Documenting my pocket of Los Angeles
This month, Goodyear celebrated the centennial of the Goodyear Blimp. Los Angeles has so many blimp stories, including one with famous actor Douglas Fairbanks. In writing this, I realized that my dad had his own memories of the Goodyear blimp flying over his South LA neighborhood.
This year, I made 17 granny squares for the fair’s large-scale crochet project in the Home Arts building. This amazing experience had me wondering about the crochet history of the fair (and Los Angeles).
Had a wonderful time touring through the Ocotillo Lodge, my third time since the mid-century-modern-motel-turned-condo-complex was added to Modernism Week festivities in 2023. You see, my mom stayed at the Ocotillo Lodge for a week in October 1961 while on assignment for Sunset’s cover story on Palm Springs. Mom even made the cover of that... Continue Reading →
This is a Pacific Dining Car appreciation post as I’m still heavy-hearted about the fire that tore through the historic restaurant on August 3. While the owner closed the restaurant during Covid and sold off all the interior furnishings, I still held out hope that this beloved eatery would make a miraculous comeback. Or at... Continue Reading →
The doors of Bullocks Wilshire swished opened the last weekend of July for an annual open house, a summer affair held once Southwestern Law School students have emptied the building. Though I’ve been fortunate to tour the Art Deco gem many times under its current management, I still take every opportunity to explore the historic... Continue Reading →
For my birthday, I asked my dad’s sisters for a “Bernal Tour of Los Angeles” so that we could visit their old neighborhoods where they lived with my grandparents & great-grandparents (and, of course, my dad). Considering how much I run around Los Angeles, I like knowing when I'm crossing the well-worn paths of previous... Continue Reading →
For the last month or so, I’ve been knee deep in Red Car history. For those unfamiliar, Red Cars were the trolleys that clicked-and-clacked along Southern California's Pacific Electric system, once the largest public transit system in the country. Last fall, host of KCET’s Lost LA Nathan Masters invited me and a few of our... Continue Reading →
In mid-July, I was visiting my aunt and uncle in Minnesota when my uncle passed away unexpectedly. A trip that should have been a joyous post-vaccine reunion turned tragic the day after I arrived. He was 90 and lived a long full life but his passing was still a heartbreaking moment for our family. My... Continue Reading →
My parents were married a few years after the Supreme Court legalized interracial marriages (Loving v. Virginia)…though fortunately it was made legal in California in 1948 (Perez v. Sharp). Mom was always open with me about the racism she encountered for marrying my Mexican American dad. I only wish my dad could’ve shared his experience... Continue Reading →
Over Thanksgiving, I started the lengthy process of extracting all the food stories documented in letters between my grandmother (Margaret) and her sister (Jan) in order to explore how their work in the kitchen related to food history of the time. I still can’t believe that, 20 years ago, I transcribed 83 of their letters... Continue Reading →
Victoria Bernal 