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 sense. Chalk another one up for American Exceptionalism. 818 is the area code that closely responds to the San Fernando Valley (although it … Continue reading Happy 626, or, San Gabriel Valley Day!
GABRIEL’S HORN DOES SOUND — THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY Invariably when one speaks or hears of “The Valley,” the valley in question is the San Fernando (despite the fact that there are at least six major and loads of minor valleys in Los Angeles County). For the same reasons that I’m mildly annoyed when people refer … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A San Gabriel Valley Primer
ARCADIA Arcadia sign and Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography‘s map of Arcadia, available on art prints and a variety of merchandise Arcadia is a Los Angeles County community in the northern part of the San Gabriel Valley surrounded by Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Mayflower Village, Irwindale, El Monte, North El Monte, Temple City, East San Gabriel, East … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Arcadia, The San Gabriel Valley’s Community of Homes
I had to go to Alhambra to see a man about a horse at the bidding of the always radiant Ngoc Nguyen. ALHAMBRA’S LOCATION Alhambra is on the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley between posh San Marino, trendy South Pasadena, historic San Gabriel, blue-collar Rosemead, and the most Chinese city in the US, Monterey … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Alhambra, the Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley
In early January, Una and I headed north over to San Francisco to visit my sister, who was in town for a conference. I figured it might be a nice opportunity to share some thoughts about “the City.” Since first visiting in 1998, I’ve been to San Francisco many times — and yet, for some … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of San Francisco
INTRODUCTION Readers are apparently loving these area code/valley posts. Last year’s 818/San Fernando Valley Day post was my most-read piece in 2021. That unexpected response inspired me to write this year’s 626/San Gabriel Valley Day post, which — two month’s after its publication — has already climbed to 2022’s number two spot. To be honest, … Continue reading Happy 909, or, Pomona Valley Day!
Although the date format of most countries is “day/month/year,” the US, as we know, likes to fly in the face of global conventions and go its own way (see also: British Imperial Units, Fahrenheit, and American football). Because of our quirky date format, American nerds observe π Day on 14 March (3/14) whilst nerds in … Continue reading Happy 818, or, San Fernando Valley Day!
INTRODUCTION Normally when I write an account of one of my explorations, it’s after I’ve concluded it. Sometimes I work on them for months and when I can’t stand thinking about it anymore, I just publish it and figure I’ll correct the typos later. However, I began exploring and writing about Valley Boulevard more than a … Continue reading Greater Streets — Exploring Valley Boulevard
INTRODUCTION In June, Una and I went to the Philippines and Korea on vacation. Since people will invariably ask me to clarify “North or South?” the answer, is South. Perhaps I’m wrong to think that this would be obvious since I usually assume that “Korea” means “South Korea.” More than 12 million travelers annually visit Seoul alone … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of Korea (Seoul and Busan)
The San Gabriel River is one of three major rivers which drains and flows through the Los Angeles Basin. The river drains a watershed of roughly 1,850 square kilometers and is bounded by the watersheds of the Los Angeles River to the west and the Santa Ana River watershed to the southeast. For most of … Continue reading There It Is, Revitalize It — The San Gabriel River
Eric Brightwell 