Sandi Hemmerlein
Sandi Hemmerlein is a writer and photographer. Based in L.A. but constantly on the prowl for new adventure, she spends most of her time nurturing her interest in birds, animals, neon, historic theaters, puppets, trains, folk art, and stained glass. In addition to her work for PBS SoCal, Sandi also documents everything on her own website Avoiding Regret.
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In its 25th anniversary year, Fine Cut Festival of Films hosted a summit to help student filmmakers navigate the festival circuit with the advice of an esteemed group of panelists from many aspects of the film industry — writing, directing, programming, educating, and more.
Explore Thai Town and East Hollywood with all of its delicious, boozy and vintage offerings. But before you start wandering, charge up with a coffee from Obet & Del's, a neighborhood coffee haven serving up café drinks inspired by Southeast Asian culture.
The Tree Yoga Collective is providing a self-care resource to its South Los Angeles community with a focus on equitable access to mindfulness, meditation, and flow. Here are some other South L.A. hidden gems for fostering inner peace, too — including a healthy dose of nature, plant-based cuisine and caffeine.
SoCal Wanderer host Rosey Alvero takes you to Babes of Wellness, an inclusive gym for women in Compton — where you can discover other ways of finding strength and power by feeding your body and mind.
Meet the generation of the Villegas family that's continuing the tradition of bringing Middle Eastern-influenced Mexican cuisine to Boyle Heights out of the Los Originales Tacos Árabes de Puebla food truck.
When you're visiting Alchemy Craft in Montebello, featured in Episode 1 of Season 3 of the PBS SoCal Original digital series "SoCal Wanderer," you can also hit up the other vendors at the BLVD MRKT food hall where the craft cocktail bar is located. And if you go for Sunday brunch, you can also catch some lowriders cruising down Whittier Boulevard.
The "SoCal Wanderer" digital series, a PBS SoCal Original, is back for Season 3 with visits to even more women-led businesses: Alchemy Craft in Montebello, Los Originales Tacos Árabes De Puebla in Boyle Heights, Babes of Wellness in Compton, The Tree Yoga Cooperative in South L.A. and Obet and Del's in East Hollywood/Thai Town.
The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.
As snow flurries dot the skies over Los Angeles during a record-breaking winter storm — and accumulation occurs at as low as 1000 feet of elevation — here's a look back at some of the historic snowfall in L.A. throughout the 20th century, including vintage images of snowball fights, snowmen and more.
Just in time for the new year, here's a year-end "best of" roundup of SoCal Wanderer's top adventures from 2022 — from L.A. to the Inland Empire, High Desert, San Diego and beyond.
Whether you spell it "Hanukkah" or "Chanukah," it's the Jewish Festival of Lights that occurs over the course of eight nights every December. Here's where you can celebrate in L.A. in 2022 — no matter what your faith or background.