It was on 11 January 1974 -- every fan of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure knows -- that Large Marge died in the worst "accident" that many had ever seen. The sound of the crash was evocatively compared to that of "a garbage truck dropped off the Empire State Building." Ten years later, an apparently quinquagenarian truck … Continue reading Mapping Pee-Wee Herman in Los Angeles (and Beyond) on the Anniversary of Large Marge’s Passing (Which Should Probably Be Designated Pee-Wee Herman Day)
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No Enclave — Moroccan Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Morocco is playing France today in the World Cup semi-finals. It's a huge game for several reasons because Morocco are -- and have been -- massive underdogs. But that didn't stop them from knocking out Iberian neighbors Spain and Morocco. And now, as they did in the 8th century, the move on to France. … Continue reading No Enclave — Moroccan Los Angeles
No Enclave — Croatian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Today, on 13 December (St. Lucy's Day), Argentina and Croatia will face off in the World Cup semi-finals. It's safe to say, most Angelenos who care at all about association football (aka "soccer") will be rooting for Argentina. Los Angeles is also home to the nation's second-largest Argentine community -- although it is smaller … Continue reading No Enclave — Croatian Los Angeles
California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Dayton Heights
I was recently contacted by Dave Stoelk from Spectrum News. He originally wanted to do a segment on the Silver Lake Croquet League for his segment, "That's So L.A." After talking for a few minutes, though, he thought it might be fun to instead do a segment about my maps that I make, as Pendersleigh … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Dayton Heights
No Enclave — Tongva Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION The Tongva are a people indigenous to the American Southwest. When the European conquest of that region began, they were the dominant people in what came to be known as the Los Angeles Basin. At that time, their realm spanned more than 3,000 square kilometers of land and sea. For over 1,000 years, had … Continue reading No Enclave — Tongva Los Angeles
No Enclave — Oaxacan Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION There are no reliable figures of how many Oaxacans live in Los Angeles but, suffice to say, it is almost certainly a larger community than in any other US city and one of, and perhaps the, largest outside of Mexico. There have been efforts for at least ten years to get the city to … Continue reading No Enclave — Oaxacan Los Angeles
Fastfood Undead — Chains That Are No Longer Chains
A week and a half ago, it was announced on Dos Burritos' Facebook page that the Mendez Family had made the difficult decision to close the last location of their restaurant, which was once part of a small, local chain. Dos Burritos was founded in 1977 and, at its peak, there were locations in Downtown … Continue reading Fastfood Undead — Chains That Are No Longer Chains
Swinging Doors — Los Angeles’s Cider Scene on Johnny Appleseed Day
Today is the birthday of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. It is celebrated, in some places, as Johnny Appleseed Day. Other locales celebrated it on 11 March. I'm not sure how the March date was chosen. It's exactly one week before Johnny Appleseed died -- which seems like an odd thing the celebrate … Continue reading Swinging Doors — Los Angeles’s Cider Scene on Johnny Appleseed Day
No Enclave — Peruvian Los Angeles
Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua and Aymara: Piruw) is a country in South America. It is considered a "megadiverse' country, the habitats of which include the arid planes of the Pacific coast, the alpine peaks of the Andes, and the tropical Amazon basin. It is also home to a highly diverse human population of about 34 … Continue reading No Enclave — Peruvian Los Angeles
Southland Parks — Los Angeles’s State Society Picnics
From the 1900s through the 1970s, large numbers of migrants to Los Angeles gathered in themed picnics organized around their states of origin known as State Society Picnics or just State Picnics (although that sounds confusingly to me like an outdoor state banquet). They were known as "State Society Picnics." The phenomenon was huge. One … Continue reading Southland Parks — Los Angeles’s State Society Picnics
Eric Brightwell 