Category: California Fool’s Gold

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Whittier

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 10 Comments

INTRODUCTION For this chapter of California Fool's Gold, I explored the city of Whittier. Whittier is a city in Southeast Los Angeles (County), separated from the San Gabriel Valley to the north by the Puente Hills and sharing a border with Orange County to the southeast. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Whittier

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Barbara

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

INTRODUCTION A year ago -- over a year ago! -- my partner and I visited the town of Santa Barbara. I meant to write about our visit for California Fool's Gold sooner, but 2020 was the year everything went pear-shaped. When the pandemic hit, many suddenly found themselves with more time than they knew what … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Barbara

Los Angeles Neighborhoods โ€” From Academy Hill to Zamperini Field and All Points Between

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 2 Comments

INTRODUCTION Los Angeles Neighborhoods โ€” From Academy Hill to Zamperini Field and All Points Between is a collected series of haiku, sijo, and Twitter-inspired descriptions of 1,036 communities in Los Angeles County. Naturally, it includes all 88 cities โ€“ but also the unincorporated communities and census-designated places; the enclaves and exclaves; suburbs, exurbs, boomburbs, and … Continue reading Los Angeles Neighborhoods โ€” From Academy Hill to Zamperini Field and All Points Between

Seasons in Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

In 2019, I decided to make a video essay documenting the changing seasons in Los Angeles. https://www.youtube.com/embed/MF9OoSUPnrM The film begins, as the year does, in winter. In this case, it's winter in the San Gabriel Mountains that divide the chaparral of the Los Angeles Basin from the desert of the Antelope Valley. Next we're in … Continue reading Seasons in Los Angeles

California Fool’s Gold — Southern California’s Lighthouses

~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

When you read (or hear) the words, โ€œCalifornia Coast,โ€ what images come to mind? If youโ€™re a Southern Californian, you may imagine beach bums and bunnies, woodies and wave-riding surfers. If youโ€™re in Northern California, your thoughts may well turn to rocky shores and groves of towering redwoods. If you live in Central California, I … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Southern California’s Lighthouses

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring La Habra

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 5 Comments

The other day I got around to exploring the North Orange County suburb of La Habra. I was joined on the adventure by my friend, Matt, who'd long ago mentioned that should I ever get around to visiting La Habra, he'd like to come along. I like to think that La Habra's motto, "a caring … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring La Habra

California Fools Gold — Exploring Newport Beach

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 6 Comments

INTRODUCTION I finally got around to exploring Newport Beach. I say "finally" because that particular coastal city inย South Orange County has held the top spot in the California Foolโ€™s Goldย poll for more than a year. You'd be wrong if you assumed that my procrastination has anything to do with unfortunate (but typical)ย Angeleรฑo bias against Orange … Continue reading California Fools Gold — Exploring Newport Beach

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring the Historic Core

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 8 Comments

INTRODUCTION I recently explored Downtown's Historic Core neighborhood. The exploration was undertaken in two parts. I first began exploring the district a few days before Christmas. Thus the days were short and the sun set when I was only halfway done. The distractions of the holidays caused me to forget about finishing the task for … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring the Historic Core

California Fool’s Gold — A San Diego Neighborhoods Primer

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 70 Comments

INTRODUCTION 2019 is the sestercentennial of San Diego's founding. It's also the vigintennial of my moving to Southern California -- and yet, in those twenty years, I've probably visited San Diego no more than a dozen times. Why haven't I visited California's second-largest city more often? Certainly not out of any of the sort of … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A San Diego Neighborhoods Primer

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Sandberg

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 5 Comments

One of the pleasing ironies of Los Angeles County is that even though it's the most populous county in the US as well as the core of the nation's most densely populated metropolis -- it is also a region so vast and varied that it supports dozens of hamlets, ghost towns, and de-populated places which … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Sandberg