How an Abandoned Bus Station Became a City’s Creative Hub

Hailed as a Leader in Tijuana's “Rebirth,” the Terminal-Turned-Collaborative-Space Quickly Grew Into a Victim of Its Own Success

Standing under the multi-colored glass ceiling in the former Mexicoach bus terminal, Tijuana native Miguel Buenrostro asked a small group of visitors, “What does it feel like to destroy something beautiful?” A chilling question. One that will be answered for him July 31.

I was visiting Tijuana on a tour organized by the architecture firm Gensler. As the owner of an agency, I was interested to see how creatives—architects and designers—were shaping their city after a long difficult period. Buenrostro greeted us at our third stop that day.

He, along with …

By Darin Beaman | July 20, 2015

Transitioning Genders Isn’t About Glamour

Coming out in Vanity Fair Is One Thing, But Learning to Be Open With Your Family and Friends Is Another

By Natalie Yeh | July 16, 2015

Four years ago, when I first started presenting to the world as a woman, I met my friend Jamie for lunch in West L.A. As soon as we sat down, …

The Confederate Flag’s Gone, But Slavery’s Still Here

150 Years After Emancipation, the U.S. is Still Struggling to End Human Trafficking

By Brenda Stevenson | July 15, 2015

What is slavery, and what does it have to do with America today?

Most people in the U.S. understand that slavery was the condition black people were forced into before …

Why Pluto Still Deserves Our Love

Nine Years After Its Launch, a NASA Spacecraft Is About to See What the Formerly Major Planet Can Tell Us About the Origins of the Solar System

by Bonnie Buratti | July 14, 2015

One of my first memories as a child in the 1950s was a discussion I had with my brother in our tiny bedroom in the family house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. …

There’s a Difference Between Riots and Rebellion

Dismissing Unrest in America’s Cities as Aimless Violence Overlooks the Roots of People’s Anger

by Paul Bisceglio | July 13, 2015

From the Boston Tea Party to the recent protests in Baltimore and Ferguson, Americans have a long history of using violence to combat oppression and push for social change. But …

What Amnesiac California Needs Is a Museum of the Great Recession

The State Invented This Worldwide Downturn, So Why Not Memorialize It?

By Joe Mathews | July 9, 2015

Californians are bad at remembering things, especially about California.

Our memories are so gone that our politicians, from Gov. Brown on down, can’t stop reminding us that just a few …

Thinking L.A.