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 culture, its history, its verticality, its mass transit, its diversity, its schools, its green spaces, its liminal spaces, its architecture, its wildlife, its museums, its night markets, its cinemas, its theaters, its enclaves, its restaurants, its bars, its libraries, and more.

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Radio

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Los Angeles is the world’s great Pan-Asian city, a melting pot within a melting pot. Arguments could be made for multicultural metropolises like Birmingham, Honolulu, London, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver which in some case have more numbers or larger percentages but none come close to matching Los Angeles’s sheer breadth and vibrancy. In the … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Radio

No Enclave — Exploring Sri Lankan Los Angeles

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INTRODUCTION As of 2010, there were 45,159 Sri Lankans living in the US. Substantial immigration began in the 1990s when many fled the violence of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The majority of Sri Lankan-Americans live in the vicinity of either New York City (where there's a Little Sri Lanka on Staten Island), central New Jersey, or Los Angeles -- the latter … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Sri Lankan Los Angeles

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Supermarkets

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Supermarkets are wonderful places. My old landlord, a friendless and frankly unlikeable person, told me that Gelson's was her favorite place to spend Thanksgiving (alone). Joe Strummer wrote of getting lost in one, an experience apparently so traumatic that he required Mick Jones to sing his lyrics. The group Supermarket recorded just one song, called "Supermarket," the lyrics of which consisted … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Supermarkets

No Enclave — Exploring Nepali Los Angeles

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INTRODUCTION TO NEPALI LOS ANGELES As of 2010, there were only 6,231 Nepali-Americans living in California. However, after Bhutanese, Nepalis make up the second fastest growing population of South Asian immigrants in the US, spurred in large part by the Nepalese Civil War. Although most have so far settled in New York, Washington, DC, Texas, Boston, Somerville, … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Nepali Los Angeles

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Chain Restaurants in Los Angeles

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For the self-congratulatory members of the cult of culinary authenticity, starvation is preferable to eating at a chain restaurant. Fast food in particular, with its industrial model of production, is the profane opposite of "artisanal." The apparent mission of the chain --  to appeal to as many people as possible -- is anathema to the foodie’s pornographic fetishization … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Chain Restaurants in Los Angeles

No Enclave — Exploring Pakistani Los Angeles

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Los Angeles is home to a large population of Pakistani-Americans, second in size only to the New York-New Jersey area, but the population is fairly diffuse and there is no Little Pakistan, official or unofficial. For this episode of No Enclave, I explore Pakistani-Los Angeles and Southern California. Pakistan is a nation in South Asia. … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Pakistani Los Angeles

Greater Streets: Exploring the Walk of Fame — Heart of Hollywood

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INTRODUCTION Hollywood and Vine -- The heart of Downtown Hollywood Although it continues to attract millions of tourists every year, there are few places in Los Angeles that locals avoid as deliberately as Downtown Hollywood's Walk of Fame. To put it bluntly, most Angelenos that I know would rather jostle with the crowded sidewalks along … Continue reading Greater Streets: Exploring the Walk of Fame — Heart of Hollywood

Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles Train Map

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Los Angeles was made possible by trains. Rate wars between Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railways ignited the first population boom. To this day, the vast, expansive Pacific Electric Railway was the largest interurban electric railway the world has ever known. Its primary purpose was o expand growth in the suburbs -- or as … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles Train Map

Nobody Drives in LA — Opening Day of the Gold Line Foothill Extension

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Back in February 2013, my brother and I walked along the route of Metro's then-planned Gold Line Foothill Extension. Even though Foothill Extension is 18 kilometers long, thanks to detours and construction, our walk from Pasadena to Azusa ended up being stretched to 27 kilometers. The newly-opened train lane reduces that distance and travel time considerably. Now one can theoretically … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Opening Day of the Gold Line Foothill Extension

Women’s History Month: 25 Women in Los Angeles History

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March is Women’s History Month, an observation which traces its beginnings to the first International Women's Day, declared in 1911. As of 2014, Los Angeles County was home to an estimated 5,129,169 women, making it home to more women than any other county in the US. As of 2010, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim urban area … Continue reading Women’s History Month: 25 Women in Los Angeles History