Peaceful, calm, relaxing, scenic, are just some words used to describe El Camino Park in Orange, California. A park filled with families, friends, and loved ones nearby Chapman University. Initially, I chose to come to El Camino Park because I drive by it every morning on my way to school. I have never been here before and I was curious to see what kind of people gather at this park. On my drive over here, I assumed the park was filled with a lot of Hispanic kids and families because of the surrounding area. I also stereotyped the area to be kind of worn down and musty. Spending just five minutes here, my thoughts of this park immediately shifted.

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On the first day at the park, my goal was to observe and take in what this park has to offer. I sat down in a baseball dugout on a Saturday afternoon and listened to kids playing, watched families conversing, and smelt the essence of the park. I sat in the baseball dugout by myself for two hours just trying to take it in without speaking a word to a soul that walked by. I wanted to observe every aspect of this place without any distraction. Surprisingly, it was very comforting and peaceful. Usually, at a park, there are mosquitos biting, kids screaming in your ear, and dogs barking. This park was different. As the cool breeze brushed my skin ever so gently, I felt a piece of tranquility. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and everyone looked happy as ever at El Camino Park. I felt right at home.

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On the second day at the park, my initiative was for me to converse with the population. On both days, I noticed a strong Hispanic population with a sprinkle of Asian and Caucasian people. I wasn’t sure how I was going to interact with people here because I didn’t want to disturb them while they were with loved ones. So, I chose to step on the basketball court and play a game or two with some of the locals that come every Sunday. At the beginning, middle, and end of the game I was chatting with a few of the players, asking where they are from and how they like this park. Most of them, Hispanic, said they come very often to play because they are from around the area. An older guy, maybe around 50 or 60 told me, “I’ve been coming here for around 40 years already, this place is like my second home.” A younger guy, around my age, told me that he’s been coming here since he was a little boy. Explaining that this park is where his family and friends come for parties and other special occasions.

From the look of it, this park is very special and important for locals around the Orange area. Many families and friends use it as a get away from the real struggles of the world. It is a park with strong Hispanic influence and has a sense of peacefulness and tranquility to it. My experience over here was very comfortable, I definitely felt like I was a part of the community. El Camino Park is definitely a place that I will come back to and bring my friends.

Dear Anthony Bourdain,­

Hawaii has been home for me for the past 20 years of my life. It is a place that is very special to me and a place that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is a state that shaped me into who I have become today and a state that I want to spend the rest of my life. From early morning dawn patrol sessions with the boys at Sandy Beach, to the late-night barbecues with my friends and family, Hawaii is a place that has given me the most special and rewarding memories. I couldn’t imagine growing up anywhere else in the world besides the islands.

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When I heard you had an episode on Hawaii for your series, “Parts Unknown”, I initially had mixed emotions. I was concerned about how you would depict Hawaii and what aspects of the state you would display on the show. On the other hand, I know the great work you do and I was interested to see what you had planned for this particular episode.

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As I began watching the episode, I initially thought of all the other travel channels that were stereotyping Hawaii. With being greeted with leis at the hotel to going to pick out an Aloha Shirt right away. This just seemed like every other ordinary travel channel show on Hawaii. As I got more and more into the episode, my thoughts took a dramatic change. I noticed that you emphasized the rich Asian culture that was prevalent in Hawaii and the authentic Hawaiian food that Hawaii had to offer. I also couldn’t help but notice all the locals who were apparent on the episode. A lot of people with strong Hawaii ties and who knew everything about the food and culture of Hawaii. I started enjoying the episode after a while and I even learned some stuff about Hawaii that I didn’t even know myself. You took your audience around the island to authentic foods joints, famous beaches and other monumental spots in Hawaii. But, you also exhibited the simple things of Hawaii like the locals love of spam and the family barbecue in the backyard. Many things that I don’t see in normal travel channel shows.

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I really appreciated how you used multimodal elements in the episode. There were great transitions in the episode that displayed exceptional­­­­ visuals of the beach and sunset in Hawaii as well as the island music playing in the background. Furthermore, the hula dancers and your descriptions about the film displayed in the background really made the episode easier to follow along with. The use of these multimodal elements made me feel like I was back on the island and comforted me. These elements also really made the episode come together and represented Hawaii in a positive sense.

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The way you showed many different aspects of Hawaii that tourists don’t usually see is something that I really liked about this episode. For example, no other series would show them going to Kailhi for a family barbecue in the backyard. Usually, they show a stereotypical luau with hundreds of people in Aloha Shirts. The family barbecue is something that all local Hawaiian residents can relate to and what should be shown instead of a touristy luau. A family barbecue in the backyard is where all the uncle’s share their stories from back in there day and where aunty and uncle cook up the most ono food. That is more special than any Waikiki luau and what should be represented in every travel channel show like yours.  

To conclude my letter, I just want to thank you for showing the real Hawaii that locals live every single day. From eating spam and eggs in the morning, to catching waves at Sunset Beach, to enjoying some Side Street Inn pork chops at night with family and friends. You represented Hawaii how most of the locals live their life. It isn’t always as easy going for everyone as it may seem in the video, but a travel show isn’t supposed to display the bad parts of a city. You did the best with what you could and that is all we could ask for. Thank you, Anthony Bourdain!

Sincerely,

Cole Mausolf