Why Doesn't L.A. Have a Little Italy? (Los Angeles, Lincoln: restaurant, food)

[Ira500]

Here's a theory:
A number of cities used to have a Little Italy. When they were established, they may have been very safe but they weren't fancy neighborhoods, they were full of recent immigrants trying to make it. As they did make it, they moved out of the neighborhood and spread out. This happened in Seattle, where " Garlic Gulch" was near " Kosher Canyon" ( also no longer exists) and Chinatown, and I'm guessing something similar happened in LA and other cities.

[Dirk Bonner]

Originally Posted by Desertho

Also, don't forget that unlike other Little Italy's, L.A. went on and created an entire neighborhood that resembled an Italian city. Care to guess where it is? It rhymes with "penis".

Wow! Is that how Venice is pronounced. For years I've been pronouncing it the same as the Venice in Italy.

[Dirk Bonner]

Is there a Little New England in LA?

[Full-Blooded American]

Originally Posted by Dirk Bonner

Is there a Little New England in LA?

What would we put there, all the gated community liberals?

BTW, great thread James T.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by Full-Blooded American

What would we put there, all the gated community liberals?

In my experience, gated communities seem to mainly attract conservatives.

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by cre8

In my experience, gated communities seem to mainly attract conservatives.

Off-topic. We're talking about why there is no Little Italy in LA.

[WannaGoHome]

Originally Posted by DaBeez

No it isnt. Omaha Nebraska had Italian immigrants and for some reason, Los Angeles does not and never has. Plus, "Little Italys" in other places you rarely find people who actually speak Italian. So you really dont get the sense of actually being part of that culture.

I agree with the part that in "Little Italy's" you usually don't find people who speak Italian. I live in Boston's North End and people here get so upset when we are referred to as "little Italy." I think it's because most Little Italy's are tourist traps where the culture isn't there anymore. The North End is still heavily Italian and every morning walking to work I hear people speaking Italian. You can order in Italian at most restaurants, ask your elderly neighbor how he's doing in Italian, go to a festival with Italian music/food every weekend over summer, go to Mass on Sunday (in Italian), hear people singing in Italian at cafes. It's pretty amazing, I must say. It's definitely no Little Italy and the closest i've found to Italy in the US.

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by WannaGoHome

I agree with the part that in "Little Italy's" you usually don't find people who speak Italian. I live in Boston's North End and people here get so upset when we are referred to as "little Italy." I think it's because most Little Italy's are tourist traps where the culture isn't there anymore. The North End is still heavily Italian and every morning walking to work I hear people speaking Italian. You can order in Italian at most restaurants, ask your elderly neighbor how he's doing in Italian, go to a festival with Italian music/food every weekend over summer, go to Mass on Sunday (in Italian), hear people singing in Italian at cafes. It's pretty amazing, I must say. It's definitely no Little Italy and the closest i've found to Italy in the US.

That's something you'll never see in Los Angeles.lol

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Here's a theory:
A number of cities used to have a Little Italy. When they were established, they may have been very safe but they weren't fancy neighborhoods, they were full of recent immigrants trying to make it. As they did make it, they moved out of the neighborhood and spread out. This happened in Seattle, where " Garlic Gulch" was near " Kosher Canyon" ( also no longer exists) and Chinatown, and I'm guessing something similar happened in LA and other cities.

L.A. had Little Italys in the past - pre WW2 Lincoln Heights and post WW2 Los Feliz Village to name a couple examples.

Wikipedia refers to Brentwood as L.A.'s "Little Italy" although I'm not sure if I'd agree with that - Italian restaurants and East Coast transplants do not a Little Italy make. It's certainly no North Beach.

[nickdahammer]

True, what is now Chinatown ('New Chinatown' created when they built Union Station), was an Italian enclave, as well as parts of Lincoln Heights. The San Antonio Winery is still in the Heights- nice place. Not to mention St. Peter's Church.