There is no category for Uzbek-Americans on the US Census but roughly 20,000 Uzbeks are estimated to live here. The most visible communities live in the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens or the nearby city of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The first large wave arrived after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Due to … Continue reading No Enclave — Exloring Uzbek Los Angeles
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Pioneering Asian-American Architects in Los Angeles
There were Asian-American architects working outside of Los Angeles. Thomas S. Rockrise (né Iwahiko Tsumanuma) joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1921, toward the end of his career. Yasuo Matsui followed in 1927. In the mid-20th century, there Asian-American architects active in other parts of the country, as well, including Edith Leong Yang, Pu Hu Shao, … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Pioneering Asian-American Architects in Los Angeles
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Those Useless Trees — The Aoyama Tree
Although not native, many Moreton Bay Figs (Ficus macrophylla) dot the Southern California landscape. The oldest of these Australian immigrants might be those planted by agriculturalist Elijah Hook Workman on the Los Angeles Plaza in 1875. Around that same time, one was planted in Anaheim which later served as the model for the Disneyland's Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. One planted … Continue reading Those Useless Trees — The Aoyama Tree
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No Enclave — Exploring Mongolian Los Angeles
As of 2010, there were 18,344 Americans who self-identified as Mongolian-American. The census of that year also showed that 4,993 Mongolians were living in California, making it home to more Mongolians than any other state. About 2,000 Mongolians are estimated to live in Los Angeles. Although relatively low-profile and not thus far recognized with a designated enclave, a good … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Mongolian Los Angeles
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Radio
Los Angeles is the world’s great Pan-Asian city, a melting pot within a melting pot. Arguments could be made for multicultural metropolises like Birmingham, Honolulu, London, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver which in some case have more numbers or larger percentages but none come close to matching Los Angeles’s sheer breadth and vibrancy. In the … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Radio
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Supermarkets
Supermarkets are wonderful places. My old landlord, a friendless and frankly unlikeable person, told me that Gelson's was her favorite place to spend Thanksgiving (alone). Joe Strummer wrote of getting lost in one, an experience apparently so traumatic that he required Mick Jones to sing his lyrics. The group Supermarket recorded just one song, called "Supermarket," the lyrics of which consisted … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Los Angeles’s Asian Supermarkets
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Chain Restaurants in Los Angeles
For the self-congratulatory members of the cult of culinary authenticity, starvation is preferable to eating at a chain restaurant. Fast food in particular, with its industrial model of production, is the profane opposite of "artisanal." The apparent mission of the chain -- to appeal to as many people as possible -- is anathema to the foodie’s pornographic fetishization … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Chain Restaurants in Los Angeles
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No Enclave — Exploring Pakistani Los Angeles
Los Angeles is home to a large population of Pakistani-Americans, second in size only to the New York-New Jersey area, but the population is fairly diffuse and there is no Little Pakistan, official or unofficial. For this episode of No Enclave, I explore Pakistani-Los Angeles and Southern California. Pakistan is a nation in South Asia. … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Pakistani Los Angeles
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Greater Streets: Exploring the Walk of Fame — Heart of Hollywood
INTRODUCTION Hollywood and Vine -- The heart of Downtown Hollywood Although it continues to attract millions of tourists every year, there are few places in Los Angeles that locals avoid as deliberately as Downtown Hollywood's Walk of Fame. To put it bluntly, most Angelenos that I know would rather jostle with the crowded sidewalks along … Continue reading Greater Streets: Exploring the Walk of Fame — Heart of Hollywood
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Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles Train Map
Los Angeles was made possible by trains. Rate wars between Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railways ignited the first population boom. To this day, the vast, expansive Pacific Electric Railway was the largest interurban electric railway the world has ever known. Its primary purpose was o expand growth in the suburbs -- or as … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Los Angeles Train Map
Eric Brightwell 