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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...
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No Enclave — Exploring Ghanaian 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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Happy Birthday, Isidore-Lucien Ducasse
Isidore Ducasse was a 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...
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Urban Rambles – Exploring Bronzeville
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...
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Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Taiwan
Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography’s map of Taiwan 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...
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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...
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Nobody Drives in LA — Riding the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego
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...
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Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Mexico (Tulum, Teotihuacan & Mexico...
In June 2016 I went to Tulum and Mexico City. Although I’d by then lived in neighboring California for 17 years, my prior experiences in California had been limited to Baja California — namely Cabo...
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Urban Rambles — Exploring Inglewood with Marya
For my tenth year of exploring Los Angeles with the series, California Fool’s Gold, I’ve been reaching out to fellow explorers to see where they’d like to explore for another of my series, Urban...
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Urban Rambles — Exploring Koreatown Malls with Machiko
2017 marks the tenth anniversary of me exploring Los Angeles for my online series, California Fool’s Gold. For the occasion, I’ve turned to fellow explorers to see where they’d want to go and...
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Introduction to the Music of 라이너스의 담요/Linus’ Blanket &왕연/Yeongene
I only discovered the music of Korean band-cum-solo project, Linus’ Blanket, a couple of years ago, through singer (and now sole member) Yeongene’s collaboration with BMX Bandits, of whom I’ve long...
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Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of the Philippines (Metro Manila and...
This past June, Una and I visited the Philippines. While she was born and raised there, it was my first time in the country and only my second visit to Asia. We spent a week in Una’s homeland before...
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Introduction to the Music of 王治平/Joanna Wang
JOANNA WANG Joanna Wang is one of my favorite currently active songwriters, although that, in and of itself, was not enough to compel me to write this biography/discography/ timeline. For one, most of...
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California Fool’s Gold Nights — Revisiting Granada Hills
Years ago a reader asked me why I never conducted my California Fool’s Gold explorations at night. I told her that it was due, in part, to the difficulty in getting good pictures in the dark but also...
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Greater Streets — Exploring Valley Boulevard
o INTRODUCTION Normally when I write an account of one of my explorations, it’s after I’ve concluded it. Sometimes I work on them for months and when I can’t stand thinking about it anymore, I just...
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There It Is, Revitalize It — The Los Angeles River
THE LOS ANGELES RIVER The Los Angeles River begins in Canoga Park, at the confluence of … From there it flows 82 kilometers east and south into the San Pedro Bay. I decided to ride its length on my...
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Swinging Doors — The Chain Pubs of Los Angeles
In 2015, whilst vacationing in England, I ducked into the first pub I encountered in the tiny village of Crowmarsh Gifford. It was the first real English pub that I’d ever been in and whereas I had...
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