Departures is KCET's hyper-local web documentary, community engagement tool and digital literacy program about the cultural history of Los Angeles' neighborhoods.
5 Yangna
5 Yangna Mural
Neighborhood Profiles

LAUREN BON

LAUREN BON
"If you're looking like I am for the soul of Los Angeles, it's right here [in the Cornfields]. It's an ancient hallowed ground where a river met a fertile plain. It's the story of civilization. Hard to imagine today because... » continue reading

MUNSON KWOK

MUNSON KWOK
"Your diverse peoples found themselves settling very much around the transportation hub simply because of discrimination in the early days. You weren't really allowed to move very far away from the railroad tracks or the main road. And it so... » continue reading

GABRIELENO TONGVA MISSION INDIANS

GABRIELENO TONGVA MISSION INDIANS
"I closed my eyes for a few seconds and heard the water going by and it reminded me that when it was an actual river, not cement lined, our people where rowing in their canoes up and down the river... » continue reading
New Stories

Departures: Los Angeles River on Dwell on Design

Departures: Los Angeles River on Dwell on Design
Taking a look back at Departures: L.A. River » continue reading

Abbot Kinney Blvd. tribute or marketing ploy?

Abbot Kinney Blvd. tribute or marketing ploy?
This week, Departures: Venice looks at Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Once upon a time it was known as Washington Boulevard, but it was re-named in the 1970s - partly in tribute the neighborhood's founder, but partly as marketing ploy. » continue reading

Beats & Fetish in Venice of America

Beats & Fetish in Venice of America
The post-war years were, on the surface, the reward for America's hard work. GIs returned home to newly designed, planned communities with manicured lawns, efficient appliances and frozen TV dinners. In the 1950s America was creating a new social order... » continue reading