Today marks the tenth anniversary of my not owning a car. On 18 July 2011, my 1990 Suburu Loyale nicknamed the C.A.R.D.I.S. (Car And Relative Dimensions In Space) blew a head gasket or two somewhere around Niland. It sputtered its last just past North Palm Springs, near the windmills. I had it towed to Desert … Continue reading Nobody Drives In LA — Celebrating Ten Years Since Kicking My Car Habit
Nobody Drives In LA — Sunset4All
I think it was in 2019 that Terence Heuston (LA Bike Dad) approached me to discuss the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition's Sunset4All at one of that street's many coffee shops. He described to me the effort to reconfigure Sunset Boulevard -- one of Los Angeles's most iconic streets -- to make it safer, and … Continue reading Nobody Drives In LA — Sunset4All
Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Hawaiʻi (Oʻahu and Kauaʻi)
INTRODUCTION as spring turned into summer, Una and I visited Hawaiʻi. Una had never been there before. I, on the other hand, have always enjoyed telling people that I'd only ever been there in utero, when my pregnant mother and father visited in the 1970s. I don't know how far along in her pregnancy my … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Hawaiʻi (Oʻahu and Kauaʻi)
Swinging Doors — Los Angeles Sake History & Culture
Los Angeles has a long and rich history of alcoholic beverage production and consumption. Wine was introduced by the Spanish as an integral aspect of their mission project. Los Angeles was, in fact, historically the largest wine-producing region in the US. Beer arrived later, its popularity largely dependent on immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe … Continue reading Swinging Doors — Los Angeles Sake History & Culture
Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County
INTRODUCTION I've been aware of the Vietnamese American music scene based in North Orange County since at least the early 2000s. I had no idea just how big it was, though, until I stumbled across singer Thiên Phú's blog, VietCeleb, which has profiles of about 400 Vietnamese artists, with a large percentage of them associated … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County
No Enclave — Arab Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION For years, there here have been efforts to designate April a month observing Arab American heritage although they have so far not born fruit. In 2017, Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell introduced to the House of Representatives a resolution to proclaim National Arab American Heritage Month. A similar bill was introduced in 2020 but so … Continue reading No Enclave — Arab Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell for Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Region 6 Representative
ABOUT ME My name is Eric Brightwell. I was born in Iowa City but mostly grew up in the country, outside of Columbia, Missouri. I first visited Los Angeles in 1998, during a road trip across Western US. At the time "knowing" Los Angeles only through distorted media representations and tired stereotypes, I had almost … Continue reading Eric Brightwell for Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Region 6 Representative
No Enclave — Irish Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION I have Ireland on the brain today. Oh right, it's Saint Patrick's Day. I wondered whether or not I, like so many observant Christians, should temporarily set aside my abstinence from alcohol but then I'm not even Christian so I wouldn't feel so much like I was pulling one over on the Creator as … Continue reading No Enclave — Irish Los Angeles
A Guide to African Cinema
INTRODUCTION One might think that defining African Cinema would be an easy enough task. Spend a little time in the attempt, however, and the difficulty in doing so definitively soon becomes evident. A film set in Africa, shot in Africa by an African crew, and starring an African cast is certainly an example of African … Continue reading A Guide to African Cinema
No Enclave — Exploring Belizean Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Earlier this week, a reader suggested that I devote a No Enclave to Belizean Los Angeles. I had come across some Belizean businesses here and there when traversing the Westside of South Los Angeles but had no idea just how big the Belizean community of Los Angeles is. In fact, not only is Metro … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Belizean Los Angeles
