Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography — Map of Los Angeles Neighborhoods and Los Angeles County Communities

16/09/201512/03/2017 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

I worked on the actual map for about six weeks but I’ve been mapping Los Angeles since about 2007. Most of the maps are done with ink, oil paint, or water colors but computer maps do have their advantages. For example, it’s a lot easier to change this map than it is a painted one, … Continue reading Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography — Map of Los Angeles Neighborhoods and Los Angeles County Communities

Nobody Drives in LA — The Los Angeles Grand Tour

29/05/202231/05/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

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

No Enclave — Guamanian Los Angeles

07/05/202212/05/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

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 Guam (CHamoru: Guåhan) is an island in the Micronesia sub-region of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point in the Greater United States. It is the … Continue reading No Enclave — Guamanian Los Angeles

Los Angeles Swap Meets

09/04/202209/04/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 2 Comments

In February, Catalina Villegas reported for Spectrum News that the vendors at the North Hollywood Swap Meet were given notice that they had until 31 March to vacate the building in which some of them had worked for more than 25 years. Instead of taking the news quietly, a group of vendors, aided by The … Continue reading Los Angeles Swap Meets

Nobody Drives in LA — Bicycling in Los Angeles

17/03/202217/03/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

INTRODUCTION I don’t know about you but I’m feeling “pain at the pump.” You see, I’ve had a slow leak in the front tire of my bike, Cream Soda, for months. So I have to inflate it once a week and when doing so, there’s a slight burning in my triceps. Of course, I could … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Bicycling in Los Angeles

No Enclave — Language Schools of Los Angeles

10/03/202210/03/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

Los Angeles is a multilingual metropolis. There are roughly 19 million people in Metro Los Angeles and, according to the late, renowned linguist, Vyacheslav Ivanov, there are at least 224 languages spoken in Los Angeles County. Ivanov also estimated that there are roughly 180 local publications written in languages other than English. Although a less … Continue reading No Enclave — Language Schools of Los Angeles

No Enclave — Ukrainian Los Angeles

24/02/202211/06/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 2 Comments

UKRAINE Ukraine (Україна) is the second-largest country in Europe, after Russia. It has a population of 41.2 million, making it the eighth-most populous country in Europe. The nation’s capital and its most populous municipality is the ancient city of Kyiv. What’s now Ukraine has been inhabited by Homo sapiens since at least 32,000 BCE. The … Continue reading No Enclave — Ukrainian Los Angeles

Foods Invented in Los Angeles

15/02/202212/07/2022 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

What you are about to read could probably be considered, if you’re uncharitable, a “listicle.” “But wait,” you say, “you hate listicles!” You are correct, and yet here I am, offering you the lowest form of clickbait — the sort of trash one expects to read in respectable, click-driven mainstream media outlets, not this fair … Continue reading Foods Invented in Los Angeles

No Enclave — Puerto Rican Los Angeles

12/10/202121/10/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

Many — perhaps most — Angelenos know that Los Angeles is home to the largest populations of Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans outside of their of their respective homelands. I know that I wasn’t surprised to learn that the next largest Latino community in Los Angeles is of Honduran Americans. I was surprised, though, to learn … Continue reading No Enclave — Puerto Rican Los Angeles

No Enclave — Chumash Los Angeles

11/10/202112/11/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 6 Comments

INTRODUCTION Before the Spanish invasion of the region, what’s now California enjoyed the highest human population density north of what is today Mexico. Today, Los Angeles is home to more people of Native ancestry than any other metropolitan area in the US, a population which includes peoples indigenous to Southern California as well as people … Continue reading No Enclave — Chumash Los Angeles