A Little Local Color
You may have noticed that the California Browncoats are actually hosting “Browncoat Ball: Los Angeles” in a place called Newhall. Now, you might be asking, “Where is ruttin’ Newhall… and how come I ain’t ever heard of it?”
Well, here’s how it is.
Los Angeles is a sprawling urban center, and in much the same way that the central planets of the ‘verse encapsulate many, many planets and moons, Los Angeles is also made up of many smaller cities, towns and neighborhoods.
Newhall is a quaint, historical neighborhood near the most northerly part of the Los Angeles sprawl, within the satellite city of Santa Clarita.
So, why Newhall?
Like a border moon at the edge of the ‘verse, Newhall retains that sense of Wild West spirit that has been lost in the most modernized parts of L.A. Over the years, Newhall has seen many incarnations, from mining camp to fruit-packing district to cowboy town.
Newhall still celebrates those incarnations in its architecture, events and culture. The neighborhood also has close connections to Hollywood– areas in and around Newhall remain shooting locations for everything from silent film westerns to modern sci-fi. Even parts of Firefly and Serenity were filmed nearby! There are very few places in Los Angeles that we felt would bring us close to being planetside on a little, pioneer world in quite the same way that Newhall does.
Sights to See
Want to learn more about this little corner of Los Angeles and its rich history? Check out the Santa Clarita Historical Society! Visit their Santa Clarita History Center right in Newhall at William S. Hart Park.
And if you have some free time while you’re in Newhall, check out the free, walkable “Walk of Western Stars” tour!
Or hustle on down to the Melody Ranch Studio Museum to see some memorabilia from classic television and cinema!
Six Flags Magic Mountain is just up the freeway in Valencia, and there are wine-tasting rooms (see map) within walking distance of the Lexen Hotel for them as might be interested in the kind of fun that includes grown-up beverages!
Click map to enlarge. Click again to make even larger.
