Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian-American Murals in Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

The landscape of Los Angeles is full of murals. Occupying as they do public rather than private space, their creators have to assume at their creation that their existence is temporary. They’re rarely respected by artless taggers and once sufficiently damaged, graffiti removers usually obliterate them with their own artless paint jobs. Increasing they’re annihilated … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian-American Murals in Los Angeles

No Enclave — Exploring Laotian Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 10 Comments

California has by far the largest population of Laotian-Americans of any state, 58,424 as of 2010. There are large communities in both northern and southern California, with roughly 7,120 living in the Los Angeles area. There they maintain a relatively discreet profile, reflected mostly by the presence of a handful of restaurants either specializing in … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Laotian Los Angeles

Swinging Doors — Asian Bars of Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

I've heard Vietnamese and Koreans friends talk about how much Koreans and Vietnamese drink. More than once have I found myself drinking more than I should, egged on by Thai friends, Filipino family, and in one case a Japanese salaryman. No one drinks like Europeans, though, and European nations predictably occupy the top ten rankings of alcohol consumption … Continue reading Swinging Doors — Asian Bars of Los Angeles

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Southern California Night Markets

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 14 Comments

One of the great things about traveling is seeing things in other countries that it would be nice to have at home, things like arts funding, betel nut beauties, caning, compulsory voting, developed cycling infrastructure, elevenses, free state colleges, green roofs, gun control, pub culture, universal healthcare, pot cafés, salted licorice, and trains that travel faster than mobility … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Southern California Night Markets

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Angeleno Musicians

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 4 Comments

A comprehensive playlist of the music of Los Angeles would have to include film scores, cool jazz, surf bands, frat rock, folk-rock, Sunset Strip psychedelia, Chicano soul, country rock, hardcore punk, Paisley Underground, hair metal, gangsta rap, and G-funk. Lists of performers and bands associated with Los Angeles invariably include plenty rock groups, soul singers, and rappers. Inevitably, most are … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Asian Angeleno Musicians

No Enclave — Exploring Samoan Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

Samoan-Americans are the second largest group of Pacific Islanders in the US, after Hawaiians. In fact, there are more Samoans living in the US than in the Samoan Islands. The largest population on the US mainland live in Los Angeles, home as of 2010 to 54,000. Nearby San Diego is home to 31,000. In neither … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Samoan Los Angeles

Nobody Drives in LA — Opening of the Expo Line to Santa Monica

~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

Today the first train left from downtown Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica left 7th Street Metro Center. It was the first passenger train to run between the two downtowns since October 1953 (although freight trains ran until 1988). The first train departs for downtown Santa Monica, and thus the Westside was dragged kicking and screaming … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — Opening of the Expo Line to Santa Monica

Southland Parks — A Directory of Asian Gardens in Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 7 Comments

In Europe, there are several formalized traditions of botanical garden design including the Dutch, English, French, Greek, Italian, and Spanish. In Asia, there are at least long-established Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Persian schools and May being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I'm focusing on Los Angeles's Asian-style gardens. The tradition of Japanese-American nurseries stretches back to the 1850s when Japanese … Continue reading Southland Parks — A Directory of Asian Gardens in Los Angeles

No Enclave — Exploring Hmong Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 7 Comments

HMONG LOS ANGELES The Hmong are a stateless people who mostly live in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Approximately 281,000 Hmong lived in the US, as of the 2010 census, and the state with the largest population is California. While most California Hmong live in either Fresno or Sacramento Country, several thousand live in Southern California, … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Hmong Los Angeles

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vegetarian Asian Restaurants in Los Angeles

~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

Vegetarian buffet in Taiwan (Image: Bon Voyage Vegan) Eater LA just published a piece titled Essential Los Angeles Vegetarian Restaurants. As a vegetarian I read it with interest but was left a bit unsatisfied. I’ve eaten at seven of the seventeen restaurants on Eater’s list and have enjoyed the dining experience at each, but I do have … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vegetarian Asian Restaurants in Los Angeles