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Emely Alvarado
Professor Makarosyan
English 114B
11, May 2015
A Beautiful Landscape That Went From Being Unknown, A Nightmare, to
A Symbol of Hope and Inspiration
After growing up around the same environment for several years I always thought to
myself that Ive seen it all and that there wasnt anything new to explore, especially beauty. It
wasnt until the summer after I graduated that one of my closest friends introduced me to a
location that will always stick with me. At first I didnt understand what the huge fuss was about
when I heard that several people would come to this location but after experiencing it for myself
I finally understood why. Not only was it calming but it made me think and contemplate about
current and past situations. Honestly I wouldve never thought that a space like this would make
me think too much, in particular about my identity. It was then that this space, this hill called
Mount Washington would leave a vast impact on me, make me look deeper than what the eye
saw, and to also dig deeper as to how it affected the people around the neighborhood, culture,
and class. However as time passed this place, that I originally thought was peaceful, would
eventually have me feeling fearful at first but leave me feeling hopeful.
Before visiting Mount Washington I would hear my peers from high school discuss
nonstop about how miraculous that a place like this could exist around a few minutes away from
our neighborhood. The reason being why it was shocking that this space could exist is because
our neighborhood, Highland Park, wasnt always known to be one the safest and greatest places
to live in. Its not entirely a bad neighborhood but in the past it was known to be a dangerous
place because of some gang activity, not being the most sanitary environments, and because

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of a poor performing school; Benjamin Franklin High School. However when they spoke of
Mount Washington they made it seem as if it was located in a fine area such as Pasadena. My
first response to their explanation was that they were basically exaggerating and in reality that
space is merely a space and that was it. It wasnt until the summer of last year that I got the
opportunity to go. At approximately midnight, after attending the theater, one of my best
friends demanded we went there because he was shocked to discover that Ive never visited
Mount Washington. After constant begging and nagging I finally agreed to go. Little did I know
that it was soon going to leave a significant influence on my views and myself. As soon as we
reached the top of Mount Washington I was blown away by the beauty of it. The view from the
top was astonishing and as a result left me speechless. I finally understood why so many people
enjoy going to Mount Washington, mainly in the night. Once on top of the hill one can see the
entire neighborhood including other schools in the LAUSD. What I also realized why its more
significant to go in the night is because of the entire city lights that appear. The night affects
the atmosphere because it causes the scenery to be more calming and during the night is when
more people tend to contemplate about their current situations and their life overall. The
tranquility sets in and the city is illuminated. Its peaceful which makes it comfortable and
welcoming. Once up on the hill it reminds people that although it appears that we pertain to
different areas we all actually come from the same land. The imagery of being on the very top
of the hill while looking at the different neighborhoods can represent how even though we
come from different parts of the world we still belong to the same land. In the end of the day
its still the same dirt we step on. No matter our racial backgrounds or our customs while being
on that hill people seem to surpass that and just enjoy the beauty of the view; regardless if its
near an area that isnt considered to be one of the best. I would always hear from my peers
how amazing of a place it is but I would always assume that it couldnt be worth the trip. From

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my first experience going there I realized that I shouldnt jump to conclusions, especially in
assuming that what sounded to be a simple space resulted in being an importance place to
escape to. I learned that although my peers went there for several reasons we all had the same
thought once on the hill; we all live and share this land making us connected in some way.
After arriving home after finally visiting Mount Washington I found myself reflecting on
how much it affected me. The way it was involved into my identity was because of the location.
Mount Washington is only a couple of minutes from where I grew up; a neighborhood where
the population consisted of around ninety percent Hispanics. Just like how the hill stood out
I stood out as well. I compare myself to the hill because although being of Hispanic origin I
didnt always feel as I could easily fit in. The hill existing ever since the neighborhood has
existed always stood out because it was different. It ties back to my culture and the
neighborhood I grew up in is because people had always teased me constantly about not
being Hispanic enough. Because I was born and raised in California I grew up in mostly an
American lifestyle. As a result of that my Hispanic heritage got pushed aside a little. For years
I struggled with trying to learn Spanish and hitting all of the accent marks. I would even get
laughed in my Spanish classes in high school and would even get called gringa which means
white girl. I never took it as an insult but it did upset me because of their views on how a
Hispanic girl had to appear, behave, and speak in order to be considered part of the Hispanic
community. I related back to the hill because although it stood out from the rest it can be still
be meaningful and beautiful for the way it is. For a good amount of years I was taunted and
seen as less by some people because I stood out by not knowing how to properly speak my
cultures language. What the hill made me understand was that although different it still
pertains around to the same neighborhood. In my case, although I may not come across as

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Hispanic, I still pertain to the Hispanic culture.

The way how the space I chose connects to Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin is because
in the story the character Sonny feels out of place until towards the end of the story where his
brother and him attend a jazz club and thats where Sonny feels right in; a place where he can
be himself (Baldwin 145). Sonnys identity is revealed in that particular space because of the
impact jazz had on him. Sonnys brother didnt see his true colors until they reached that specific
space, or as Sonnys brother stated his Kingdom (Baldwin 145). It wasnt until then that Sonny
was seen as himself. He didnt mind others opinion because he was at where he felt comfortable
and what mattered was that he was content. It relates back to the hill because it signifies how
much of an impact a space can have on an individual or groups of people and how it can make
them feel comfortable being at a certain space.
In relation to the field work that I did for the website it connects with Mount Washington
because both represent how space can be extremely expressive and influential in peoples
lives. The reason being why the location of the field work that I did was extremely personal is
because of the meaning of it. Olvera Street was created to restore the old Mexican traditions that
was created there originally during the early nineties. Its purpose was to imitate Mexico and
display items that are part of the Mexican tradition. What one can experience while visiting
Olvera Street are the delicious food such as tamales, arroz con leche (rice pudding), and
enchiladas. Those are just a few examples of the many types of food that Olvera Street has to
offer. Its these types of foods that I grew up with because of my Hispanic culture and as a result
from my parents keeping the traditions and passing it on to me. While also attending Olvera
Street I had the opportunity to experience the music that is played live by mariachi bands. From
listening to this particular music it brought a sense of nostalgia because I remember hearing this

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type of music during my childhood at celebrations. What especially caught my eye were all the
handmade items. I was utterly shocked by how they were all handmade because of the tiny
details. I could tell that a large amount of time was taken into while making these items. The
items that were present were handbags, pottery, and jewelry. While looking at the variety of
objects I noticed how there were bold colors being repeated. The bright and bold colors were red,
white, orange, pink, and green. However the colors that stood out more were green, white, and
red. Those specific colors were repeated a lot because of the Mexican flag. A lot of the objects I
saw included those colors to represent the flag and to display how proud the people from there
are to incorporate that into their daily items they use. Seeing how proud those people that were
selling traditional food and items made me feel both guilty and proud. I felt guilty because for
several years I didnt spend too much focus on going more in depth and enjoying my culture. I
didnt appreciate nor embraced it as much as I should have; not because I was embarrassed by it
but because I took it for granted. I had forgotten just how beautiful, like all other cultures, are in
their own unique way. Also I grew an understanding on how a space can have a significant
impact on an individual and/or a mass of people. Olvera Street brought people together; both
people who werent from Mexican culture and those who have those roots. A space that I once
thought wasnt all too important made me wake up and realize that what appears to be an
ordinary space can cause me to value my culture.
My trip to Olvera Street relates back to Mount Washington because both spaces made an
impact on me and made me understand what a precise space could mean to others. On Mount
Washington anyone was able to go on the hill and overlook the differences that we have with
others. Also how several people went there for reasons of their own whether its to reminiscence,
feel relaxed, or because it awakened memories. That hill caused me to link the connection to my

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trips to Olvera Street. My parents first took me there as a child to get an understanding of my
culture and to explore it as well. Now as Im older I finally understand that Olvera Street affects
others because it reminds them as their culture as well; it brings an aura of home. Mount
Washington reminded me that although we all may appear to be different in the end of the day
we relate to each other because we go to a certain space to feel a specific emotion. Everyone has
their own space that is significant to us. Like the character Sonny in Sonnys Blues by James
Baldwin the jazz club was his important space because he enjoyed himself there and felt like
himself. Mount Washington made people feel different emotions and caused people to attend for
different reasons as well. Olvera Street made me understand and learn how to value my culture
even more. Although completely different spaces they all demonstrate the importance a space
can have on an individual and several people.
As time passed I eventually found Mount Washington to be more meaningful than ever
before. While visiting this location for the second time I experienced something that I will never
forget. During spring break I was sexually assaulted by a classmate from another class at the
place I had originally seen as relaxing and comforting was now a nightmare to me. For a large
amount of time my perspective changed and instead of finding this area peaceful it became
disturbing. I couldnt bring myself to even remember that location, especially writing about it.
However, as I began remembering what my major is and what Ive always fought for I realized
that instead of seeing a place I once saw as peaceful I should see it as a symbol of hope.
Although something awful occurred there I decided to instead see it as hope because it opened
my eyes even more. It opened my eyes to the injustice that unfortunately occurs in this world.
Because of what happened to me Ive decided to study comparative criminal justice as well as
possibly criminal law. Now whenever I need inspiration to work even harder at school I look

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back to what occurred to me and in my eyes Mount Washington symbolizes hope and
inspiration. Instead of denying what happened to me I learned to accept it in order for me to
move on with my life and to help others. Now more than ever before Im determined to help
other survivors by voicing my story and by continuing to work hard in life. I am now slowly
able to walk by Mount Washington with my head high in the air knowing that my story can
possibly help others. Regardless of what happened to me I wont give up and whenever I need
another reminder of what Im fighting for I can go back around Mount Washington and say to
myself that not only did I survive but that place is now one of the sources for my inspiration
which is why Mount Washington has become more meaningful and extremely important to me.

Work Cited
Sonnys Blues. Copyright 1957 and renewed 1985 by James Baldwin. Originally published in
The Partisan Review. Collected in Going to Meet the Man, published by Vintage Books.
Reprinted by arrangement with the James Baldwin Estate.