About a month ago, following the introduction of a car-free section of Griffith Park Drive in Griffith Park, I wrote a piece celebrating ten Los Angeles streets that have been reclaimed from automobiles over the past century. After that, I wrote about open streets events, like CicLAvia, that have for 20 years provided tantalizing if … Continue reading Greater Streets — Street Vacations: When Streets Get Taken Away
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Homes Fit For Heroes — Visiting Riverside’s Mission Inn
In April, when many transit agencies were free in recognition of Earth Day, I rode Metrolink to and from four of Southern California's county seats. I called it The Great Metrolink Four Counties Ride. It was my first time really exploring San Bernardino and Riverside. Downtown San Bernardino was concerning -- although I would love … Continue reading Homes Fit For Heroes — Visiting Riverside’s Mission Inn
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Take ’em to the Bridge — Visiting the 6th Street Viaduct
On Sunday, my friend and frequent exploration companion Mike Morgan and I visited the newly opened 6th Street Viaduct -- which replaces the old 6th Street Viaduct. The 6th Street Viaduct, also known as the 6th Street Bridge, is, as the name suggests, a viaduct bridge. For those that don't know, a viaduct is a … Continue reading Take ’em to the Bridge — Visiting the 6th Street Viaduct
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Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles’s Open Streets
For decades since the introduction of the automobile to Los Angeles, the trend was to accommodate them more and more. Sidewalks were shaved away to all for more cars. Beautiful historic buildings were leveled and replace with surface parking lots. Interstate freeways were allowed not just to connect states but to slice through working class … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles’s Open Streets
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Nobody Drives in LA — Re-Claiming Los Angeles’s Streets from Cars with Pedestrian Plazas
GRIFFITH PARK DRIVE CLOSURE IN GRIFFITH PARK A map of Griffith Park with the less-than-one-mile stretch of Griffith Park Drive closed to cars highlighted in red On 27 June, a small stretch of Griffith Park Drive is being closed to cars as part of a pilot program [UPDATE: It's permanent now]. Inevitably, there were the … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Re-Claiming Los Angeles’s Streets from Cars with Pedestrian Plazas
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Happy 626, or, San Gabriel Valley Day!
Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography's watercolor and ink map of the San Gabriel Valley, available in art prints and on an array of merchandise Last year, on 18 August, I published a piece celebrating San Fernando Valley Day. You see, in the US (and nowhere else, really), people write dates month/day/year. I know, it makes no … Continue reading Happy 626, or, San Gabriel Valley Day!
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California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pioneertown
INTRODUCTION Penderersleigh & Sons Cartography's Map of Pioneertown, available in art prints and a variety of merchandise This entry into the California Fool's Gold series is about Pioneertown. Pioneertown has actually received zero votes or requests from readers, and that's usually how I determine which communities to cover. However, a friend's band was playing there, … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Pioneertown
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Nobody Drives in LA — The Los Angeles Grand Tour
The Grand Tour, for the unfamiliar, was a custom that arose in Britain in the mid-1600s, which involved upper class young British men touring around Europe as part of their cultural education. By the 1800s, the custom had spread from the British upper classes to the nouveau riche of Europe, the Americas, and the Philippines. … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — The Los Angeles Grand Tour
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — 220-ish Asian Angeleno Artists
It's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and so I thought it might be nice to shine a spotlight on some of Metro Los Angeles's many Asian American artists, the subject of this week's post. It was a bit of an undertaking for many reasons. There are and have been many Asian American artists who've at … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — 220-ish Asian Angeleno Artists
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No Enclave — Kazakh Los Angeles
This week's post is about Kazakh Los Angeles. Since it is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the primary focus is on ethnically Kazakh Angelenos. However, as Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic society, a few "white" Angelenos with roots in Kazakstan are included too. INTRODUCTION I first became aware of Kazakhstan (าะฐะทะฐาััะฐะฝ) as a child when I … Continue reading No Enclave — Kazakh Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 