WHO WOULD FLOAT ME TO MY ISLAND DREAM? -- THE CHANNEL ISLANDS On planet Earth there are at least two archipelagos known as “The Channel Islands.” Frankly, I'd be somewhat surprised if there aren't more. One is located in an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates France and the UK known in English as “The … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A Channel Islands Primer
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
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Chesterfield Square
BLOW SOME MY WAY -- CHESTERFIELD SQUARE Chesterfield Square signs Chesterfield Square is without a doubt, one of Los Angeles’s most obscure neighborhoods. The obscurity is somewhat surprising given the neighborhood’s longstanding and dubious distinction of having the city’s and county’s highest violent crime rate pretty much month-after-month, year-after-year. As a matter of fact, though, … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Chesterfield Square
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Nobody Drives in LA — Exploring the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension
With bicycles, buses, ferries, planes, rideshares, sidewalks, subways, taxis, and trains at Angelenos’ disposal, why would any sane person choose car dependency? Nobody Drives in LA celebrates sense and sensibility in transportation. One of Metro's highly anticipated metro rail projects is the South Bay Green Line Extension. The Green Line's current western terminus is Redondo Beach Station, located on … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Exploring the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension
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In praise of the papoose – Happy Native American Heritage Month!
The term "papoose" in English refers to both young Native American children and their cradle board carriers. The word come to English from the Narragansett term papoòs. As evinced by the following historical photographs, cradle board carriers were once popular not just within the Alqonquin nation but throughout much of indigenous North America and maybe beyond. I don't … Continue reading In praise of the papoose – Happy Native American Heritage Month!
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A look at French writer and thinker Paul Valery on the anniversary of his birth
Paul Valéry was an essayist, intellectual, journalist, philosopher, Symbolist poet, fiction writer and polymath who was born 142 years ago today. Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry was born 30 October, 1871 to a Corsican father and Genoese-Istrian mother in Sète (or Cette) -- a small town in Occitania. There he attended school at Collège de Sète before the … Continue reading A look at French writer and thinker Paul Valery on the anniversary of his birth
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Visiting LACMA’s Bing Theater for a Tuesday Matinee
A recent viewing of The Shining reminded me of just what a good idea it is for people who work at home (and perhaps have a bit of a tough time pulling themselves away from work) to forgo all work for occasional play. I also regularly suffer from a sort of paralysis that occurs when … Continue reading Visiting LACMA’s Bing Theater for a Tuesday Matinee
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Show-Me Hollywood — Missourians in Hollywood on Missouri Day
Happy Missouri Day! I was not born in Missouri but I count myself fortunate to have grown up there, moving to the Show-Me State from Kentucky when I was four and staying until I was sixteen. Of course, I ended up moving west (St. Louis is the Gateway to the West after all) to the great … Continue reading Show-Me Hollywood — Missourians in Hollywood on Missouri Day
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You probably haven't heard but today is Missouri Day. For this piece I'm honoring Missourians who've worked in Hollywood -- mostly as actors but as directors and film scorers as well.
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Nobody Drives in LA — Exploring Along the WeHo PickUp Line
With bicycles, buses, ferries, planes, rideshares, sidewalks, subways, taxis, and trains at Angelenos’ disposal, why would any sane person choose car-dependency? Nobody Drives in LA celebrates sense and sensibility in transportation. The city of West Hollywood recently launched a new nighttime shuttle service: the WeHo PickUp Line. Although the branding makes it clear that it's meant to be thought of … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Exploring Along the WeHo PickUp Line
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California Fool’s Gold — San Clemente, The Spanish Village in Orange County
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
Eric Brightwell 