UHP 401: Los Angeles Invention of a City was a very interesting and intellectually stimulating experience that not only allowed me to become more knowledgeable about the city around me but have a greater appreciation for it as well. From the discussion of California’s Spanish fantasy past, to Los Angeles depicted in literature, the … [Read more…]
A Brief History By the turn of the 20th century, a small community of Issei (Japanese immigrants) had been established between First and San Pedro Streets. The population of the area was swelled by thousands of workers from Northern California who had been recruited to work on the Pacific Electric Railway, and by thousands more … [Read more…]
La La Land was by far the most romantic depiction of LA out of all the movies I watched. I mean, that makes sense because it was a movie partially about Hollywood. Yet, the film did an excellent job of showing the sights along with capturing the hopefulness of LA residents. Many of the scenes … [Read more…]
I enjoyed (500) Days of Summer because it was the only film I watched that actually showcased LA’s architecture. While Crash showed the gritter side and La La Land showed the glitzier side, this movie talked specifically about buildings. For example, the main protagonist Tom points out the Fine Arts Building, although he incorrectly lists … [Read more…]
The first line of Crash is “It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so … [Read more…]
Spoilers for movie in post below In an American cinema class I took in the Spring semester of 2018, we watched a film noir called Sunset Boulevard. It was released in 1950 and starred William Holsen, Erich von Stroheim, and silent film actress Gloria Swanson. At the time of watching in 2018, I had no … [Read more…]
Every day at work, I take a walk at lunch along the Bluff Top Trail in Dana Point, CA. On the trail, there is a sculpture called The Hide Drogher created in 1990 by F. Benedict Coleman.[1] The sculpture shows a shirtless 19th century sailor throwing a cowhide off the cliffs into the trading ships … [Read more…]
While on campus, prior to the coronavirus situation, I would walk past this bronze surfboard sticking out of a rock in front of the college of business building. After further research, I found this brown stick is called Heaven’s Gate created by Woods Davy in 1996. Heaven’s Gate is supposed to symbolize “the peaceful coexistence … [Read more…]