Category: California Fool’s Gold

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Hermon

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 15 Comments

FROM THE LIONS' DENS AND THE MOUNTAIN HAUNTS OF LEOPARDS --HERMON Hermon and the deodars planted by the Arroyo Vista Woman's Club in memorium [sic] of Grace Ebey Reed In the autumn of 2012, I had a stint house-sitting in El Sereno. I spent much of my time exploring that neighborhood with a dog named … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Hermon

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring City Terrace

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 14 Comments

BEEN UP TO CITY TERRACE TO SEE WHAT'S A-HAPPENING  Last year I had a stint house-sitting in El Sereno and spent the better part of my stay exploring with a dog named Dooley that I was also charged with the care of. She and I mostly explored the greater El Sereno area, including Hillside Village and University Hills. This time … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring City Terrace

California Fool’s Gold — A Channel Islands Primer

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 90 Comments

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

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Chesterfield Square

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 9 Comments

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

California Fool’s Gold — San Clemente, The Spanish Village in Orange County

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

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

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Culver City, The Heart of Screenland

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 46 Comments

ALL ROADS LEAD TO CULVER CITY Imagine for a moment that you are a contestant on the game show Jeopardy! and you were presented with the answer, "This community's slogans have included 'The Motion Picture Capital of the World,' 'The Heart of Screenland,' and 'Where Hollywood Movies are Made.'" If you're like me you'd probably ask, … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Culver City, The Heart of Screenland

California Fool’s Gold — A South Orange County Primer

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 72 Comments

INTRODUCTION Most of us know the stereotypes and are familiar with the frequent characterizations of Orange County. It’s supposedly culture-less and even somehow history-less. Anyone who’s spent any time in Los Angeles has no doubt heard the same hollow, bafflingly ignorant observations made of about that richly cultured city yet sadly, many Angelenos (who ought … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A South Orange County Primer

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Catalina Island and Avalon

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 13 Comments

Two weeks ago I made my first visit to one of California’s Channel Islands, Santa Catalina Island. For those that don’t know, Southern California is home to an archipelago of small, rugged islands off its coast. My 2012 New Year’s resolution was to visit one or more of the Channel Islands. Having failed to realize … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Santa Catalina Island and Avalon

Pan-Asian Metropolis — East of the Eastside, the Far Eastside

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

All around the world large, multicultural cities often contain recognized, small, distinct ethnic enclaves. Los Angeles, by some measures the most diverse city in the universe, is no exception. These neighborhoods are often more ephemeral than others -- coming and going in a reflection of changing patterns of immigration, marginalization, assimilation and development. In the … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — East of the Eastside, the Far Eastside

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring The Byzantine-Latino Quarter, Los Angeles’s Old Greektown

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

WE ARE EACH OF US ANGELS WITH ONE WING  Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography's map of The Byzantine-Latino Quarter Los Angeles's Byzantine-Latino Quarter is neighborhood and commercial corridor that straddles the larger neighborhoods of Harvard Heights and Pico-Union as well as the larger Midtown districts of Wilshire Center to the north and Mid-City to the south. … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring The Byzantine-Latino Quarter, Los Angeles’s Old Greektown