PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

By J.F.R. Perseveranda 🚘 Driving Down Michigan Ave – A Nostalgic Ride Past Chicago’s Historic Landmarks | Chesca in Chicago (2022) A 30-second drive down The Magnificent Mile with my daughter in July 2022 — passing by Water Tower Place and the Chicago Water Tower , both powerful symbols of the city’s strength and my own Filipino-American memories. 🏙️ This short video carries deep nostalgia: In the 1970s , my family drove down this same street when we lived in Chicago — bundled up in winter coats to shop for Christmas at Marshall Field’s and Water Tower Place. In the 1980s , I drove these same blocks again with my girlfriend — now part of my past, but forever part of the city in my memory. And now in 2022 , I bring my youngest daughter here after her high school graduation — linking generations on this iconic stretch of Chicago. 📍 Chicago Water Tower (built 1869) survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, one of the few public buildings left standing, and became a symbol of ...

New York City • July 2025. Tracing My Pinay Mom's Footsteps in 1960s Manhattan — With a Little Help from AI. filipina nurse 1960s new york, lualhati reyes perseveranda, 42nd street manhattan, exchange visitor program, fil-am heritage, chatgpt ai history. New York City • July 2025 Tracing My Pinay Mom's Footsteps in 1960s Manhattan — With a Little Help from AI A vintage photograph. A street sign. A Whelan's Drug Store. Sixty years later, AI helped me find the exact corner where my Filipina mother stood on 42nd Street — and what she was part of. Photo courtesy of Lualhati "Nati" Reyes-Perseveranda. East 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City — circa 1960–1962. There is a photograph of my mother I have carried in my memory for decades. She is young — early 20s, radiant, dressed beautifully — standing on a busy American sidewalk. She is everything I would not meet until years later: Nati, before she became Nanay. The photo wa...

Walking down Embarcadero with Tess, Nica and Jian. February 2016.

Friday before Super Bowl 50, five years ago I let the kids skip school (but Chesca declined the offer) so we could party with the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers fans in Super Bowl City in San Francisco .  Lots of people!  It makes me wonder what they have setup in Tampa Bay for this year's Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady?  I'm just going to root for the red team.  It's my favorite color. I've been wearing one of my SF 49ers jersey all week, so it's definitely  #WearRedDay . It’s #WearRedDay ! Share a pic using #WearRedDay to show your support and raise awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. pic.twitter.com/asITRkRNGo — American Heart Association (@American_Heart) February 5, 2021

Dear Friends, This November 3rd is a very important election for Vallejo. I am seeking your support for a four year term on the Vallejo City Council, District 1 (Hiddenbrooke/Northgate area) to “Maintain Financial Stability, Implement Police Reform, Enhance Public Safety, Build Community Trust and Continue the Progress we’ve made in the last few years! As we deal with the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID19 pandemic, economic crisis and social justice issues, it will take ALL OF US working together to make Vallejo move forward. WE will need leaders with the experience, courage, passion, integrity and collaborative skills to get us back on track toward prosperity. I firmly believe that I possess these qualities and skills which have been honed in my 25 years of public service and mental health professional career. Please join Congressman Mike Thompson, Mayor Bob Sampayan, Vice Mayor Sunga, Councilmember Pippin Dew and former Mayor Osby Davis in supporting me for Vallejo Cit...