I've now lived in Los Angeles for eighteen years. Even though most of my dreams still seem to unfold in Missouri, I've been in California longer than I've been anywhere else. However, as much as I love exploring cities, I rarely make it over to the state's second largest, San Diego. Furthermore, as much as … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Riding the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego
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Urban Rambles — Exploring Mid-City with Machiko
In this -- my tenth year of exploring, writing about, and mapping Los Angeles -- I've so far eschewed undertaking my fairly exhaustive (and completely exhausting) community explorations for which I'm probably best known, California Fool's Gold. Instead, I've preferred to undertake smaller, less structured "rambles" though the city accompanied by fellow explorers. For this edition, I explored Mid-City with my friend Machiko … Continue reading Urban Rambles — Exploring Mid-City with Machiko
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Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Taiwan (Taipei & the East Coast)
MY TRIP -- INTRODUCTION In August 2010 I went on a trip to Taiwan. Like most Americans, I had little knowledge of the island in East Asia. In school, we learned that Taiwan was formerly called Formosa (although I don’t believe it was mentioned by whom). Later it became Taiwan. The Nationalists (the “good guys” … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Taiwan (Taipei & the East Coast)
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Urban Rambles – Exploring Bronzeville with Maya and Michael
2017 is my tenth year of exploring and writing about Los Angeles communities. In 2007 I explored Granada Hills, Montebello, and Alhambra, and titled my series California Fool's Gold in homage to Huell Howser's California's Gold (1991-2012). In 2014 I spun off a related series, Urban Rambles, in which I undertake short, small, loosely structured walks of various corners of Southern California. … Continue reading Urban Rambles – Exploring Bronzeville with Maya and Michael
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Happy Birthday, Isidore-Lucien Ducasse
Isidore Ducasse was an Uruguayan-born Decadent poet, born on this day, 171 years ago. His only completed work, a collection of poetry titled Les Chants de Maldoror and Poésies, was largely overlooked during the author's short life but later championed by the members of several underground movements. For its publication, Ducasse used the nom de plume for which is … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Isidore-Lucien Ducasse
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There It Is, Revitalize It — The San Gabriel River
The San Gabriel River is one of three major rivers which drains and flows through the Los Angeles Basin. The river drains a watershed of roughly 1,850 square kilometers and is bounded by the watersheds of the Los Angeles River to the west and the Santa Ana River watershed to the southeast. For most of … Continue reading There It Is, Revitalize It — The San Gabriel River
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Swinging Doors — A Gold Line Beer Crawl
In Los Angeles, I regularly find myself so spoiled for choice that it sometimes leaves me distressed; but really, there are surely worse problems than being presented with too many great possibilities with how to spend one’s time. On Sunday there was a nine kilometer hike in the San Gabriel Mountains which culminated with a … Continue reading Swinging Doors — A Gold Line Beer Crawl
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No Enclave — Exploring Eritrean-Los Angeles
Since the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 Africans have immigrated to the US, accounting for just 3.3% of total immigration. Although Black History Month observances typically focus on native Black Americans whose ancestors came to the US by means of the Atlantic slave trade — and … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Eritrean-Los Angeles
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No Enclave — Exploring Ghanaian Los Angeles
Since the 1968 enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 Africans have immigrated to the US, accounting for just 3.3% of total immigration. Although Black History Month observances typically focus on native Black Americans whose ancestors came to the US by means of the Atlantic slave trade — … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Ghanaian Los Angeles
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No Enclave — Exploring Nigerian Los Angeles
As you're probably aware, February is Black History Month. Most of the month's observances will naturally focus on the long history of black African-Americans, most of whose ancestors were brought to the US during the centuries-long slave trade. While I certainly don't want to take anything away from that, I thought that given the current … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Nigerian Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 