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

No Enclave — Exploring Argentine Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 7 Comments

  INTRODUCTION As of 2015, an estimated 48.4% of Angelenos were "Hispanic of any race." The majority of Hispanic and Latino Angelenos are of Mexican heritage but the region is also well known for being home to the largest populations of Salvadorans and Guatemalans outside of their home countries. Often overlooked are the region's smaller Latino populations, the … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Argentine Los Angeles

Top 100 Los Angeles Attractions (not in Central Los Angeles or the Westside)

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 2 Comments

If you’re familiar at all with local Los Angeles clickbait generators and news aggregators you may’ve noticed that whether they’re promoting the hottest restaurants for “celeb” sightings, the hottest restaurants for “celeb” chefs, game changing brunch spots, or juiceries one has to visit before (never after) one dies, they all have one thing in common … Continue reading Top 100 Los Angeles Attractions (not in Central Los Angeles or the Westside)

Remembering Tony Ogden & World of Twist

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 8 Comments

It's been ten years since the death of Tony Ogden (30 May 1962 - 26 July 2006). Tony Ogden at the final World of Twist performance, Camden Palace, 1992 (photo by David Titlow) Anthony William Ogden was born in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport (Greater Manchester) in 1962. He studied art and design at Stockport College in Greater Manchester. From 1977-1979, Ogden played … Continue reading Remembering Tony Ogden & World of Twist

No Enclave — Exploring Canadian Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 20 Comments

Canadian Americans are a largely overlooked minority in the vast landscape of Los Angeles's diversity. Unlike immigrants from south of the Rio Grande, who are often the subject of public attention (whether celebrated, vilified, romanticized, ignored, or pandered to), those from north of the 49th Parallel are comparatively ignored and practically invisible. Los Angeles, after … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Canadian Los Angeles

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Yorba Linda, the Land of Gracious Living

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 7 Comments

INTRODUCTION If Yorba Linda is known for one thing, it’s as the birthplace of disgraced Republican president Richard Nixon. 22 years after his death, the memory of Yorba Linda’s most famous resident continues to loom over the suburb, the main attraction of which is the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, built on the site of … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Yorba Linda, the Land of Gracious Living

African Restaurants of Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 6 Comments

Africa at night from satellite It's been noted that the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (enacted in 1968) is one of the key reasons Los Angeles today is the city that it is. That act ended the practice of favoring European immigrants and as a result transformed what had once been promoted as the "Great … Continue reading African Restaurants of Los Angeles

Where Fools Fear To Tread — A London Snapshot

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 21 Comments

Last year, 2015, I visited London for the first time. I’m only getting around to writing about it now because I’m leaving for Mexico in a few hours. I wanted to write about visiting the UK earlier but it just seemed so unnecessary -- a bit like writing a book about World War II or making … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A London Snapshot

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Public Sculpture, Monuments, and Memorials in Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

Public art, by its definition, is only public when located in an open public space. Increasingly, corporate plazas patrolled by security guards are what often pass for public space and private organizations determine what hours of what days the public are allowed to view "public art" which in many cases could be considered "plop art," the sort of … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Public Sculpture, Monuments, and Memorials in Los Angeles

Greater Streets — Valley Boulevard

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Valley Boulevard is the main thoroughfare of the San Gabriel Valley, what Wilshire is to Midtown, Crenshaw is to South Los Angeles’s Westside, and Ventura is to the San Fernando Valley. Speaking of which, it’s about the only time “Valley” is used to refer not to the San Fernando one, but the San Gabriel. It’s … Continue reading Greater Streets — Valley Boulevard

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Statuary in Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

Even though I'm more "no money" than "new money," I share the latter's collective love of statuary. When wondering through the city or suburbs I'm pleased by the presence of garden gnomes or bodhisattva or fast food mascots. Nothing churches up a home like a yard full of tiny replicas of Michelangelo's David. This being Asian Pacific … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Statuary in Los Angeles