Myself, wearing a sleeveless, shift dress cut just above the knee, featuring a print of wavy shapes and Mickey heads, in purple, pink, yellow, orange, blue, and green, a matching scarf in my hair, coordinating bangles, and white boots.

A Groovy 66th Birthday for Disneyland

July 21, 2021, Leave a Comment on A Groovy 66th Birthday for Disneyland

Last weekend Disneyland celebrated its 66th anniversary. We visited the park with a few friends, and I used the occasion to make another vintage Disneyland ephemera inspired outfit. I’m a sucker for vintage ephemera, especially Disneyland related ephemera. Disneyland created some great paper shopping bags over the decades, and awhile back I purchased one on…

The Larry's neon sign sits at the corner of a fenced off outdoor eating area for Larry's, which features several picnic tables with red and white umbrellas near the outdoor order and pick-up windows. A large sign on the roof features a cartoon dog and reads "Larry's"

The Happy Little Neon Dachshund of Larry’s Chili Dog

July 14, 2021, 2 Comments

A good way to get me to go to nearly any restaurant is a killer neon sign, so when I spied Larry’s Chili Dog one day in Burbank I knew I had to visit, because it has absolutely one of the cutest neon sign’s I’ve ever seen! Larry’s Chili Dog has been around since 1953…

Myself, wearing a blue peasant top with a bandana print on it, a red skirt with "76" in white scattered throughout, and white shoes, standing in front of an old New England style building.

A Walk through Old Boston…in Southern California!?

July 8, 2021, 5 Comments

While we spent July 3rd at the International Printing Museum, for the actual Independence Day holiday we spent the evening at home with vaccinated friends and watching both Disneyland and neighbors’ fireworks. Amid the pandemic I’ve been exploring a lot of our nearby parks, and over the last year I was introduced to Heritage Park…

Myself, wearing a white t-shirt with a bald eagle holding a bell with text reading "Bi-Centennial 1776-1976 Proclaim Liberty thruout the Land" standing near a variety of antique printing presses

Independence Day Celebration at the International Printing Museum

July 6, 2021, 1 Comment

For Christmas last year I got Patrick a membership to the International Printing Museum. Honestly I think museum memberships make for brilliant gifts, but I digress. Because of his membership we received a postcard advertising their Independence Day Celebration on July 3, and it sounded like the perfect way to spend part of the Fourth…

Exterior of the Aztec, a teal painted structure with various Mayan influenced designs along the corners, edges, and doorways.

A Look Inside the Strange and Haunted Aztec Hotel of Route 66

July 1, 2021, 2 Comments

Sitting along Foothill Boulevard in Monrovia is what a first glance appears to be some sort of ancient temple, but upon further inspection, it’s actually a hotel, the Aztec Hotel. Last week Patrick and I joined other curious visitors for a tour of this Route 66 oddity, hosted by Craig Owens of Bizarre Los Angeles.…

Photo of P22, a gorgeous, golden mountain lion with a little white around his mouth and chin, walks along a dirt path

Meet P22 Hollywood’s Most Famous Cat

June 29, 2021, 3 Comments

Los Angeles’ famed Griffith Park is home to so many unique and wonderful things to see and do, many of which I’ve shared here on the blog, but it is also home to one of my favorite LA residents, P22. Just who is P22? He’s the loner of Griffith Park, king of an island surrounded…

Myself, wearing a cream straw cowboy hat, yellow shirt red text reading "Red Dog California Cold Beer Restaurant Cocktails Good Vibes" and featuring a woman diving into a martini glass, and jean shorts, standing on a bridge over a small stream, surrounded by a variety of green plants.

The Fairy-esque Wonderland of Ferndell Trail

June 24, 2021, 1 Comment

Griffith Park is perhaps one of Los Angeles’ greatest tourist attractions, as it has so much to offer. From museums to the observatory to the Hollywood sign and the miles of trails it has for pedestrians, equestrians, and cyclists, there is something for everyone. And while there are miles of trails, perhaps the most enchanting…

Myself, holding a chocolate donut, standing in front of The Donut Hole.

A Drive Through the Kitsch-tastic Donut Hole

June 22, 2021, 3 Comments

When it comes to architecture I’m of course a sucker for a good mid-century modern, art deco, and even Victorian, but perhaps my favorite style is programmatic architecture, aka “California Crazy” because it’s just plain fun! There are other terms for this style as well, including vernacular and mimetic architecture. This is where a…

Angled view of the tower, red script reading "Sears" is just above the front doors.

Ghost of Consumerism Past: Almost 100 Year Old Abandoned Art Deco Sears of Boyle Heights

June 16, 2021, 3 Comments

“Boyle #1008 1995 Store of the Year Los Angeles District” reads the plaque on a trophy topped with a curvaceous angel. But this trophy doesn’t rest inside a display case, or on the shelf in an executive office. Instead it sits on a dust covered desk along a loading dock of the empty husk of…

Myself, wearing a cream cowboy hat, yellow shirt with a large white Cadillac and script reading "Nudie's Rodeo Tailor" and jean shorts with white stars, standing in front of blue neon reading "DeSoto Pharmacy" hangs near the ceiling. Large red neon spelling "BOWL" and the neon sign for the Palomino.

Revisiting Treasures from the San Fernando Valley at Valley Relics Museum

June 10, 2021, 2 Comments

Imagine loving an area so much you accidentally create a museum. That’s exactly what Tommy Gelinas did with his love of the San Fernando Valley. Gelinas owned a screen printing studio and began filling it with bits and pieces from the Valley, such as neon signs, menus, figures, and so much more. Eventually his collection…