Detroit on an overcast day A couple of weeks ago, my partner and I traveled to Michigan to reunite my sister with her cat, Iwashi Oda. Iwashi had been living with us for a little over a year whilst my sister lived in Kyōto. It was my first time back in the Middle West in several years … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Day in Detroit
The Full Californian Breakfast — a California Fry-Up
I love breakfast. It's easily my favorite meal of the day (followed by second breakfast, elevenses, and supfast). When I die, if anyone wishes for whatever reason to celebrate my life, please do so with a "Brightwell Breakfast." Robert Burns gets his supper, after all, and surely if anyone deserves the sobriquet "ploughman blogger," it is … Continue reading The Full Californian Breakfast — a California Fry-Up
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Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Cagliari
As part of the Boaty Weekender cruise, I got to spend eight hours in Cagliari, Sardinia. From the get-go, my partner, Una, had expressed her wish to spend her day at Poetto, Cagliari's main beach. To be honest, I thought that eight hours at the beach sounded a bit dull -- especially having come all the way … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Cagliari
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Where Fools Fear to Tread — Cruising the Mediterranean aboard the Boaty Weekender
In August I went on my first cruise, Belle & Sebastian's Boaty Weekender. I'd never been on a cruise before. I was, at best, ambivalent about cruises. On the one hand, I have something an anthropological curiosity which in the past has compelled me to check out renaissance faires, Civil War reenactments, a Star Trek convention, … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — Cruising the Mediterranean aboard the Boaty Weekender
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No Enclave — Los Angeles’s International Markets
Last week, the Los Angeles Times published a piece by Frank Shyong about the imminent closure and relocation of two of Chinatown's last remaining Chinese markets. On the same day, Jared Cohee published a piece about Holland International Market in Bellflower for Eat the World LA. Both got me thinking a bit about the role international markets serve. … Continue reading No Enclave — Los Angeles’s International Markets
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Art in the Streets — The Happy Foot/Sad Foot (1986-2019)
For more than three decades, the Happy Foot/Sad Food sign has loomed over the intersection of Benton Way and Sunset Boulevard, just west of "the cut," a canyon cut into a sandstone hill for the Ostrich Railway in 1887 Although designed as an advertisement for Sunset Foot Clinic, it became a symbol of the Mideast … Continue reading Art in the Streets — The Happy Foot/Sad Foot (1986-2019)
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Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography — Map Merchandise
In recent years, I've had a lot of requests for printable version of "my map." I've made hundreds of maps but since the digital map I made of Los Angeles County has been viewed over a million times, I have to assume that that's the one most people are talking about. Of course, people who … Continue reading Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography — Map Merchandise
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Nobody Drives in LA — Get on the Rapid Bus
Lately, there's been a surprising amount of talk about dedicated bus lanes and busways in Los Angeles. Metro is currently moving forward with three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects: the North SFV BRT, the NoHo to Pasadena BRT, and the Vermont BRT. In 2017, Metro created a short, dedicated bus lane along Sunset Boulevard for the Dodger … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Get on the Rapid Bus
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California Fool’s Gold — Exploring La Habra
The other day I got around to exploring the North Orange County suburb of La Habra. I was joined on the adventure by my friend, Matt, who'd long ago mentioned that should I ever get around to visiting La Habra, he'd like to come along. I like to think that La Habra's motto, "a caring … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring La Habra
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Japanese Los Angeles
Los Angeles was at one time home to the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan and the contributions of Japanese-Angelenos to history and culture are many. It was in Los Angeles that Hollywood created the first Asian-American film star. It was also in Los Angeles that a legal challenge in the Supreme Court re-shaped … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Japanese Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 