GRIFFITH PARK DRIVE CLOSURE IN GRIFFITH PARK A map of Griffith Park with the less-than one mile stretch of Griffith Park Drive closed to cars highlighted in red On 27 June, a small stretch of Griffith Park Drive is being closed to cars as part of a pilot program. Inevitably, there were the NIMPS (Not … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Re-Claiming Los Angeles’s Streets
Thoughts on Interactive Fiction and Fantasy Cartography on the Anniversary of the Publication of the First Gamebook
Edward Packard's Sugarcane Island, is largely credited with kicking off the 1980s gamebook craze, exemplified by the beloved Choose Your Own Adventure series. Gamebooks, along with other forms of interactive fiction (including text-based computer games, fantasy cartography, and fantasy role-playing games) all flourished during my formative years and had a profound influence on my choice … Continue reading Thoughts on Interactive Fiction and Fantasy Cartography on the Anniversary of the Publication of the First Gamebook
Happy 626, or, San Gabriel Valley Day!
Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography's watercolor and ink map of the San Gabriel Valley, available in art prints and on an array of merchandise Last year, on 18 August, I published a piece celebrating San Fernando Valley Day. You see, in the US (and nowhere else, really), people write dates month/day/year. I know, it makes no … Continue reading Happy 626, or, San Gabriel Valley Day!
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pioneertown
INTRODUCTION Penderersleigh & Sons Cartography's Map of Pioneertown, available in art prints and a variety of merchandise This entry into the California Fool's Gold series is about Pioneertown. Pioneertown has actually received zero votes or requests from readers, and that's usually how I determine which communities to cover. However, a friend's band was playing there, … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pioneertown
Nobody Drives in LA — The Los Angeles Grand Tour
The Grand Tour, for the unfamiliar, was a custom that arose in Britain in the mid-1600s, which involved upper class young British men touring around Europe as part of their cultural education. By the 1800s, the custom had spread from the British upper classes to the nouveau riche of Europe, the Americas, and the Philippines. … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — The Los Angeles Grand Tour
Pan-Asian Metropolis — 193 Asian and Pacific Angeleno Artists
It's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and so I thought it might be nice to shine a spotlight on some of Metro Los Angeles's many Asian American artists, the subject of this week's post. It was a bit of an undertaking for many reasons. There are and have been many Asian American artists who've at … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — 193 Asian and Pacific Angeleno Artists
No Enclave — Kazakh Los Angeles
This week's post is about Kazakh Los Angeles. Since it is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the primary focus is on ethnically Kazakh Angelenos. However, as Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic society, a few "white" Angelenos with roots in Kazakstan are included too. INTRODUCTION I first became aware of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан) as a child when I … Continue reading No Enclave — Kazakh Los Angeles
No Enclave — Guamanian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and in honor of that observance, this week's post is about Guamanians in Los Angeles. BRIEF HISTORY OF GUAM Pendersleigh & Sons' map highlighting the location of Guam within the American Empire Guam (CHamoru: Guåhan) is an island in the Micronesia sub-region of the western Pacific Ocean. … Continue reading No Enclave — Guamanian Los Angeles
Nobody Drives in LA — The Great Metrolink Four Counties Ride
Last Friday was Earth Day. In honor of the day, Metro, Metrolink, (and doubtless many other local mass transit agencies) offered unlimited fare-free rides. I've read a couple of articles in the past in which the authors stated that they were riding every Metro line (although in both cases they meant Metro train lines, not … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — The Great Metrolink Four Counties Ride
Cannabis Los Angeles
I have always been an explorer and when I was about eight years old, I became aware of and interested in drugs. In second grade, my main subject of interest was dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were a gateway to Pleistocene megafauna. After Pleistocene megafauna, I began innocently experimenting with legal substances. I started drinking coffee (with lots … Continue reading Cannabis Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 