When it comes to history, Los Angeles isn't really a place people think of. Sure, there's a legacy of filmmaking, and some remnants of Spanish and Mexican rule, but little here is iconic when it comes to historic sites. However, there is one "gift" that Los Angeles gave the country - and the world: the…
There's a calming feeling for me, being out in the desert. The sky stretches from horizon to horizon, blue broken up by sparse clouds beckoning the mind and spirit upward. Few other people have crossed my path since exiting Interstate 15 in Baker, California, and the cares of the world seem far beyond my sight.…
Just walking in, the birds are easier to hear than they are at home, a pleasant chirping that is somehow audible over the gentle hum of people going in and out of Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles' La Canada Flintridge suburb. The steam of people is slow right now, as coronavirus scares keep admission down,…
How much do we really know about the history of our hometowns? If you are like me - or like most people, I'd imagine - the answer is: not much. I am a native Angeleno (Los Angeles resident), and have lived here all but about a decade of my life, and my knowledge of where…
About seven years ago, my father moved from California to Dillsboro, Indiana, just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. He had always wanted to try small town life, and chose Dillsboro since one of his closest friends lived there with her family. The town was good to him. He made some amazing friends, and formed a wonderful…
For many people, visiting Los Angeles means the beach, Hollywood, or Beverly Hills. Too many overlook downtown, or DTLA as it's called by locals. That's a shame, as downtown offers some truly awesome sights, especially those with cultural significance. In this itinerary, we bring the incredible arts scene of downtown LA into the center of…
Sometimes, it seems that the places closest to us are the biggest unknowns. I've lived in Los Angeles for the majority of my life, and yet it is only now as a writer that I am beginning to see many of the sights here in my hometown. Over the past year, I have explored ancient…
Sitting just across the Santa Barbara Channel (for which they get their name) from the coast of Southern California, the Channel Islands are tantalizingly close - and yet a world away from Los Angeles life. Eight in total, only one seems to be a target for visitors. Catalina (made famous by the song, "Twenty-six miles…
A cloudy California coastal morning gives way to blue skies and sunshine as the marine layer retreats into the vastness of the Pacific. The deck of the Monterey Bay Aquarium begins to fill with eager visitors searching for life in the Bay: otters, seals and sea lions, and, for the very lucky, dolphins or whales…
The last time I was here I was maybe eight years old. I was not the same person and this was not the same Watts, a neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles best known for a series of riots in 1965. But these are the same Watts Towers. The soaring man-made pinnacles, the tallest of…