INTRODUCTION 2019 is the sestercentennial of San Diego‘s founding. It’s also the vigintennial of my moving to Southern California — and yet, in those twenty years, I’ve probably visited San Diego no more than a dozen times. Why haven’t I visited California‘s second-largest city more often? Certainly not out of any of the sort of … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A San Diego Neighborhoods Primer
I’ve now lived in Los Angeles for eighteen years. Even though most of my dreams still seem to unfold in Missouri, I’ve been in California longer than I’ve been anywhere else. However, as much as I love exploring cities, I rarely make it over to the state’s second largest, San Diego. Furthermore, as much as … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Riding the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego
This primer, you’ve by no doubt gathered from the title, is about San Diego County, one of the ten counties that make up Southern California. San Diego County is a county in Southern California’s Southern Border region. The region’s other county, Imperial County, has little in common with its more populous neighbor to the west. For … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A San Diego County Primer
In Los Angeles, nearly all of the city’s officially-designated ethnic enclaves are for Asian ethnicities. Eurasia’s Armenian community has Little Armenia and Russians in eastern West Hollywood have earned it the nickname “Little Russia” but French Town, Greek Town, and Little Italy have all faded into assimilation and obscurity albeit acknowledged with the odd street … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring San Diego’s Little Italy
INTRODUCTION A year ago — over a year ago! — my partner and I visited the town of Santa Barbara. I meant to write about our visit for California Fool’s Gold sooner, but 2020 was the year everything went pear-shaped. When the pandemic hit, many suddenly found themselves with more time than they knew what … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Barbara
INTRODUCTION TO SAN PEDRO I finally visited San Pedro for California Fool’s Gold. It’s long been one of my favorite Los Angeles neighborhoods but in general (and in this case), I rely on you, the vox populi, to tell me where I should go. San Pedro is a neighborhood in Los Angeles’s Harbor District (or … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring San Pedro
INTRODUCTION Until the visit that Una and I took to San Clemente this past weekend, I don’t think that I’d ever visited the place. I’m not entirely sure because nearly all of my trips south on the 5 have ended in Mexico and the stretch of freeway between South Orange County and San Diego County has blended … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — San Clemente, The Spanish Village in Orange County
INTRODUCTION TO SAN GABRIEL For this blog entry, I ventured to the city of San Gabriel. Accompanying me were veteran three traveling companions. Cheryl Anne, a designer, hadn’t appeared since her Season 4, episode 10 debut, “Gardena – The South Bay’s city of opportunity.” Artist Chris Urias made his debut appearance and regular audiences are … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring San Gabriel, A City with a Mission
GREETINGS FROM SANTA ANA Santa Ana is the county seat and most populous city in Orange County. Pendersleigh & Sons‘ Official Maps of Santa Ana Santa Ana is surrounded by Garden Grove to the northwest, Anaheim to the north, Orange to the northeast, Tustin to the east, Irvine to the southeast, Costa Mesa to the … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County
INTRODUCTION The Tongva are a people indigenous to the American Southwest. When the European conquest of that region began, they were the dominant people in what came to be known as the Los Angeles Basin. At that time, their realm spanned more than 3,000 square kilometers of land and sea. For over 1,000 years, had … Continue reading No Enclave — Tongva Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 