John Amos taught me what it was like to grow up with a father in the house – and to be one.

That’s because Amos – who died in August at the age of 84, though his death wasn’t disclosed publicly until Tuesday – first came to my attention playing righteous dad James Evans, Sr. on the legendary 1970s sitcom Good Times.

As a young, Black boy growing up in a home without my father in Gary, Ind., the best window I had into what it might be like to have a concerned, powerful, ethical male in the house was seeing how James Sr. worked with Esther Rolle’s Florida Evans to keep their kids on track. It didn’t hurt that this new kind of TV family lived in what appeared to be Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project, about 40 miles northwest of Gary.

Good Times presented the first network TV sitcom centered on a two-parent, Black family – in fact, Rolle herself had initially insisted that Good Times’ family have a father – and it meant a lot to a kid who sometimes longed for that in his own life.

James Sr., as Amos played him, was imposing and could get physical – he once gave a whipping to a friend of his youngest son Michael, when that friend dared to disrespect the family and refused to do homework during a sleepover. (Yup, stuff like that happened in my neighborhood all the time.) But he was also a loving, devoted, hard-working dad, who often balanced several jobs while trying to give his kids everything they needed to build lives outside of a deprived, occasionally dangerous neighborhood.

There was little doubt James Sr. could be tender in ways that fathers in my neighborhood rarely were in real life.

Resisting a racist TV industry

It wasn’t until I got older that I realized Amos also embodied another important reality: the Black actor had to use all his talents and wiles to make his way – constantly struggling to subvert and overcome the racist demands of a white-centered TV and film industry.

On Good Times, that meant fighting with producers of the show, including legendary executive producer Norman Lear, when the show’s scripts began focusing more on Jimmie Walker’s character, James Evans Jr., or “J.J.”

J.J.’s habit of shouting “dyn-o-MITE!” while bugging his eyes after dropping a cheeky rhyme recalled classic “coon”-style stereotypes for Black performers from the past. And Amos often recounted how much that irked him back then.

“I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. and his chicken hat and saying ‘dynomite’ every third page,” Amos told the Archive of American Television in a 2014 interview. “But I wasn’t the most diplomatic guy in those days. And they got tired of having their lives threatened over jokes…That taught me a lesson. That I wasn’t as important as I thought I was to the show or to Norman Lear’s plans.”

Ralph Carter, Esther Rolle, John Amos, Jimmie Walker, and BernNadette Stanis gather in the kitchen during a scene from Good Times in 1975.

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Lear admitted in his 2014 memoir, Even This I Get to Experience, that the attention showered on J.J. made Amos so “glum and dispirited,” that the producer wound up writing the actor out of the show at the start of the series’ fourth season.

Just like that, the two-parent Black family that had inspired me so much was undone – fractured by an offscreen car accident that claimed James Sr.’s life.

A TV pioneer who became the image of Black fatherhood

I didn’t know about the backstage struggles back then, but even as a young viewer I could see that something important had been lost. Turns out, Amos wasn’t just another actor spouting off about a supporting player outshining him; he had begun his show business career as a writer/performer – one of his early jobs in 1969 was as a writer on The Leslie Uggams Show. Amos knew how important quality words were for great acting.

His first big part came in 1970 as Gordy Howard, the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show – the series’ only Black character – which put Amos on the map and caught Lear’s attention when they were casting Good Times. And not long after he left Good Times, Amos landed another legendary job – playing the adult version of Kunta Kinte, the enslaved man at the heart of ABC’s surprise 1977 miniseries hit, Roots.

In fact, Roots was a bit of showbiz sleight of hand. Well aware that white audiences might grow uncomfortable with a miniseries centered on the family history of African American author Alex Haley and its early genesis in slavery, producers of Roots often cast Black actors as enslaved people who white audiences already knew and loved.

Amos, with his history on popular shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Good Times, fit perfectly as a grown up version of the character then-newcomer LeVar Burton played as a young man. (The moment when a slave catcher cuts off Kunta Kinte’s foot after an escape attempt remains seared in my brain, nearly 50 years after originally seeing it on TV.)

For me, the one-two punch of his parts on Good Times and Roots cemented Amos as a towering image of Black fatherhood in pop culture.

Back then, Black performers were working hard to take scripts crafted by white producers and make their characters as authentic as possible, balancing the expectations of Black audiences hungry for better representation with a white-dominated industry often stuck in old, demeaning patterns.

Amos could make his points forcefully. He told the Archive of American Television about blowing up at a white, British director on Roots who seemed unconcerned about a Black baby shivering during a night shoot.

Hearing the former pro football player tell stories about occasionally threatening white producers and directors to get his way, I saw a familiar dynamic. Sometimes, when the system is geared against you, intimidation is the only way to make your concerns truly heard.

An actor beloved by Black and white audiences

Over the years, Amos’ classic roles in TV and film piled up: Hunter, Coming to America, The West Wing (as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Let’s Do It Again, Die Hard 2, and much, much more. He’s even reportedly in the new spinoff series Suits: LA, as his last role.

(In a sad denouement, after conflicts between Amos’ children, his daughter Shannon Amos found out about her father’s death on Tuesday when media outlets reported it, according to her Instagram post.)

But for me, Amos’ greatest legacy remains as a TV pioneer who played proud, Black male characters with strong ethics and a devotion to family just when Black audiences needed to see them most – surviving a load of slights, fights and punishments in the process.

Jamie McDonald has provided hot meals in danger zones from Ukraine to Turkey as a volunteer with World Central Kitchen.

Now, the Connecticut restaurateur is partnering with the global charity led by chef José Andrés to provide free meals to residents in Asheville, N.C., where McDonald also has restaurant locations. Days after the remnants of Hurricane Helene devastated the area, Asheville residents have limited access to clean water and everyday necessities.

The western North Carolina city is one of several areas in the region facing catastrophic damage from the hurricane’s aftermath. More than 15 inches of rain fell in the area, which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, adding to an already saturated terrain from recent storms. Roads have been closed because of downed trees, flooding and mudslides.

As of Tuesday, at least 370,000 customers were still without power across the region, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety said. More than 440 people had been rescued and nearly 4,700 had been evacuated, it said. At least 57 people have died in Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, because of the storm, officials said Wednesday afternoon.

McDonald, co-owner of Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, which also has restaurants in Connecticut, arrived in Asheville on Monday to help with relief efforts. He has been a volunteer for two years with the World Central Kitchen, an organization founded by Andrés. McDonald has helped provide thousands of meals for those in need through the organization, including refugees who fled Ukraine and those impacted by earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco.

Now his restaurant is partnering with the World Central Kitchen to help in Asheville.

“The Asheville community has always been at the heart of our mission, and we are committed to helping it recover,” McDonald said in a statement. “With World Central Kitchen by our side, we aim to provide not just food, but hope and comfort during this difficult time.”

Free meals are being given out every day — first come, first serve — beginning at noon, the restaurant said on social media. There were 2,000 to 2,500 people who walked up for a free meal on Tuesday, Marine Baedor, a spokesperson for the restaurant told NPR. The restaurant is slowly getting electricity back but is running on generators and using wood to fuel the smokers to cook the meals, the Baedor said.

They have also partnered with other restaurants in the Asheville area. Community members from Lewisburg, W.Va., cooked and delivered 500 meals that included encouraging notes written by students from Greenbrier Community School.

People in Asheville, N.C., line up for a meal outside Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ on Monday.

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Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ is also providing free, potable water all day on Wednesday and residents are asked to bring their own containers, Baedor said.

While they are committed to ensuring the community is fed, staff members at the restaurant who live in the area are also dealing with Helene’s aftermath.

“The staff who were able to leave their homes didn’t hesitate to jump into action right away. But there are some who are still stuck in their homes because of trees and blocked roads. All staff are accounted for and are OK,” Baedor said.

The restaurant has raised more than $11,000 in donations through a fundraiser with the World Central Kitchen as of Wednesday afternoon.

“With the donations, the goal currently is to be able to provide 18,000 meals a day with restaurant partners,” Baedor said.

Living in Los Angeles is a lot like folding a fitted sheet: It seems almost impossible to do well — until someone shares a tip or two that smooths things out and makes the whole process infinitely easier to navigate. I’ve been the beneficiary of many a Los Angeles life hack over the years. Some were passed along by longtime Angelenos with the solemnity of handing down a family heirloom. Others were on-the-job discoveries. All of them made it infinitely easier to fold the fitted sheet of living in the City of Angels.

That’s why I recently put out a call for readers to share their own L.A. life hacks: the coping mechanisms, shortcuts and workarounds that decrease the frustration and increase the enjoyment of everyday life in our city. You’ll find the best of them here — along with some others I’m proud to have discovered (or been told about) that I deploy on a regular basis.

Once you’ve had a chance to drink deeply from the trough of hive-mind wisdom given freely by your fellow Angelenos, consider sharing your L.A. life hack. You’ll find the form to do just that below.

“I haven’t done this yet,” wrote Christine Lubieniecki. “But the other weekend [at the Hollywood Bowl], we shared a box with four strangers who split a three-tiered Husky toolbox organizer charcuterie box. One of them had converted an unused, multi-tiered toolbox organizer into the most efficient, manageable, shareable, spill-proof picnic spread I’ve ever seen. They put it down on the table, popped open the latches and opened up to reveal the three staggered trays of various dips, seafood, cheeses, crackers, veggies and more … covered airtight with plastic wrap for the journey.

“This is the biggest picnic hack — especially for the Bowl, where table space is scarce — that I’ve ever seen in my life…. I do not know the woman’s name, but her ingenuity should be known to anyone planning a summer picnic at the Hollywood Bowl or elsewhere.”

Beat Bowl traffic all kinds of ways

If there’s one thing scarcer than table space at the Hollywood Bowl, it’s a parking space. That’s one of the reasons getting to and from the storied venue has inspired all kinds of ire-taming work-arounds. Earlier this year, I discovered the new dedicated rideshare lot (which I highly recommend). For those who wish to kick the car to the curb altogether, my Times colleague Christopher Reynolds recently compiled a list of close-to-the-Bowl hotels (some of them a short walk, some of them slightly longer).

Then there’s the Bowl hack sent along by Jen Derwingson-Peacock. “The best, easiest [and] cheapest way to get to the Hollywood Bowl and avoid the traffic and parking nightmare is to take one of the park-and-ride shuttles. I live in Los Feliz, so it’s a short drive to the L.A. Zoo, where we park for free, and then take the shuttle, which drops passengers off right at the entrance gate.”

Shuttle off to the Observatory

Taking a shuttle bus is also the hack of choice suggested by Barbara Allen, though it’s to beat a different — but equally vexing — parking nightmare. “For the love of [G]od and all that is holy, stop driving all the way up to Griffith Observatory just to find out it’s $10 AN HOUR to park. Use the free Dash bus that circles Los Feliz and provides front-door drop-off service at the Observatory. Park your car in the park for free near the Greek Theatre, then hop on the shuttle on the east side of the road.

“Also, at no charge, the bus will drive you up the steep hill to the Observatory and let you off right in front of it. You can catch [the bus] back down or walk back to your car. (If there’s a concert or event at the Greek, park even further down [toward] sea level in the Los Feliz neighborhood and grab the Dash near Vermont and Franklin avenues).”

Depart from arrivals at LAX

A couple of reader submissions offered pointers on how to hack the horseshoe from hell — the permanently gridlocked U-shaped route past all of the terminals at Los Angeles International Airport. “If you’re flying out of LAX during especially busy departure times and have a friend or loved one dropping you off, use the arrivals level,” suggests Marc Istook. “Often the busiest departure times coincide with a less busy arrivals time, and you can get to your terminal much more quickly [that way]. Same if you’re arriving at a busy time — head up to the destinations level and get picked up there if it’s less busy.”

If you’re trying to decide whether to head toward LAX on two wheels or four, Matthew Weitz’s hack might help you make up your mind. “[T]here is free motorcycle parking in the lots at the terminals (yes, in the lots inside the horseshoe). You can park in any area designated for motorcycles or [within] the white hash marks at the end caps of aisles. If you travel light (e.g. with a carry-on size backpack like the Osprey Farpoint 40, as I did once a week for work for eight years), it’s amazing.”

Deboard from the back at the Burbank Airport

Since I live about the same distance from the Hollywood Burbank Airport as I do from LAX, flying out of the former instead of the latter whenever feasible — because it’s always far less congested and much more manageable — has long been an arrow in my life-hack quiver. But I was recently reminded of a serious time saver for anyone flying into Burbank on Alaska, American, Avelo or Southwest airlines who doesn’t need ramp access: When you board your Burbank-bound flight, instead of jockeying for seat up front, try to grab one as far toward the back as possible. That’s because, when you land, those airlines give passengers the option of deboarding from the rear door of the plane as well as the front.

Think off-peak

Several readers sent along life hacks that keyed into a strategy familiar to anyone who has tried to game out avoiding rush-hour traffic: making your move when others aren’t making theirs. Reader Ben Cendejas probably summed it up best: “To enjoy any L.A. landmark, particularly the beach, the key is to arrive before 8:30 a.m.” Anytime after that, he writes, lots have filled up and ideal spots on the sand are few and far between. Plus, he says, then “You can leave [the beach] before the weekend rush-hour rush in the early afternoon. Also, some of the best, less-crowded beaches are toward the very south of L.A. County (just north of Palos Verdes) and the north edge of L.A. County, such as Malibu or Zuma.”

Plan on a 90-minute travel time … every time

Instead of constantly trying to play beat the clock getting from point A to point B, Cindy Clegg’s suggestion is to plan on a 90-minute drive no matter what. “Basically, virtually any time of day anywhere outside of my local area I go in L.A. (forget Orange County, which I do not understand), I allow an hour and a half. Going to LAX, going to the beach, going to LACMA, lunch in Venice — all the same. I usually arrive well ahead of time, with the reward of a neighborhood walk, a latte or a glass of wine depending on the time of day. Even if there is nasty traffic, I usually get there on time and sane. (Yes, I am an East-sider, and I do not trust Google distances and travel times.)”

Mind the ‘Thru Traffic’ signs

Carmen Ortegas suggests shaving some time off a freeway drive by taking advantage of an often less-crowded lane. “I am sure most Angelenos know this: There is a stretch on the 10 Freeway going east where you can bypass the bumper-to-bumper traffic by heading toward the off ramp on La Brea or Arlington avenues, [where you see the “Thru Traffic OK” signs]. Keep on that road which runs alongside the freeway, then merge back on to the freeway at Hoover [Street]. You save yourself about 10 minutes.”

Ortegas’ hack works equally well on the same stretch of the Santa Monica Freeway headed west.

On the topic of taking the road less traveled, Angel Zobel-Rodriguez offers this hack for traveling to downtown L.A. from from the northeastern part of the San Fernando Valley in a timely manner. Instead of braving the I-5 or the Hollywood Freeway: “[Take] the 118 to the 210 to the 2 to get downtown. [My d]aughter went to school in downtown [L.A.]. Waze kept suggesting [this route], and now we just assume that’s the way to get to the Music Center, Grand Central Market or South L.A…. It’s faster in both directions.”

Look for the ‘Loading Only’ zones

Sometimes, though, the signage doesn’t tell the whole story. That’s the case with my all-time favorite L.A. life hack, which has to do with those squarish, yellow “loading only” signs and the yellow-painted stretch of curb they accompany. What the sign doesn’t tell you is that the space is “loading only” between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The rest of the time (unless there’s a posted sign to the contrary), it’s not enforced. So the yellow sign is your golden ticket, and you can legally park there — free of charge.

Enjoy museums gratis

Not all of the helpful hints were traffic-related. “Recognizing that L.A. is beautifully diverse and wacky is my best advice,” offered Connie Najah. “I’m formerly from the East Coast, and there is definitely a culture difference. There is a lot I still don’t like (traffic, friend flakiness, the huge amount of suffering of more and more homeless individuals without a solution), [but] I’ve been lucky enough to be able to go to art museums, protest marches, volunteer opportunities, concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre and [I] marvel at the massive diversity of humanity and the myriad gatherings Los Angeles has to offer. It keeps me going.”

Speaking of museums, Nancy Broderick suggests doing a little web-searching in advance of your gallery browsing. “Certain days of the week offer free museum days, [so] take advantage of [them]. Type in ‘free museum days’ on a search engine, and all the different places pop up. [It’s] really a fantastic and inexpensive way to see L.A. in an artistic setting.”

Lobby for the view

“[For the] best view of all of Los Angeles, take the elevator up to the top floor of the hotel lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel,” advises Will Mathew Morgan, who adds, “And for the fellows, be sure to use the urinal in the men’s restroom. [It’s] a great way to relieve yourself with all of Los Angeles to see! You have to ‘pee it to believe it!’ ”

Lean on the Los Angeles Public Library

Tommy Bui’s suggestion is probably my favorite of all the ones that came my way. And that’s because it’s essentially a meta-hack, the L.A. life-hack equivalent of using a last wish to ask the lamp genie for three more wishes.

“The Los Angeles Public Library. The go-to tabernacle of literacy and lifesaving life hacks. A passport to wonder and whimsy and then some,” Bui says. “With your library card, you can get free museum passes, free digital newspaper and magazines and even state park passes. Not to mention access to free streaming services and books galore. And did you know you can print, scan and photocopy for free at the library? But perhaps the most resuscitating life hack I rely on the most? The friendly and helpful reference librarians at the desk. [They’re] always ready and able and armed with an unsinkable smile.”

Now, if one of those reference librarians can just help me figure out how to fold that fitted sheet, I’ll have an unsinkable smile too.