Category: California Fool’s Gold

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Dogtown

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 21 Comments

Pendersleigh & Sons' Cartography's map of Dogtown INTRODUCTION Dogtown (or as the city would rather you refer to it -- the "North Industrial District") is both one of Los Angeles’s oldest and most obscure neighborhoods. It’s also occasionally referred to as either Naud Junction or Mission Junction, after two area junctions of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Dogtown

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring El Monte, the End of the Santa Fe Trail (or at least some trails)

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 21 Comments

INTRODUCTION TO EL MONTE Valley Boulevard and Peck Road -- Welcome to El Monte El Monte is a city in the middle of the San Gabriel Valley. As of the last census (in 2010), its population was 113,475. It contains the neighborhoods of Arden Village, the Auto District, Downtown, Five Points, the Flair Business District, … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring El Monte, the End of the Santa Fe Trail (or at least some trails)

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Irvine, Orange County’s City of Innovation

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 15 Comments

INTRODUCTION   Irvine skyline For a while now Irvine has shared the top spot on my poll (see the end of the post to vote) but I’ve put it off because of the time required to explore such a sprawling, distant city. There was also a time when most of my blog’s non-Los Angeles fans … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Irvine, Orange County’s City of Innovation

California Fool’s Gold — A North Orange County Primer

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 83 Comments

SHE HAD ORANGE RIBBONS IN HER HAIR -- NORTH ORANGE COUNTY It comes as something of a dismaying surprise to me how casually many seemingly intelligent Angelenos freely dismiss Orange County. Iv'e grown used to (if still somewhat surprised by) the out-dated chauvinistic attitude of New Yorkers and San Franciscans. But while those widely and … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A North Orange County Primer

California Fool’s Gold — A San Fernando Valley Primer

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 106 Comments

WHERE THE WEST BEGINS AND THE SUNSET ENDS -- THE VALLEY  There are numerous valleys in Los Angeles County: the Antelope, Crescenta, Hungry, Peace, Pomona, Puente, San Gabriel, Santa Clara River, and Santa Clarita, to name a few of the better known ones. However, when one hears mention of The Valley it is almost universally recognized as a … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A San Fernando Valley Primer

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring El Sereno, Last of the Independent

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 23 Comments

INTRODUCTION Normally for my Los Angeles and Orange County neighborhood blogs, I spend a day (two in the case of Highland Park) exploring and seeing as much as I can and then write about it. For El Sereno, however, I had two whole weeks to explore. I was house-sitting for a couple, staying in their … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring El Sereno, Last of the Independent

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Altadena, the Community of the Deodars

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 37 Comments

INTRODUCTION TO ALTADENA When people hear the disyllabic sounds, “alta” and “dena,” I would wager that most of them think of the well-known City of Industry-based Alta Dena Dairy, which was started by the three, Missouri-born Stueve Brothers in Monrovia, California in 1945. Oddly, more than five minutes of internet research hadn’t helped me figure out … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Altadena, the Community of the Deodars

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Mount Washington

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 15 Comments

One of the Mount Washington neighborhood signs A typical Mount Washington street This here episode is all about Mount Washington -- a hilly and almost entirely residential neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. Its neighbors are Highland Park to the east, Cypress Park to the southwest, Glassell Park to the northwest, and Eagle Rock to the north. … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Mount Washington

California Fool’s Gold — A Hollywood Primer

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 110 Comments

HOLLYWOOD SWINGING Hollywood is famous around the world as the one-time center of the American film industry. Although Hollywood isn't the original home of the west coast film industry (nearby Edendale in Echo Park and Sycamore Grove in Highland Park both have stronger claims to that distinction), Hollywood has for almost a century continued to serve … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — A Hollywood Primer

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Lincoln Heights, The Pueblo’s Bedroom

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 29 Comments

LINCOLN HEIGHTS Lincoln Heights one of the main neighborhoods of Los Angeles's Eastside. Across the Los Angeles River, it's neighbored by Downtown's Chinatown, North Industrial District (Dog Town), Civic Support, and Mideast Los Angeles's Elysian Park and Elysian Valley to the west and northwest, respectively. It's neighbored the Northeast Los Angeles's Cypress Park and Montecito Heights to the north; and fellow Eastside neighborhoods Boyle … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Lincoln Heights, The Pueblo’s Bedroom