place — Blog — New Voodou

First Stop New York

Reading about the restaurant's recent revival, I was the one who was both amused and proud of my young self on a long-ago night at Le Veau d'Or in New York.

identity, placeNancy EganSeptember 14, 2024New York City, Egan Family, Le Veau d'Or, Texaco, Chrysler Building, France, French, Bronx, Archbishop Thomas Donnelley, Port Authority, Grand Central Terminal, P.J. Clark's, Longchamps, Perfect Rob Roy, Edmund F. Egan Comments

Abroad in Bordeaux

Bordeaux, with its elegant 18th buildings, open public squares, and bustling shopping streets, could not have been more different than the American West, nor more beguiling.

culture, identity, placeNancy EganAugust 18, 2024UC Education Abroad Program, Bordeaux, Universite de Bordeaux, University of California, Talence, Place de la Victoire, Pays Basque, Ascain, Mai 68, Lalande Wines, Rue Abbe de l'Epee, Rue Sainte Catherine, France Comments

Uncle Florry's Will

This week, trying to winnow down a file box overstuffed with my father's papers, I rediscovered a curious, heartwarming copy of Uncle Florry's will.

Old Friends

Class reunions are few and who knows when we might be together again. So we indulged our nostalgia and laughed.

identity, placeNancy EganJune 26, 2024Memorial, Mission Basilica San Buenaventura, Ventura CA, Solimar Beach, Academy of st. Catherine, Reunions, Catholic Mass, riual, amazing Grace Comments

Picture-Perfect Weekend

After all the recent rains, the the Santa Ynez Valley never looked more beautiful.

place, identityNancy EganApril 15, 2024Central Coast California, Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang, Los Olivos, Buellton, Mission Santa Ines, Ventura CA, Santa Barbara, wine country, vineyards, tasting rooms, California poppies, wisteria, Sunday drives Comments

The Girls

My great aunts Marion and Kathryn left their home and family in Butte, Montana to move to Los Angeles in 1928. A radical relocation in those days and yet they remained in the city for more than 40 years

identity, placeNancy EganMarch 20, 2024Nolan Sisters, Butte Montana, Los Angeles California, Red Car System, MacArthur Park, Westlake Avenue, St. Andrew's Place, Helen Pettibone, Della Liss, John Nolan, Mary Nolan, Butte Park Royal, Palos Verdes Comments

Uncle Eddy and the Gift of Family

Like Santa he would always come at Christmas.

Wonderland

Like Alice falling through the looking glass, we arrive in a mysterious space.

place, cultureNancy EganNovember 24, 2023Ra Paulette, Ojo Caliente, Northern New Mexico, Cave sculptures, sandstone, Nosa Inn Comments

The Boys From Butte

Waiting for the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland a young man approached us. "You're Nancy Egan, aren't you?" I had no idea who he was.

place, identityNancy EganSeptember 15, 2023Butte Montana, Ventura California, Disneyland, Grad Night, family, Vietnam war Comment

The Garden at Dusk

Slowly the sun slips behind the hill beyond the arroyo.

placeNancy EganJuly 23, 2023Dusk, evening light, garden, reflection, shadows, Santa Fe, summer Comments

Everywhere Guadalupe

I have been spending a lot of time with the Guadalupe over the last few months.

culture, place, identityNancy EganJune 17, 2023Our Lady of Guadalupe, Guadalupe, Murals, Santuario of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, red handprint, Tonantzin, Nancy, The Art of Noticing, Rob Walker, @whereslupita, syncretism, Mexico City, Lupitia Comments

Missing Ocean Park

Last May when we returned to Santa Monica for a visit, we were greeted by the same weather that had welcomed me when I moved to Ocean Park 20 years ago.

Della's Decision

Della became a widow on her 35th wedding anniversary. At 58 she was not sure what she would do.

identity, placeNancy EganApril 15, 2023Grandmother, Della Nolan Liss, Tom Liss, Butte Montana, Mary Kay Liss, Jim Egan, Echo Lake, Los Angeles, Barstow, Union Pacific, Chicago World's Fair, Civilan Conservation Corps Comments

The Golden Rollin' Belly

The Golden Rollin' Belly, a pub with British pretensions and waitresses in wench costumes, had opened that summer just in time for the race season at the Del Mar track.

culture, placeNancy EganFebruary 14, 2023Burt Bacharach, Angie Dickinson, Del Mar California, Del Mar Track, horse racing, The Golden Rollin Belly, waitress, jockeys, John Stewart Comments

Hemingway, the Photographer, and the Cheesemonger

As I puzzled over the wide selection at Murray’s Cheese, the cheesemonger asked what I was reading. I said Hemingway's The Dangerous Summer. "Ah, a mahon," he recommended