I have lived in Eagle Rock since 2003 and started blogging in the summer of 2010. The mission of this blog remains still a little unclear to me and the blog has changed since it was started:
Initially I was inspired by blogs like the wonderful Highland Park to pursue similar neighborhood news, culture and history because I consider myself a proud and enthusiastic member of the community and it would be an honor to fulfill such a role for Eagle Rock. This attempt did not last long as I realized I was not able to keep up and deliver to a certain standard.
As I am a car-free resident of Eagle Rock, I do all my moving around town by foot or by bicycle. On my walks and bicycle trips I frequently have great experiences that could never be rivaled by a car trip around town. Spending a lot of time out in the community I have found myself able to appreciate a lot of things I would not notice if enclosed in metal and glass traveling at 20+ mph. I also like to ‘explore’ the parts of town I do not pass by on a regular basis. This was one of the other primary motivators to start blogging– to share my experiences in the community that highlight what a wonderful and interesting place Eagle Rock is to live in. I still pursue this to some extent here on the blog though becomes difficult as I am a college student and unfortunately I am only able to visit Eagle Rock during school breaks.
Since I started writing here I have increasingly become interested in issues like land-use and street design, two issues I have learned are very prominent in the community. These issues become more apparent when one views Eagle Rock from the sidewalk or the relaxed pace of a bicycle. Eagle Rock is a great place but could be made better. Although the neighborhood is nice to walk and bicycle in relative to other parts of Los Angeles this isn’t saying much. As I go around town I also notice that conditions can be improved to create a more pleasant and safe environment for all users, not just motorists. On this blog I try to demonstrate there is a clear need for our streets to be less car-centric and more people friendly. Eagle Rock’s major boulevards and most of its other streets are not just car-centric, they are inefficient, wasteful, uninspiring and unsafe and this is something that I feel hinders a the full potential of our otherwise rather well connected community.
I welcome perspective and anyone interested in writing their thoughts can indicate their interest by leaving a comment.
-Severin Martinez
Contact: walkeaglerock@gmail.com
I’m loving the site. I will read this often.
Thank you Roland, positive feedback like this is really what I need to stay motivated. Maybe I just haven’t gotten the skin for it yet but it can get lonely on this site when there is absolutely no response of any kind. There will be a new post later today/early tomorrow which I hope you’ll enjoy.
Yeah of course. I really enjoy reading these, I already subscribed! you’re an awesome writer, and this is a good place to start writing about your opinions and such. Don’t worry about feeling limited to this topic though. Part of me wants to see what else is going on in your head rather than you focusing on Eagle Rock alone, because I know you have a lot of amazing things to write about, and I would like to see you eventually write about your unique thoughts on anything and everything.
Because I said I would show you
. http://www.ephser.posterous.com It’s just something I’ve been writing on. Hey best wishes to you at Berkeley! Stay updated with me!
Your writing is excellent – I especially enjoyed the 80′s Alley piece. =
Thanks nad, I appreciate the support and glad I have been able to stay on your radar! New post coming up tonight/tomorrow
My parents brought me home to Redwood Dr just over the line into Pasadena; off La Loma. Very few houses in 1940 lots of poison oak though. The whole hillw as called Poppy Hill. Even in the 40′s the poppies blazed away in the spring.
My gparents lived on Cedar edge. My gfather was a painting contractor and fine arts painter. Member of the Eagle Rock Art Colony in the 20′s. My stepfather’s house was across the street on the part of Cedar edge that The Abomination took. Just up that canyon an elderly woman referred to as Auntie Bert lived in a very old house with ranch out buildings. I heard it was homestead land. We all bought eggs and chickens from her during the War. My gma worked at the Economart on Colorado and Townsend. All the men had been drafted so they had to hire women or close. “Respectable”, read upper middle class women, could take jobs that were for the “War Effort”
My gparents had a wonderful house on La Roda just below Hill. My mother was an Annadale CC deb just before the last Depression took her family down.
I used to take the 5 Car from the end of the line in Hawthorne to Colorado and ER Blvd to visit when I was about 11 after we moved to PV. Safe as houses in those days.
Eagle Rock in the 40′s and early 50′s were wonderful for a kid. Bireley’s orange drink, Bum’s Root Beer a library card for the old Spanish Colonial library. Grogan’s Drug Store with my gfather’s huge mountain landscape hung on the wall behind the soda fountain. I could stream of consciousness this stuff for hours.
M. Woodill
Thanks for your great comment, by all means, do continue your stream of consciousness!
I would love to see any old ER pics you have and hear more tales. Maybe you would like to do a guest post? I hope you don’t feel bombarded…
I just found this by way of the Oxy newsletter. I visit my daughter periodically and I walk everywhere I go. I never knew much about L.A., so it’s fascinating to hear about the history of these neighborhoods. I just wish someone had paid more attention to walking/biking long ago when they were laying out the transportation grid. So car-addicted. There’s a place in the Netherlands that did it right: Almere. It was planned from scratch just over 30 years ago around transportation, and the ped/bike paths are completely divorced from the car and bus routes, making for a lovely peaceful and safe walking experience. You can walk or bike anywhere and never see a car. You should include other observations from your walking, like stores and restaurants, since those are what make walking cool. Also nicely landscaped yards and interesting plants blooming.
Thanks for the comment, Donna. I like reading about cities and towns that did the ‘from scratch’ to accommodate bikes/peds better. I read about it once btu since forgot the details but some town in South Carolina I think is going to have a car-free centre. Don’t quote me on that though. Thanks for checking out my blog, I hope it can hold some interest to you.
[...] (picture courtesy of my boyfriend WalkEagleRock) [...]
Hello, I love this site. I work for an organization called everybodywalk.org and would be very interested in collaborating. If you’re interested please email me at gmeckstroth@gmail.com. Thanks,
Greg Meckstroth