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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Big Sur is a victim of its beauty, as tourists overcrowd the former hippie haven

    We continue our summer series called #stayhome in Big Sur, the coastal community in Northern California.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Jul 17, 2019 • 1 min read

    We continue our summer series called #stayhome in Big Sur, the coastal community in Northern California. It was once a haven for artists and drifters seeking peace and serenity.

    Over the July 4th weekend, locals hung a giant banner off Big Sur’s Bixby Creek Bridge that read “Overtourism is killing Big Sur.” That bridge has drawn fans of the TV show "Big Little Lies," and it's in the opening credits. It's also in countless Instagram photos. Now people are fighting back in an Instagram account called “Big Sur Educates You," which includes pictures of tourists blocking roadways, trampling plants for photoshoots, and feeding wildlife.

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    Presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson on why she's not the Democratic version of Trump
    1. 0:00Presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson on miracles in politics, and why she's not a liberal Donald Trump
    2. 13:14The future of Planned Parenthood with no federal funding
    3. 21:05Big Sur is a victim of its beauty, as tourists overcrowd the former hippie havenYou’re reading this
    4. 29:14The evolution of the alt-right in America
    5. 43:43Can't find tropical fruit at the grocery store? Try Etsy
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

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      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

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      Magnus Toren

      Henry Miller Memorial Library

      NewsTravelCalifornia

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    Presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson on why she's not the Democratic version of Trump
    1. 0:00Presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson on miracles in politics, and why she's not a liberal Donald Trump
    2. 13:14The future of Planned Parenthood with no federal funding
    3. 21:05Big Sur is a victim of its beauty, as tourists overcrowd the former hippie havenYou’re reading this
    4. 29:14The evolution of the alt-right in America
    5. 43:43Can't find tropical fruit at the grocery store? Try Etsy
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand