Today I was planning to feature a completely different episode of Visiting, but then I happened to read the blurb from this one, which originally aired in July 1999. Since I actually mentioned foraging in my post on Monday (Earth Day), it felt only fitting to take a look at some serious foraging right in the heart of Los Angeles. […]
This is another one of those episodes I had passed over several times until the topic was suddenly brought to my attention by Facebook a few days ago. Huell actually visited the Madrona Marsh Preserve a couple of different times for separate shows aired in 1995 and in 2003. Today I’m featuring the latter, California’s Golden Parks, which highlights the progress of this very special natural area and the opening of the Visitors Center; but to compare the change since the mid 1990s, you can check out the earlier episode of Visiting. Vernal pools are such an important and precious resource, and the fact that the city of Torrance chose to set this land aside — right across the street from a huge shopping mall — is just amazing. Much of the credit goes to the Friends of the Madrona Marsh, local citizens who donate their time and energy to keeping non-native plants from taking over. And that Facebook item I mentioned? It was a short episode of Pat Pattison’s Best of California, providing a right-up-to-date look at Madrona Marsh today! Rescued from future development and a history of oil drilling, the 42-acre Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve in Torrance is one of the last remaining vernal marshes in Southern California. The non-profit, volunteer organization Friends of the Madrona Marsh fought vigorously throughout the ’70s and ’80s to save this delicate natural habitat. Although Huell’s visit shows us a great success […]
Huell did more than one show about the L.A. River, and when I chose this for my topic today it took me some time to decide which episode to feature. I finally realized that this half-hour segment, originally aired in 1994, was the best place to start. The L.A. River has been popping up in the news lately following heavy […]
I apologize in advance if today’s featured episode gets your stomach growling or wakes up your sweet tooth! This segment of Visiting originally aired in January 2001, but I thought it would be fun to take a look at it on Valentine’s Day. Fake food is certainly one way of avoiding unwanted calories, and this company is apparently still very […]
Whenever I think of Seal Beach the first thing that comes to mind is Leisure World, the huge retirement community based in this Southern California coastal town. That’s because I still recall a few visits my family had with a lovely older couple who lived there when I was quite young. I have at least one photo of Grandma Pat, […]
Huell visits a local elementary school to join a group of 5th graders on a field trip to some of Los Angeles’s many murals. Along for the ride is the artist himself to discuss his art with the children. All in all it’s a great LA day! (Click on the linked image below to see the video.)
I’ve heard it said you should never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach — and perhaps I also shouldn’t browse through the Huell Howser Archives on an empty stomach! Huell definitely loved to do segments involving food, and many of his segments involved going in search of various types of food, where he was always very happy to do […]
Well, it’s not quite summer, although around here we may feel like it is when the temperatures get up into the 80 degree (F) range this week. Maybe that’s part of the reason I chose this particular subject to feature today! Yet another double episode, this segment first aired as part of the Visiting series in 1999, and later appeared […]
When I chose to feature this hour-long episode of Visiting (original air date April 1998) I had no idea that, in addition to the two segments described below, it actually contained a surprise at the end — a couple of extra hidden gems from Huell’s 1998 Videolog series. I especially enjoyed seeing the hike into the San Gabriel Mountains near […]