The Vintage Neon and More of Highway One: From Santa Monica to Dana Point

California has many legendary roads criss-crossing the state. From the fabled Route 66 to the infamous Sunset Strip, there is plenty of history along these stretches of blacktop. One of these is the Pacific Coast Highway (often abbreviated to PCH) also known as Highway One. It stretches nearly the entire length of the state, often…

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

“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…

Neon Sheep! A Giant Shoe! And More! Exploring Bakersfield’s Americana Gems

As mentioned in my last post, Bakersfield has a lot of vintage neon still out in the wild, plus a few pretty amazing backlit plastic signs, which was one of the reasons we wanted to visit. And boy did we find some great signs, plus we stumbled upon some abandoned locations as well. “John’s” 14441…

The Charred Remains of the Palm Springs’ Playground where Marilyn Monroe was Discovered

Tucked away behind a tarp covered chainlink fence sits the remains of what was once one of the most glamorous spots in all of Palm Springs, The Racquet Club. The motion picture industry changed Palm Springs from a sleepy health resort town to a getaway for Hollywood’s elite by the 1920s. In 1934 actors Charles…