Author: Eric Brightwell

Eric Brightwell is an essayist, rambler, explorer, cartographer, and guerrilla gardener. He lives in Los Angeles, not because he was born here, but because he chose to... for all of the things for which its famous: its verticality, its mass transit, its diversity, its schools, its liminal spaces, its architecture, its wildlife, its museums, its night markets, its cinemas, its theaters, its enclaves, its restaurants, its bars, its libraries, &c

Those Useless Trees — The Valley Oak

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

A couple of days ago my friend Mike and I decided to go for a hike in Malibu Creek State Park. Having celebrated a friend’s birthday the previous night into the following morning, a good moderately strenuous ramble seemed like just the thing. We were both awed by the park’s stunning vistas as well as … Continue reading Those Useless Trees — The Valley Oak

No Enclave — Guatemalan Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 14 Comments

INTRODUCTION Metro Los Angeles is home to an estimated 273,000* Guatemalans (or “Guatemaltecos”), making it the largest such community outside Guatemala. On the other hand, comprising just 4.6% of the region’s 5,979,000 Latinos they’re largely overshadowed by the much larger populations of Salvadorans and Mexicans. They are the focus of this No Enclave, undertaken in … Continue reading No Enclave — Guatemalan Los Angeles

There It Is, Revitalize It — Visiting Peanut Lake

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 2 Comments

A few days ago I was wrapping up a semi-regular housesitting gig in El Sereno. Regular readers will know that that particular gig also involves taking care of a dog named Dooley, who during my stays accompanies me on explorations around the Eastside, Northeast Los Angeles, and the San Gabriel Valley. On the last day … Continue reading There It Is, Revitalize It — Visiting Peanut Lake

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Wilshire Vista

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

INTRODUCTION I finally visited and explored Wilshire Vista. I say “finally” because, at the time of writing, it’s the most voted-for neighborhood ever and has been for a little while now. OK, it’s only received nineteen votes — but even with about 800 total votes cast, there are so many Southern California communities that nineteen … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Wilshire Vista

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Orange County’s Lost Chinatowns

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN ORANGE COUNTY Today, Orange County is widely recognized for its prominent Asian-American population. There are significant numbers of of Vietnamese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Filipinos, Indians, Japanese, Cambodians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Thais, Indonesians, and Laotians living there, as well as many smaller groups. Metro Los Angeles (which includes Los Angeles and Orange counties) is in fact home … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Orange County’s Lost Chinatowns

No Enclave — Emerging and Unofficial Ethnic Enclaves of Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 10 Comments

The Los Angeles metropolitan area is widely recognized for its diversity, something which is reflected in its many ethnic enclaves. Those ethnic enclaves include ones that have been officially recognized, as well as ones that have only been colloquially recognized, and they've risen and fallen on waves of immigration and assimilation. The earliest of Los … Continue reading No Enclave — Emerging and Unofficial Ethnic Enclaves of Los Angeles

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Cruz Island

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 5 Comments

A few weeks ago, I visited Santa Cruz Island for the first time and spent a few days exploring and camping with some good folks from Maptime LA. I’ve only visited one of the Channel Islands previously, Santa Catalina Island, which I first visited with Una on my birthday and then again with Maptime LA. … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Cruz Island

Greater Streets — Los Angeles Squares, or When is a Square Not a Square?

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 10 Comments

If you ever walk, bicycle, or take public transit in Los Angeles, you’ve no doubt noticed those nearly ubiquitous tan or beige-colored signs with brown lettering, a City of Los Angeles seal, and text designating an intersection or section of road a “square.” If you’re a motorist, you may’ very well have missed them, because … Continue reading Greater Streets — Los Angeles Squares, or When is a Square Not a Square?

Los Angeles’s Oldest Surviving Restaurants

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 21 Comments

I made a map of Metro Los Angeles's oldest extant eateries based on a piece written by Nikki Kreuzer for The Los Angeles Beat titled "Offbeat L.A.: The Oldest Surviving Los Angeles Restaurants... a Master List of the Vintage, Historic and Old School." The Los Angeles Beat piece seems to have received a fair amount … Continue reading Los Angeles’s Oldest Surviving Restaurants

Houses of the Hallows — The Self Realization Fellowship Mother Center

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 13 Comments

Last Monday I visited the Self Realization Fellowship Mother Center (headquarters) with my friends Tammy Jean Park and Mike Morgan. I first explored the center's grounds in 2012, as part of a California Fool’s Gold exploration of the Mount Washington neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles. The historic building, long home to the Self-Realization Fellowship, was built … Continue reading Houses of the Hallows — The Self Realization Fellowship Mother Center