Many of us here in Los Angeles know that the Watts Towers—the famous folk art sculpture in South L.A. which Italian immigrant Simon Rodia hand-crafted from scrap metal and found objects—are in trouble. The 60-year-old towers suffer from severe lack of funding and possible staff cuts, and an adjacent art center has also been threatened. Doh! Last year, the county museum LACMA took control of the towers' management, and earlier this year it received a $500,000 grant to help with upkeep. But the real issue with preserving the towers' heritage is their invisibility. Tucked into a part of the city without many services (and still perceived as dangerous), visitors have to make a special trip to see the historic monument, and not many do. This week's episode of The Simpsons not only portrayed the towers beautifully, it encouraged its viewers to go there.
Of course, they did it in a predictably perverse manner. When Bart's movie Angry Dad gets nominated for an Oscar, the family heads to Hollywood, but Bart wants to keep Homer far away from the ceremony so he doesn't steal his glory. So he gives Homer and Marge a list of "highlights" to visit in the city (a bunch of insider jokes for Angelenos: the 405/10 freeway interchange, a car dealership with perhaps the most pervasive jingle on local radio—"Keyes, Keyes, Keyes, Keyes on Van Nuys"—and, simply, "The Valley"). Watts Towers tops that list.