iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

For Week Without Driving, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Rec & Parks, and Nobody Drives in LA are presenting a ride-in movie night at Silver Lake's Sunset Triangle Plaza (at the junction of the former Los Angeles Ostrich Farm Railway and the Pasadena & Pacific Railway). Metro is free that day for Clean Air Day

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Saw two California Ground Squirrels AND my very first “Karen Bass for Mayor” yard sign in the wild today!

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Episode No. 34 — City Race with Sam Cavalcanti The crew convenes with car-free multi-hyphenate Angelenx artist Sam Cavalcanti. Sam is here to promote CityRace Urban Adventures. Along the way, Sam shares stories from their upbringing in Brazil and moving to Los Angeles to live the car-free dream.

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Still holdin' it down for Fahrenheit in the 2-6! Antigua and Barbuda Belize The Bahamas The Cayman Islands The Federated States of Micronesia Liberia The Marshall Islands Montserrat Palau Saint Kitts and Nevis The United States

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Author didn't even mention SELAH, which Raman helped co-found, and which is a model that has been successful in reducing homelessness in the areas it serves. Meanwhile, Bass says that when she's elected, she has all of these solutions up her sleeves she's apparently just sat on during her first term

latimes.com

Raman's role in tackling homelessness comes under scrutiny in L.A. mayor's race

Critics say the candidate failed to lead a homelessness committee with the urgency needed to combat L.A.'s enduring crisis. Raman claims that politics were at play.

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I've been in every region of the city except the Crescenta Valley since Pratt slithered back into the woodwork. Downtown, the Eastside, Hollywood, Mideast, Midtown, Northeast, the San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles, and the Westside. 100% of the mayoral signs I've seen have been for Raman. 100%.

latimes.com

Poll showing Bass leading Raman by double digits was bogus, company says

The bogus poll — which the company claimed was a social media experiment — also showed Bass picking up support from most voters who supported Spencer Pratt in the mayoral primary.

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Episode No. 33 -- The Art of Transit with Metti Mart Ivy and Eric chat with Greg Ghielmetti, the artist behind Metti Mart, which produces art objects designed to celebrate Los Angeles’s diversity and transit. Tune in to enjoy the conversation about Greg's journey from carbrain to train fan.

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Honestly curious why and when almost everyone started referring to "third places" as "third spaces."

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

This seems like such a cool event -- the Los Angeles Indie Book Store Crawl. Hopefully, there are more in the future! There will be passport stamps. We weighed in with how to do it without a car. Transit 🤝 Books! ericbrightwell.com/2026/07/20/t...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

"Gretchen, stop trying to make ’Hydration Break’ happen! It's not going to happen!"

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The Nobody Drives in LA crew join Burbank City Council candidate Eddy Polon. After he was doored and seriously injured, Polon decided to dedicate himself to making Burbank’s streets safer.We also discuss the current legal battle between Metro and Burbank over the BRT line connecting the valleys.

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Episode No. 30 — Current Events, June 2026 Ivy and Eric head to Kyle’s new Downtown digs to learn how to record episodes when Kyle’s out-of-town — and to discuss current events including the opening of the D Line Extension, contactless tap-to-pay, and finishing the Los Angeles River Bike Path.

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Most of the time our car-free commutes are issue free. But, in the interest of honesty, we decided to have a gripe session in which we let off a bit of steam about some of the hiccups in our recent bus and train journeys.

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@LAhistory @lahistory.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Sat @ 12pm: “You're invited to join the Silver Lake History Collective as we celebrate 20 years of documenting the people and events that have shaped our community.” Silver Lake Branch Library: www.lapl.org/whats-on/eve... [h/t @ericbrightwell.bsky.social] #SilverLake

lapl.org

Silver Lake History Collective Anniversary Screening

You're invited to join the Silver Lake History Collective as we celebrate 20 years of documenting the people and events that have shaped our community. We'll be screening a special "sizzle reel" featu...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I'll probably go around the neighborhood and take some photos to add to this... but I wanted to post it before my live "Ask Silver Lake" so that I could include any additions readers might give. It began as a IG post in 2024, I think, and now it's a 15 minute read ericbrightwell.com/2026/05/10/a...

ericbrightwell.com

Ask Silver Lake – The Enduring Legacy of Asian Americans in Silver Lake

If tasked with listing Los Angeles’s “Asian neighborhoods,” you’d probably first think of well-known immigrant enclaves like Chinatown, Koreatown, and Little Tokyo – or maybe less well-known ones l…

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Long and winding (but transit-focused) chat with Rae Huang, who is running for Los Angeles mayor.

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

I visited and explored Playa del Rey in my latest California Fool's Gold which somehow is the first in since 2023 (when I did Miracle Mile, Torrance, and Elysian Heights). Where should I go next? Brea has the most votes... followed by Sawtelle - but vote for any ericbrightwell.com/2026/04/23/c...

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Changing Lanes with Ben Wolf Nobody Drives in LA chat with filmmaker Ben Wolf about his new documentary, Changing Lanes. The film (shot only on equipment carried by bike) captures the intense community battle following efforts to reconfigure a Brooklyn street in the aftermath of a deadly collision.

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

I visited Taix, which will serve its last meal on on 29 March after having operated in Echo Park in 1962. After it's demolished, it will be replaced with a Geoff Palmer-style mixed-user. Supposedly Taix will then move into the ground floor. I have my doubts. ericbrightwell.com/2026/03/06/a...

ericbrightwell.com

Au revoir, Taix… or, more likely, Adieu

Taix will serve its last meal on 29 March 2026 – the birthday of famed post-Impressionist, Georges Seurat. I have always enjoyed my visits to Taix, whether for food, drinks, friendship, or to see A…

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Next to the New Beverly. See you there!

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I wrote this a couple of days ago, on Lunar New Year (and Mardi Gras). It's basically an essay about Chinatowns and soft power -- and an excuse to compare maps of Chinatowns around the world with American military bases around the world. ericbrightwell.com/2026/02/17/c...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Does anyone else feel like introductions and conclusions are unnecessary and actually detrimental to essays? I've never had an editor who didn't insist on them. They feel to me like asking a filmmaker to incorporate the trailer at the beginning and end of the film.

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

🇳🇿Happy Waitangi Day! Today's "No Enclave" celebrates New Zealand's national day. Los Angeles is home to the largest community of Kiwis in the US. 🇳🇿 ericbrightwell.com/2026/02/06/n...

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Have you dated in Southern California without a car? Have you looked for love on the bus? Have you found love on a bike? Have another story about navigating the dating scene without an auto? We’re desperately seeking car-free dating and relationship stories from you, our listeners Link in comments

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

MaryAnne LoVerme is a teacher and native New Yorker who moved to Los Angeles where she lived, car-free, for 12 years. In LA, she hit the ground running; immersing herself in transit activism, and opening the LA County Store. In 2025, she packed it all up and relocated to a suburb of Paris (France).

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Cross-post from Julia Beach's podcast, Friend of the Month, in which Beach and @ericbrightwell.bsky.social talk transit -- specifically in the Silver Lake -- where they both live. Talk turns to the past, when the first train line passed through the neighborhood to convey tourists to an ostrich farm

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Happy Kenyan Independence Day! Metro Los Angeles is home to one of the largest communities of Kenyan Americans -- the subject of this edition of "No Enclave" ericbrightwell.com/2025/12/12/n...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

A reader of “Ask Silver Lake,” Ruta Vaisnys, inquired about another historic Silver Lake Library, the Hyperion Station Library. Read the updated post! ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/21/a...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Waiting for Chuck Schumer to courageously endorse Zohran Mamdani now that he's been elected. #wewon'trest

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Nobody Drives in LA's co-hosts and hall-of-famers—Eric Brightwell, Ivy Kwok, Kyle Rebar, and Rogelio Pardo—upzoned LA Comic-Con with our panel LA Transit in Pop Culture. ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/27/n...

ericbrightwell.com

Nobody Drives in LA at LA Comic-Con: LA Transit in Pop Culture

On 28 September, Nobody Drives in LA’s co-hosts and friends-of-show — Eric Brightwell, Ivy Kwok, Kyle Rebar, and Rogelio Pardo — hosted a panel at LA Comic-Con called LA Transit i…

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

In August 2024, Mayor Bass announced the the Los Angeles Olympics would be a "no-car Games." Three days later, she "walked" that back to "transit-first games." There's not reason, though, that it can't still be the former. There's already transit to every venue. ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/22/n...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Next month's "Ask Silver Lake" will be this post, about Silver Lake's _original_ libraries... one of which still stands and is seeking a tenant... maybe you! ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/21/a...

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Nobody Drives in LA @nobodydrivesinla.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

E Line group ride this Saturday? Train curious? Train veteran? Somewhere in between? Come aboard, we're execting you! ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/15/n...

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

This month's "Ask Silver Lake" is about Silver Lake's live music venues, my definition of which is pretty broad. What _isn't_broad is a selection of great images of venues or musicians performing in them. If you've got some for me to consider, let me have them. ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/09/a...

ericbrightwell.com

Ask Silver Lake — Live Music Venues of Silver Lake, Present and Past

This piece was originally written for “Ask Silver Lake.” “Ask Silver Lake” is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas you’d like us to consi…

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Bike Talk @biketalk.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

@strongtowns.org founder Chuck Marohn with Strong Townish Love Letter to Suburbia author Diane Alisa, @ericbrightwell.bsky.social on the fight for bikes in WeHo, Boston Bikeway Block Party, Bikes, Birds, & BART with @bikingmzstacey.bsky.social, and more. soundcloud.com/biketalk/253...

soundcloud.com

#2537 Validation

Listener emails in response to last episode's bike lane hater from Eric Brightwell, host of the Nobody Drives in LA podcast https://ericbrightwell.com/nobody-drives-in-la/ and Ross, a West Hollywood v

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Happy Spooky Season! Are you curious about Elysian Heights' Semi-Tropic Spiritualists? Bowery dancing rowdies, ghosts, assaults on cops, newsies and more He's an hour-long presentation I gave at the Edendale Library on behalf of the Echo Park Historical Society ericbrightwell.com/2025/10/03/t...

ericbrightwell.com

The Semi-Tropic Spiritualist Association, with historian Eric Brightwell

Happy Spooky Season! Join me tomorrow, on 4 October from 13:00-14:00 in a presentation about the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists, their tract, and the Semi-Tropic Park. If you need a brief introduction. …

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

I rode the A Line Extension on opening day, with a small group. We checked out the stations and immediate vicinity along the way (although, spoiler alert, we skipped Glendora Station). ericbrightwell.com/2025/09/25/n...

ericbrightwell.com

Nobody Drives in LA — the A Line Extension to Pomona

On 19 September 2025, Metro’s A Line Extension to Pomona opened to the public. That day, there was an event called Rock the Rails which offered free music, free rides, and free food at the ne…

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

52% of Angelenos were born in California. 35% of Angelenos are immigrants. Only 13% of Angelenos are internal migrants from another state (or, as they're more often known, transplants). Despite comprising the smallest group, their impact is outsized. Let's dive in ericbrightwell.com/2025/09/16/n...

ericbrightwell.com

No Enclave — Los Angeles Transplants

It’s often said that Los Angeles is a city of immigrants. Although the same is almost never said of refugees, it should be. Together, immigrants and refugees account for roughly 35% of Angelenos. A…

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Eric Brightwell @ericbrightwell.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

On this day (4 September) in 1781, 44 transplants and four cops gentrified DTLA. ¡Feliz cumple, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula!

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