Back in April Patrick and I visited the Hollywood Heritage Museum for the first time, we also became members when we heard about the variety of planned exhibits slated for the year, and last month they opened a new exhibit, Out with the Stars, a look at Hollywood and its relationship with food and restaurants. As World War II raged, Hollywood stars did their part too, either directly in the war, or entertaining service members. One such place was the Hollywood Canteen. Entirely volunteer run, the Hollywood Canteen opened October 3, 1942, and inside service members could have the chance to in ..read more

Universal Studios Studio Tour celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and when I was working on my blog post about the celebration, it got me thinking about how much has changed in the last couple of decades since my first visit back in 1997. Patrick and I recently cleaned out the garage and stumbled across photos from that trip, and I thought it might be fun to travel back in time. You’ll even get a glimpse at little me! So hop in the DeLorean and let’s travel back to 1997! These photos are a mix of ones my parents and myself took. I love that it captures the chaos of the tram tour while s ..read more

Back in 2018 I took a day to drive down Beach Boulevard from the 91 all the way to the beach, photographing various signs and buildings. During that excursion I stumbled across a vintage Arby’s. The massive ten gallon hat neon sign towered over the curved building, emulating a covered wagon. I stepped inside and my jaw it the floor, because of the floor, which was a beautiful mosaic done in a cattle theme. I have returned several times because it’s so gosh darn amazing! But sadly I was recently hit with the news that the owner has filed for demolition permits and rebuild with a new “McModern ..read more

As mentioned before, I love a good small neighborhood cinema, and it’s always sad when one of them goes dark. But it’s even more sad when they can’t have a second life. Many go on to become music venues, but others get a little more creatively repurposed, such as the CVS in East Los Angeles, or the Apple Store in LA’s Theatre District. Another great example of this is the Barnes and Noble in Studio City. Originally opening in 1938 the stunning Streamline Moderne Studio City cinema had a good long run, serving citizens of the San Fernando Valley for decades. It even made appearances on the bi ..read more

Too often I hear that Los Angeles and the surrounding area is a place that doesn’t care about its history, we demolish buildings left and right, and little heritage remains. I think that’s far from true. Many restaurants have lasted 100 years in the area, and one location in Burbank is well on its way to hitting that 100 year mark, Bob’s Big Boy. This year the iconic Bob’s Big Boy in the Toluca Lake area of Burbank turns 75. After learning the tricks of the trade at other restaurants, Robert C. Wain sold his car for $300 and bought a small stand in Glendale in 1936, calling it Bob’s Pantry ..read more

Redlands is one of the great citrus empires of California, it’s also a city that is filled with gorgeous homes. Most of the houses you’ll stumble upon are grand Victorians, Spanish Revivals, and Mid-Century Moderns, but there is one narrow street that looks like something out of France, this is Normandie Court, and it is one of Redlands’ historic districts. Nicknamed “Gnome Village” or “Munchkinland” the street consists of 16 French chateau inspired homes that were all built in 1926 by F.E. Carson and C.R. Hudson. Originally built as rentals, the homes came with full landscaping, and were a ..read more

The movies and tourism go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly. The most movie centric tourist location in California is without a doubt Universal Studios, which this year celebrates the 60th anniversary of its famous Studio Tour. However, welcoming tourists has been part of Universal’s history for well over a hundred years. On March 15, 1915, Carl Laemmle, owner of Universal Studios, decided to open up his studio to the public. For 25 cents the eager public could get an up close look at how movies, which were still in their infancy, were made, plus lunch. At the time movies were silen ..read more

Last week my friend Mel came to visit to celebrate her 40th birthday. A big Star Wars fan, her birthday fell close to one of the special Star Wars Nites at Disneyland. Some of you might recall that Patrick and I attended Sweethearts’ Nite in February, and Star Wars Nite is another one of the various themes offered for these “after hours” events. Like the other events, and the Halloween parties offered in the fall, Star Wars Nite allows for Guests to dress up in costume for a journey to a galaxy far, far away. And while I saw many fabulous costumes, I just wasn’t up for one myself, and instead ..read more

L.A. Confidential is one of my all time favorite movies, and any time I can make it to one of the filming locations, I’m overjoyed. The Formosa Cafe is not only where parts of L.A. Confidential were filmed, but also where one of its most iconic scenes (ironically not in the book) happened. The scene isn’t really an exaggeration of who you would expect find at the Formosa. In fact many celebrities cozied up in the red leather boots, including Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, Howard Hughes, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and, yes, Lana Turner. Located on Rout ..read more

At the turn of the 20th century despite its bustling downtown core Los Angeles still had many agricultural elements and in 1901 Jacob Stern built a little barn on the corner of Selma and Vine, just one block south of what would become the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Over the next century the little barn would witness motion picture history, before being relocated to the site of a police stand off that would eventually result in a little museum that packs a punch, the Hollywood Heritage Museum. A little over ten years after the barn was built, it served a new purpose. Two men, Harry Revier and L.L ..read more