Comments on: Eastside 101: Xmas at Resurrection Cemetery

By: chimatli

chimatli — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:35:52 +0000

The Cheesecake Cafe is on Arroyo Drive and Paramount in the same mini-mall as the 7-11.

By: cindylu

cindylu — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 23:27:20 +0000

My grandfather died just a few days after Christmas in 1996. When we buried him on the 31st lots of the gravesites still had decorations. It was kinda weird to me, but it certainly made the funeral a bit more festive.

I had an idea for a similar post.

I was talking about this with a friend last night. His father is buried at Resurrection and he told me his family had gone a couple of weeks ago t decorate.

I know a few people buried at Resurrection including my madrina and a friend from college who died in July. My parents, grandparents and a few aunts and uncles also have plots there. It’s weird when they point out the area where they will be buried some time in the very distant (I hope!) future.

By: Art

Art — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:04:55 +0000

Oh yeah, and my nina (godmom) lives in the apartments behind the cemetary. The pool has a view of the graves, creepy.

By: Art

Art — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:01:27 +0000

Many EastLosAngelinos have the older school familia buried at Calvary (the big yellow cross of the 60 in ELA between Downey and Eastern, badass gravestones and mauseleums)cemetary and the newer generations at Resurrection. It seems to follow the migration of chicanos from the motherbarrio along the 60/10/5 corridors, and makes for a hectic dia de los muertos in my family.

My abuela sold their plots at Calvary for a mausoleum at Resurrection and my gramps crapped his pants, never totally forgave her for that one(him and me).

I also saw a fat trashy guy eat someone else’s tamales left at a nearby headstone, and then responded to his disgusted family with “what? it shouldnt go to waste” all disdainfully.

By: Proto

Proto — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:04:07 +0000

My grandparents, great aunts and uncles, cousins, father, and sister are all there. I suspect the rest of the family may lie there one day as well. Always an experience.

By: Art

Art — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:38:21 +0000

Where is the cheesecake Cafe exactly? By the 7/11 down arroyo?

Anyways, my abuelo is buried next to the saint (?) de pobres and there is a cholo grave a few feet away, complete with his gang name and neighborhood as well as a pic of his and his homeboys. His cholo parents dogged us once.

By: chimatli

chimatli — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:03:16 +0000

If you want a real Dia de los Muertos experience in Los Angeles, Resurrection is the place to be. The place is packed with roaming mariachis and trios, marigolds and throngs of families disobeying the ‘no party atmosphere’ rule.
I also heard Cheesecake Cafe was a good spot. Next to Tozai was a place called Midori (is it still there?), one of my favorite places to eat when I was still a carnivore.

By: Diego

Diego — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 09:12:13 +0000

I haven’t been back in Resurrection in a while (almost ten years) and I don’t look forward to going back there anytime soon. It’s a nice place, but cemeteries are not for me.

By: lucinda michele

lucinda michele — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:22:22 +0000

That’s so lovely. I used to have to drive by Forest Lawn in Griffith Park on my way to work, and I loved seeing the graves there decorated for the holidays, but Resurrection pwns FL all the way.

Places like this make death a little less scary, imo.

By: johnk

johnk — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:19:33 +0000

It’s true about how the eastside ranges. The area looks like a totally boring suburb, which it is, but it’s also “Lomas”, a wide ranging gang area that served as the milieu for Luis Rodriguez’s book “Always Running”.

This cemetary is across the street from Tozai Market, one of the last commercial remnants of the Japanese American community in the area, and also a great place to get cheap sushi. Down at the other end of Arroyo, there’s the Cheesecake Cafe, the only soul food restaurant in the area (and they make cheesecake!)