Then and Now San Fernando Valley

Introduction Laid out like a refulgent jeweled box jealously guarded by the rolling San Gabriels on three sides like a recumbent giant, the night skyline of the San Fernando Valley glows like a beaded breastplate from some fantasy princess. Miles upon blocks upon rows of yellow sodium lamps and green-glowing flourescents vibrate and pulse with the wattage that courses through them. They light oceans of asphalt, an urban forest with a populace of foreign trees, and millions of perfect square plots upon which sit the dreams of countless American families, old and new. There it lies, ever-looking over the shoulder of its big sister Los Angeles. Located just over the Hollywood Hills or the Santa Monica Mountains or through the Angeles National Forest depending on the direction from which you have traveled, the San Fernando Valley is a green carpet of urbanism during the day and a twinkling box of precious stones after the sun has set. TheValley is the much maligned and constantly debased stepchild of an equally maligned and debased parent city. Together, these two survivors tell an important tale.Klein, Jake is the author of 'Then and Now San Fernando Valley', published 2003 under ISBN 9781586852290 and ISBN 1586852299.