Eric Brightwell

If you listen to Conan O'Brien's Summer Smores, you've heard him joke about how remote Altadena is. If you're not an Angeleno, however, you probably don't have a good sense of Los Angeles geography, though, so I created this map of Conan's Los Angeles.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2024/08/14/conan-needs-a-map/

For the July edition of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's "Ask Silver Lake" column, I discuss the history and character of the neighborhood's beloved bungalow courts... and include a bunch of photos taken by me.

Ask Silver Lake — Silver Lake’s Bungalow Courts The following article was written for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council’s “Ask Silver Lake” series — ‘Ask Silver Lake’ is dedicated to exploring the history and insights …

This was the lastest "Ask Silver Lake," written for the
Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's newsletter about the Mattachine Steps... and my efforts to get the Fargo Stairs renamed the Julian Eltinge Steps -- after America's first drag superstar (and Silver Laker) Eltinge.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2024/07/09/ask-silver-lake-the-mattachine-steps-and-the-julian-eltinge-steps/

The other day I found myself in Santa Clarita with a couple of hours to kill. Naturally, I got the hell out of Santa Clarita and kicked around an old ghost town, Mentryville, for a few.

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Mentryville INTRODUCTION  The other day I found myself in Santa Clarita with a couple of hours to kill. I Googled “best restaurants in Santa Clarita” — knowing full well that Google has …

Happy Asian American Pacific Islander Month!
From 1885 until the late 1930s, Pasadena had a small Chinatown -- something I discovered two days ago. The police and local papers of the day were obsessed with its o***m dens, lottery parlors, and tongs... why hasn't this been better covered?

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Pasadena’s Lost Chinatown INTRODUCTION Most of my essays about Los Angeles begin similarly. A question is asked, an answer is hard to find or is deemed inadequate, and then I head straight down a rabbit hole. This one began…

You've probably heard that all 99 Cents Only stores are closing. Here's a piece about the Silver Lake location originally written for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's "Ask Silver Lake" column in which I look at the Silver Lake location's history and possible future.

Change in Store — Silver Lake’s 99 Cents Only Store Will Soon Be No More NOTE: a version of this piece was written for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council’s “Ask Silver Lake” column. ‘Ask Silver Lake’ is dedicated to exploring the history and insights…

Sometimes I assume that certain things are common knowledge in Los Angeles when, in fact, they're not. A few weeks ago, on , I mentioned that Sunset Boulevard began life as a railroad designed to transport Angelenos to an ostrich farm... which was the seed of Griffith Park. A few people asked for more on that so here goes...

https://ericbrightwell.com/2024/04/02/nobody-drives-in-la-the-ostrich-farm-railway/

Sometimes I assume that certain things are common knowledge in Los Angeles when, in fact, they're not. A few weeks ago, on , I mentioned that Sunset Boulevard began life as a railroad designed to transport Angelenos to an ostrich farm... which was the seed of Griffith Park. A few people asked for more on that so here goes...

Nobody Drives in LA — The Ostrich Farm Railway THE OSTRICH FARM RAILWAY Detail of Map of the City of Los Angeles, 1887, depicting the route of the Ostrich Farm Railway [Note: This essay was written for and originally appeared in the Silver Lake…

An exploration of Los Angeles's large yet overlooked Indian community.

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Indian Los Angeles INTRODUCTION Despite its historic and cultural importance, there seems to be surprisingly little out there about Metro Los Angeles’s sizable Indian community. Los Angeles is, after all, known for i…

Some of you may know that, a few years ago -- pre-COVID19 -- when podcasts were still "reasonably" fresh, I had an idea for a podcast version of Nobody Drives in LA. Originally I thought I'd interview car-free Angelenos on their favorite transit routes. I quickly realized, though, that buses and trains were pretty loud -- and that I don't know anything about producing or editing. A few people gave me hints and encouragement but I finally realized that I really needed someone else to help out. I think that I've found that person -- although I don't want to introduce him right now. I also found out that the Los Angeles Public Library's Central Library has a free podcast studio in its amazing Octavia Lab.

Rather than try to record on bikes, buses, trains, or walks -- we're going to record in the lab. We already recorded a "pilot." This guy seems to know what he's doing and although I haven't heard the final edit, what I heard sounded good -- better than some podcasts I regularly listen to, actually -- at least those ones where guests are recorded over Zoom or a phone.

I don't have a timeline for the podcast but, obviously, when it comes out I'll share it everywhere that I can think of. I imagine we'll cover current transit topics like Metro considering hiring more Ambassadors or cops, the battle over the Gondola to Dodger Stadium, the battle over the Sepulveda Pass, the battle over Metro's Bike Share (and, ideally, some less heated issues -- Access to Hollywood, the OC Streetcar, the LAX People Mover, open streets events, &c.

We'd also like to have some "evergreens" that we can drop at any time. Those are what I want the bulk of episodes to be about, actually, because I'm creating this podcast, primarily, for car-free Angelenos and the potentially car-free Angeleno... the car-free curious. So, if you're a car-free Angeleno or know any car-free Angelenos who'd like to talk about both the joys and tribulations of car-free living in Los Angeles, let me know!

The other day I went to the Huntington to see how the Chinese Garden is getting on -- and the new/old Shōya House. After an aborted attempt (it's closed on Tuesdays), I came back the next day and had a lovely time, of course. Who doesn't love a garden?

https://ericbrightwell.com/2024/02/02/southland-parks-visiting-the-huntingtons-chinese-and-japanese-gardens/

The other day, Evan L.A. in a Minute asked me if I had any tidbits about Los Angeles's Jamaican community and said that there was next to nothing written that he could find. I looked and couldn't find anything either. And thus a new No Enclave was born.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2024/02/02/no-enclave-exploring-jamaican-los-angeles/

About two weeks ago, I a led a walk with John Yi on and around Bunker Hill on a mid-winter evening. We were joined by about twenty fabulous, intrepid Angelenos who braved a pretty heavy drizzle to get to know the city a bit better.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2024/02/02/dtla-bunker-hill-walk-with-john-yi/

vibes

Mark your calendars! A DTLA walk with California Assembly candidate, John Yi. Experience Bunker Hill's oldest human-made feature, the unfinished people mover, the world's shortest railway, a collection of "plop" art, the Blue Ribbon Garden, the improbably long-named General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Way -- and more!

DTLA Walk with John — Bunker Hill Edition On Saturday 20 January 2024, I’m going to co-lead a walk of Bunker Hill with State Assembly candidate, John Yi. We will meet at Metro’s Civic Center/Grand Park Station in Gloria Molina Grand …

Thanks for playing along in 2023, everyone — especially those who encouraged, accompanied, enjoyed, and shared. Thank you, Patrons! Thanks especially to Los Angeles Public Library, All Valley Everything, Hear in LA, the Silver Lake History Collective. And special thanks to Mike Sonksen and L.A. in a Minute for the constant support. Check them out and give them a follow if you haven't already. Hope to see you all in 2024.

Top 23 of '23: No. 1 -- A Snapshot of Seattle

This year's most-viewed post was an essay about my visit, in January, to Seattle.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/04/03/where-fools-fear-to-tread-a-snapshot-of-seattle/

Top 23 of '23: No. 2

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Torrance

After a long break for COVID, I got back to my California Fool's Gold series and an exploration of Torrance was my second-most viewed story of 2023.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/06/15/california-fools-gold-exploring-torrance/

Top 23 of '23: No. 3

The Mountains and Hills of Metro Los Angeles

2023's third-most read post was about the mountains and hills of Los Angeles. From sea level to the peak of Mount Lukens, Los Angeles has the greatest elevation range of any city on Earth. Hands up if you moved here thinking that you'd surf every weekend but ended up rambling through mountains and hills instead.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/03/14/mist-iron-the-mountains-and-hills-of-metro-los-angeles/

Top 23 of '23: No. 4

The Sunset Pacific Motel (1964-2023)

This year's fourth-most viewed piece was about an iconic hotel, nicknamed the Bates Motel, that stood neglected and abandoned for many years before being demolished by its owner.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/03/07/homes-fit-for-heroes-sunset-pacific-motel-1964-2023/

: Metro Los Angeles

Metro Los Angeles is a highly ecologically and topographically diverse metropolis. It’s also home to the world’s largest diasporic populations of Armenians, Cambodians, Belizeans, Filipinos, Guatemalans, Iranians, Koreans, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Top 23 of '23:

No. 5 -- Pee-Wee Herman Day

2023's 5th-most viewed post was about what should be Pee-Wee Herman Day -- Francis Buxton's birthday, the anniversary of Large Marge's death, and the day Pee-Wee's Schwinn DX Cruiser was stolen. Sadly, Paul Reubens died just a few months after. RIP Paul Reubens -- Long live P.W. Herman!

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/01/11/mapping-pee-wee-herman-in-los-angeles-and-beyond-on-the-anniversary-of-large-marges-passing/

: Los Angeles County

What's now Los Angeles County has been inhabited by humans since at least 8200 BCE. Los Angeles County was founded on 18 February 1850 and included parts or the entirety of seven other modern counties. It has been the most populous of the US’s 3,142 counties since 1955.

: Los Angeles

The Pueblo de Los Ángeles was founded on 4 September 1781. It was incorporated on 4 April 1850. Through annexations, Los Angeles reached the coast in 1909 and is the second most populous Pacific city in the Americas. It has the greatest elevation range of any city on Earth.

Top 23 of '23: No. 7

The California Cycleway

2023's seventh-most viewed post was about the Los Angeles Cycleway -- a bicycle freeway that was derailed when it collided with the city's dominant transit mode -- the streetcar.

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/10/13/nobody-drives-in-la-the-california-cycleway/

: Fairfax

Crescent Avenue was renamed Fairfax Avenue in 1912. The Fairfax District arose in the 1920s. It's notable for its Farmers Market (1934), CBS Television City (1952), the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (1961), Pan-Pacific Park (1989), and The Grove (2002).

Top 23 of ’23: No. 8

This year's eighth-most viewed post was an exploration of Cambodian Los Angeles, the largest community of Cambodians outside of Cambodia.

Pan Asian Metropolis — Cambodian Los Angeles

https://ericbrightwell.com/2023/04/14/pan-asian-metropolis-cambodian-los-angeles/

: Unincorporated Palmdale

Palmdale annexations in the 1960s and ’70s created three unincorporated enclaves within Palmdale. Within Unincorporated Palmdale are the Antelope Valley Transit Authority Transit Center, the Desert Aire Golf Course, the Telstar Mobile Park, and some irrigated fields.

Top 23 of '23: No. 9

A Snapshot of San Francisco

This year's ninth-most viewed piece was a reflection on San Francisco, which I visited in January.

Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of San Francisco A beautiful day in San Francisco In early January, Una and I headed north over to San Francisco to visit my sister, who was in town for a conference. I figured it might be a nice opportunity to sha…

: White City

The "White City in the Sky" boasted a bowling alley, a chalet, a dance hall, dorms, observatory, tennis courts, zoo, and the palatial Echo Mountain House. Wind, rain and fire erased it by the 1920s. The US Forest Service dynamited what remained.