This tour has been honored as an “Editor Pick – City Gem” by Flavorpill L.A.

A criminal and gastronomical excursion into the San Gabriel Valley, Blood & Dumplings rolls through Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, Rosemead and El Monte, revealing dozens of weird, forgotten crimes and oddities from the valleyâ€s past.

Highlights include the mysterious Man from Mars Bandit, the lesbian couple whose bickering over spending cash resulted in one pumping the other full of downers until she died, the young bride who spent her wedding day buried under her parents†house, the battling neo-Nazis of El Monte, Phil Spectorâ€s spooky castle and the little bar where James Ellroyâ€s murdered mother Jean had her last drink.

The tour includes a selection of dumplings from one of the San Gabriel Valleyâ€s best Chinese restaurants.(Vegetarian passengers, please let us know your food preference several days before we depart.) If using a gift certificate, please note that this tour has an additional $5 dumpling fee, payable in cash or check at the bus door.

Passenger Feedback

“Iâ€ve taken the famous ‘Ghostly New Orleans†and ‘Mysteries of Venice, Italy†tours and also enthusiastically enjoyed Londonâ€s ‘Jack the Ripper of Whitehall†tour, and I assure you none surpasses Richard Schave and Kim Cooperâ€s Esotouric “Blood & Dumplings” bus excursion into the bizarrely memorable but rarely-visited regions of East Los Angeles. As humorous and constantly entertaining as it is thoroughly researched, this lovingly crafted 4-hour tour is essential for any tourist or long-term denizen who wishes to comprehend the many fascinating characters and their dark, odd-ball deeds which have contributed to Los Angeles†nutty history. Very comfortable, carefully prepared, weirdly funny, and unforgettable.” (F.A.)

In this new special event bus adventure, a sequel to his popular tour about Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army, author Brad Schreiber (Revolutionâ€s End: The Patty Hearst Kidnapping, Mind Control, and the Secret History of Donald DeFreeze and the SLA) takes us deeper down the counterculture rabbit hole, for a wild ride through the mean streets of Los Angeles, on the trail of the Manson Family.

August 1969, 49 years ago this week, the city shuddered at news of two brutal and apparently random home invasions, the first claiming the lives of actress Sharon Tate and four visitors in the Hollywood Hills, the second leaving supermarket owners Leno and Rosemary LaBianca lifeless in Los Feliz. The unknown killers left a chilling message for the public: cryptic phrases scrawled in the victims†blood.

What followed is perhaps the best documented criminal investigation and trial in history, concluding in the murder convictions of a sinister crew of hollow-eyed cultists and the elevation of small-time hustler Charlie Manson to the starring role of Americaâ€s Bogeyman.

You already know the story of Charlieâ€s brainwashed family of acid-damaged dropouts, their black school bus and stolen dune buggies, Charlieâ€s thwarted musical ambitions and dreams of a coming race war called Helter Skelter. Itâ€s the true crime story thatâ€s inspired dozens of books, documentaries, podcasts and dramatizations. (If youâ€d like to read up on the case before taking the tour, our Kim Cooper considers The Family by Ed Sanders a great example of immersive true crime reporting, and host Brad Schreiberâ€s research for this tour relied most upon Nikolas Schreck and his definitive, nearly 1,000 page work, The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman.)

But the truth behind the Manson Familyâ€s crimes is even weirder, darker and more complicated than you know.

This tour has been honored as an “Editor Pick – City Gem” by Flavorpill L.A.

A criminal and gastronomical excursion into the San Gabriel Valley, Blood & Dumplings rolls through Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, Rosemead and El Monte, revealing dozens of weird, forgotten crimes and oddities from the valleyâ€s past.

Highlights include the mysterious Man from Mars Bandit, the lesbian couple whose bickering over spending cash resulted in one pumping the other full of downers until she died, the young bride who spent her wedding day buried under her parents†house, the battling neo-Nazis of El Monte, Phil Spectorâ€s spooky castle and the little bar where James Ellroyâ€s murdered mother Jean had her last drink.

The tour includes a selection of dumplings from one of the San Gabriel Valleyâ€s best Chinese restaurants.(Vegetarian passengers, please let us know your food preference several days before we depart.) If using a gift certificate, please note that this tour has an additional $5 dumpling fee, payable in cash or check at the bus door.

Passenger Feedback

“Iâ€ve taken the famous ‘Ghostly New Orleans†and ‘Mysteries of Venice, Italy†tours and also enthusiastically enjoyed Londonâ€s ‘Jack the Ripper of Whitehall†tour, and I assure you none surpasses Richard Schave and Kim Cooperâ€s Esotouric “Blood & Dumplings” bus excursion into the bizarrely memorable but rarely-visited regions of East Los Angeles. As humorous and constantly entertaining as it is thoroughly researched, this lovingly crafted 4-hour tour is essential for any tourist or long-term denizen who wishes to comprehend the many fascinating characters and their dark, odd-ball deeds which have contributed to Los Angeles†nutty history. Very comfortable, carefully prepared, weirdly funny, and unforgettable.” (F.A.)

This tour has been honored as an “Editor Pick – City Gem” by Flavorpill L.A.

A criminal and gastronomical excursion into the San Gabriel Valley, Blood & Dumplings rolls through Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, Rosemead and El Monte, revealing dozens of weird, forgotten crimes and oddities from the valleyâ€s past.

Highlights include the mysterious Man from Mars Bandit, the lesbian couple whose bickering over spending cash resulted in one pumping the other full of downers until she died, the young bride who spent her wedding day buried under her parents†house, the battling neo-Nazis of El Monte, Phil Spectorâ€s spooky castle and the little bar where James Ellroyâ€s murdered mother Jean had her last drink.

The tour includes a selection of dumplings from one of the San Gabriel Valleyâ€s best Chinese restaurants.(Vegetarian passengers, please let us know your food preference several days before we depart.) If using a gift certificate, please note that this tour has an additional $5 dumpling fee, payable in cash or check at the bus door.

Passenger Feedback

“Iâ€ve taken the famous ‘Ghostly New Orleans†and ‘Mysteries of Venice, Italy†tours and also enthusiastically enjoyed Londonâ€s ‘Jack the Ripper of Whitehall†tour, and I assure you none surpasses Richard Schave and Kim Cooperâ€s Esotouric “Blood & Dumplings” bus excursion into the bizarrely memorable but rarely-visited regions of East Los Angeles. As humorous and constantly entertaining as it is thoroughly researched, this lovingly crafted 4-hour tour is essential for any tourist or long-term denizen who wishes to comprehend the many fascinating characters and their dark, odd-ball deeds which have contributed to Los Angeles†nutty history. Very comfortable, carefully prepared, weirdly funny, and unforgettable.” (F.A.)

The public is invited to attend the Cultural Heritage Commission’s 9/15/2016 meeting, during which there will be a vote on the Historic Cultural Monument application for the endangered Metropolitan Water District campus designed by William L. Pereira (1963).

The meeting will be in room 1010 at City Hall.

Please read the following carefully, as we want your participation in this hearing to be productive and pleasant.

1. If interested in attending, please register for this event (see upper right link – “Buy tickets” – tickets are free).
2. When you arrive in the Commission room, please fill out a public comment card. You don’t need to be an expert on William Pereira’s architectural significance to make public comment. Just speak from your conscience and heart: tell the commissioners that you care about the architectural legacy of Los Angeles, that this building is important and should be landmarked. The more people who appear to give public comment, the better, so…
3. Please pass this link along, and encourage others to join you at City Hall on September 15th.

Learn more about the campaign to preserve the Metropolitan Water District and other Pereiras in Peril, and see video from a site visit to the campus.

Please join LAVA‘s Richard Schave and Kim Cooper at the Elysian tower, the 1973 addition to William Pereira’s Metropolitan Water District headquarters, following the public site visit to the1963 portion of the compound. We’ll be making a casual presentation about the current threats facing Pereira’s work in Los Angeles, including the proposed demolition of part of the MWD campus and original LACMA buildings and redevelopment of Times-Mirror Square. Learn more by listening to this special podcast, Pereira in Peril.

We ask you to register if you plan to attend the CHC‘s site visit and/or LAVA‘s discussion at The Elysian tower. In the event that the CHC reschedules its site visit, the LAVA discussion will also be rescheduled. Use the “buy ticket” link above to register. No “plus ones.”

Attendees should park on the street. There is no pedestrian access from the Sunset Boulevard side of the building.

Light refreshments will be served at this event.

The Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) is hosting a public site visit to the 1963 William Pereira Metropolitan Water District Building as part of the review process for the site’s Historic Cultural Monument application. Please join LAVA‘s Richard Schave and Kim Cooper, who have been advocating for the preservation of this important project by a master Los Angeles modernism architect.

We ask you to register if you plan to attend the CHC‘s site visit and/or LAVA‘s discussion at The Elysian tower. In the event that the CHC reschedules its site visit, the LAVA discussion will also be rescheduled. Use the “buy ticket” link above to register. No “plus ones.”

Access to the building is from the parking lot, which is off of Alpine Street. Attendees should park on the street. There is no pedestrian access from the Sunset Boulevard side of the building.

This tour has been honored as an “Editor Pick – City Gem” by Flavorpill L.A.

A criminal and gastronomical excursion into the San Gabriel Valley, Blood & Dumplings rolls through Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, Rosemead and El Monte, revealing dozens of weird, forgotten crimes and oddities from the valleyâ€s past.

Highlights include the mysterious Man from Mars Bandit, the lesbian couple whose bickering over spending cash resulted in one pumping the other full of downers until she died, the young bride who spent her wedding day buried under her parents†house, the battling neo-Nazis of El Monte, Phil Spectorâ€s spooky castle and the little bar where James Ellroyâ€s murdered mother Jean had her last drink.

The tour includes a selection of dumplings from one of the San Gabriel Valleyâ€s best Chinese restaurants.(Vegetarian passengers, please let us know your food preference several days before we depart.) If using a gift certificate, please note that this tour has an additional $5 dumpling fee, payable in cash or check at the bus door.

Passenger Feedback

“Iâ€ve taken the famous ‘Ghostly New Orleans†and ‘Mysteries of Venice, Italy†tours and also enthusiastically enjoyed Londonâ€s ‘Jack the Ripper of Whitehall†tour, and I assure you none surpasses Richard Schave and Kim Cooperâ€s Esotouric “Blood & Dumplings” bus excursion into the bizarrely memorable but rarely-visited regions of East Los Angeles. As humorous and constantly entertaining as it is thoroughly researched, this lovingly crafted 4-hour tour is essential for any tourist or long-term denizen who wishes to comprehend the many fascinating characters and their dark, odd-ball deeds which have contributed to Los Angeles†nutty history. Very comfortable, carefully prepared, weirdly funny, and unforgettable.” (F.A.)

This tour has been honored as an “Editor Pick – City Gem” by Flavorpill L.A.

A criminal and gastronomical excursion into the San Gabriel Valley, Blood & Dumplings rolls through Alhambra, Temple City, Monterey Park, Rosemead and El Monte, revealing dozens of weird, forgotten crimes and oddities from the valleyâ€s past.

Highlights include the mysterious Man from Mars Bandit, the lesbian couple whose bickering over spending cash resulted in one pumping the other full of downers until she died, the young bride who spent her wedding day buried under her parents†house, the battling neo-Nazis of El Monte, Phil Spectorâ€s spooky castle and the little bar where James Ellroyâ€s murdered mother Jean had her last drink.

The tour includes a selection of dumplings from one of the San Gabriel Valleyâ€s best Chinese restaurants.(Vegetarian passengers, please let us know your food preference several days before we depart.) If using a gift certificate, please note that this tour has an additional $5 dumpling fee, payable in cash or check at the bus door.

Passenger Feedback

“Iâ€ve taken the famous ‘Ghostly New Orleans†and ‘Mysteries of Venice, Italy†tours and also enthusiastically enjoyed Londonâ€s ‘Jack the Ripper of Whitehall†tour, and I assure you none surpasses Richard Schave and Kim Cooperâ€s Esotouric “Blood & Dumplings” bus excursion into the bizarrely memorable but rarely-visited regions of East Los Angeles. As humorous and constantly entertaining as it is thoroughly researched, this lovingly crafted 4-hour tour is essential for any tourist or long-term denizen who wishes to comprehend the many fascinating characters and their dark, odd-ball deeds which have contributed to Los Angeles†nutty history. Very comfortable, carefully prepared, weirdly funny, and unforgettable.” (F.A.)

Climb aboard the Esotouric crime bus and discover the unwritten history of the sleepy suburb that birthed the American dream factory. From literary lions to criminal masterminds, terror plots to teenage thrill seekers, music mavens to abiding mysteries, the neighborhood is packed to the rim with fascinating lore and architectural marvels.

Featured cases from co-host Kim Cooperâ€s crime notebook include the Capitol Records car pool slaying, the fake true crime magazine photographer / real serial killer Harvey Glatman and a fascinating and terrible tale of death by hypnotic suggestion.

No, you wonâ€t see the stars†homes or hear about their latest real estate deals, but weâ€ll show you where some colorful characters breathed their last, got into trouble that defined the rest of their lives and came up with ideas that the world is still talking about. So for unforgettable stories you wonâ€t hear on anyone elseâ€s Hollywood tour, climb aboard and discover the secret heart of the city we love. Tour stops include Cross Roads of the World (Robert V. Derrah, 1936), and the sites of the legendary Garden of Allah hotel and Schwabâ€s Drugstore.