Leslie Le Mon

Highland Park in Photographs 2015 Leslie Le Mon

Publisher Marketing: "Highland Park is a hilly community that hugs the Arroyo Seco northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is bilingual, multi-cultural, blue collar, musical, artistic. Jacaranda trees bloom here in season, their blossoms falling in fiery purple flakes. Parents raise families here, kids play ball in the parks, clerics preach, teachers teach, musicians play Latin, rock, and jazz music, artists sculpt, paint murals, and detail classic automobiles, gardeners raise avocados and roses and citrus fruits. Highland Park was a cradle of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Gene Roddenberry graduated from high school here. Diane Keaton was a kid here, and so was Jackson Browne. And maybe, just maybe, the cheeseburger was invented here. A lot of things were hecho en Highland Park...." Journey through Highland Park, one of Northeast LA's most eclectic, historic, and contested neighborhoods. Originally a green and pleasant district that attracted ranchers, farmers, clerics, artists, thinkers, and families, after the mid-20th century Highland Park devolved into a zone riddled with drugs and gangs-but many residents refused to abandon their homes and businesses. In the new millennium, vibrant communities of immigrants, artists, merchants, preservationists, and hipsters are trying to restore the HLP's past glory. But the criminal element isn't going quietly. See Highland Park at this key moment in its history, when longtime locals, developers, and gangs stake claims on its soul. History - Contemporary - Urban Exploration - Photography - Los Angeles Contributor Bio:  Le Mon, Leslie Leslie is a resident of Los Angeles and a graduate of Mount Holyoke College. An author and customer service expert, Leslie began publishing the unauthorized "The Disneyland Book of Secrets" series in 2011. Readers are invited to visit her author site www.leslielemonauthor.com. She is a member of the Book Publicists of Southern California. "I've always been a story-teller ... I love to 'build worlds'. Whether through painting, or writing, or designing customer service environments ... It's about creating inviting spaces that entertain people and make them want to return." JUST PUBLISHED: "Cold Dark Harbor and Other Tales of Ghosts and Monsters" (03/20/2013 Digital - 04/12/2013 Paperback) "The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2013" (03/10/2013) "The Disneyland Book of Photos - Candy Noir" (02/14/2013) NEW BOOKS: Coming This Summer: "Sircus of Impossible Magicks: Apprentice" The sequel to the amazing fantasy series for all ages.