There is a nostalgia here. Like other iconic places in my hometown of Los Angeles, the Original Farmers Market has a strong association with my childhood, of being something special to be done with family or friends. I remember visiting every year or two, and being treated to something new: a smell, a taste, a…
Editor’s note: Who doesn’t like a good volcano, right? For visitors to California, Lassen Volcanic National Park is off the beaten path, but just as awesome as any place this side of Yosemite. Like our resident geology buff Morgan, I love this gem of a park and recommend it to everyone I know! For more…
Writing this in summer of 2025 seems even more relevant and important. As followers of the news have undoubtedly seen, Los Angeles - my home - has been invaded by ICE, immigration enforcers seeking, it would seem, to inflict terror and economic harm on arguably the most liberal and diverse of US cities through arrest…
The smell is unmistakable, although its source is a bit confusing. I approach the entrance of the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles’ Hancock Park neighborhood, and the scent of fresh asphalt wafts through the air. It smells of construction, something that could easily be coming from behind me, where Wilshire Boulevard has been…
Sometimes it can be a letdown coming back home to Los Angeles after weeks or months of travel. After I finish up my writing from the trip just completed, it can get to me a bit while I await my next getaway. In those times, I actively search out interesting experiences I can have here,…
Editor’s note: as a lifetime Californian, I’ve been to Big Sur, but I’m ashamed to say I haven’t driven it in well over a decade. Monterey, however, I’ve visited more often, and loved every moment. Here, Sam shares his thoughts on a first trip to these amazing places, and some stunning photos from the experience.…
It says something, something remarkable, about Los Angeles that this place even exists. The ethnic and cultural intermingling of this city is so extraordinary that this neighborhood was - controversially, I might add, at the time - carved out of another designated cultural area, Koreatown. And, while it is the centerpiece of the Bangladeshi community…
This incredible structure opened in September 2020, and yet this is my first time here. It is December 2024 (although you won’t be reading this for several months due to the exigencies of writing and scheduling) and I’ve finally made it to SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles’ football mecca and, as of its building, the most…
The main concourse of Union Station, Los Angeles’ central rail and transit hub, sure holds up. Yes, a recent refurbishment has helped the building, but even without that, there is no visit here that would conclude with any thought other than: “yeah, that’s a beautiful station.” Inlaid floors, painted floral vaulted ceilings, walnut furnishings, and…
The view of the infinite Pacific Ocean is a bit blocked from here at Port Hueneme Beach Park, with the shadowy outlines of Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands, part of Channel Islands National Park, impeding the horizon in two places. But those hilly outcrops also add some texture to the oranges and greens of the…