealing to me.
Q:
How does someone know when you’re embarrassed?
A:
I will turn very red. Of course that might just come from alcohol, too, so they’d have to be able to distinguish between the two.
Q:
What’s your most useless kitchen gadget?
A:
Oh, I have many useless kitchen gadgets. I actually never use a wedding gift that was given to us—a juicer. So I would say that’s the most useless one that we own.
Q:
What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?
A:
Honestly, this is going to sound kind of funny, but it’s the wallet I carry. It’s actually my third of the same wallet, but I love my wallet. The first time it was given to me was as a gift from my husband. It’s a Comme des Garçons passport wallet, so it’s very big, and I have everything in it!
Q:
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
A:
People who are always whining about the past.
Q:
Who was your childhood hero?
A:
It was actually Neil Armstrong. When I was young I wanted to be an astronaut.
Q:
What’s your favorite color?
A:
Pink! Do you like the chairs [at Grand Park]? I love the chairs.
Q:
Where do you come up with your best ideas?
A:
In the bathtub.
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