Hispanic culture

I love living in Downey. The Hispanic culture is woven throughout our city. I visited a friend's birthday party recently and was first entertained by this mariachi band. I didn't understand any of the words, but the music was lively and joyous.

The second Hispanic aspect of the party was the food. These caterers brought their own grill to cook three kinds of meat and soft tortillas. It was a joyous celebration.

How have you experienced Downey's Hispanic culture this week?

Closer than you think

One of the nice things about living in Downey is that you are close to so many other cities. Over the last few years, I have enjoyed getting familiar with downtown Los Angeles (which is only about 13 miles west of Downey on surface streets). I have also come to realize, since we started blogging every day, that winter is a great time to take pictures in Southern California. The sky is generally more blue and we often get puffy clouds to show up!

Here is the LA skyline on a winter day. One of my favorite haunts in LA is Olvera Street. It is where Los Angeles began. And, there is a significant Hispanic culture still vibrant there. The old marketplace is filled with booths selling musical instruments, clothing, toys, food...and rosaries. It is fun to walk around and get a sense of our local history, close to home.