Suzan Filipek
Suzan Filipek's Latest Posts
All aboard! Wilshire / La Brea station dedicated to Tom LaBonge
Councilman Tom LaBonge’s dream to connect residents and visitors from far and wide on seamless transportation throughout his favorite city is coming closer to a reality. When the Metro “D” (formerly Purple) Line subway station opens at Wilshire / La Brea — scheduled for 2023 — passengers will see signs honoring the former local councilman, also known as “Mr. Los Angeles” and an all-around great guy. The […]
LACMA exhibits are ready to open pending government okays
Several new exhibits at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art have not yet been seen by the public, even though the exhibits were installed early last year. They had the misfortune to be readied just before the pandemic shuttered the museum’s doors last spring. LACMA officials are eagerly waiting for the governmental go-aheads to open. (Outdoor exhibits and grounds have been allowed to be open to […]
Cooking and music… and ooh la la, 25 years later
“Food kind of brought us together,” says chef and financier Gene Straub of meeting his wife Janneke. To be fair, music and the City of Lights also played a role in the Larchmont Village couple’s romance. While Janneke lived in the French capital, Gene’s route to Paris was a circuitous one, starting on the East […]
Holocaust survivor’s book tells of fear, loss and triumph
Holocaust survivor Gabriella Karin wrote her memoir as a 90th birthday present to herself. While her story speaks to the horrors of war, it also celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. In 1944, Karin hid in a cramped apartment for nine long months. But unlike Anne Frank — the diarist in the Netherlands who […]
Los Angeles’ ‘cheerleader,’ Tom LaBonge, 67
Former City Councilman Tom LaBonge brought his love of Los Angeles and enthusiasm everywhere he went, from his regular hikes in Griffith Park, to dining at Pink’s Hot Dog stand and to city streets, where he would help city crews pick up trash. He lit up the Larchmont Chronicle offices when he walked in with […]
Margaret Sowma, 105, community activist
Margaret Sowma, 105, died Jan. 10 at St. John of God assisted living, after a battle with COVID-19. The longtime Windsor Square resident had been a block captain for the Windsor Square Association, an alternate director on the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council and a labor and community activist. Born in Connecticut, as a child she […]
