Everywhere: Places: Alvarado Street

Death on Alvarado Street by Polly Cole

These two burnt out old houses sit on Alvarado Street, just south of Olympic Boulevard. They are hollowed out, fire damaged, and worn.

Alvarado Street is a major north/south through-way on the east side of Los Angeles.

19 December 2007
From:
Polly Cole

Alvarado Street is on the east side of Los Angeles. It runs a short distance through the center of the city. If you follow it north it turns into Glendale Blvd. and the 2 freeway, south and it turns into Hoover. When I was a teenager, Alvarado Street was known as the place to get a good fake id. Parts of it are lined with merchants selling everything from tamales to trinkets to - well - false identification. A few years ago Alvarado Street made headlines for being the artery of the Rampart Division, a section made notorious by gang activity and the dirtiest cops in the LAPD. Despite its bluster, I like Alvarado Street. I actually think it's quite beautiful.