Category

Bizarre & Unique

Creepy sculptures? Giant painted rocks? Yeah, I’m into it.

Myself standing outside the main doors, wearing a straw hat, a white peasant top, and maroon skirt that features gathering in an asymmetrical design.

The Outlet Mall Masquerading as an Assyrian Palace

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If you’ve ever driven along Interstate 5 through Commerce, just outside Los Angeles, you’ve likely spied a grand ancient looking palace and perhaps wondered “What on earth is that!?” Well, it’s an outlet mall actually. Yes, an outlet mall, known simply as The Citadel. But it wasn’t always that way. The building was actually built…

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To the left, the Babylonian arch/bridge, over six stories in height. A white elephant sits atop a pillar to the right, also towering over five stories tall.

The Shopping Mall Based on the Set of a Silent Movie Flop

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Located at what is considered to be the center of Hollywood, among grand old movie palaces and tourist traps is the Hollywood and Highland shopping center, with a Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, and more. But this isn’t just any ol’ shopping center, it’s attached to the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak), the home of…

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Inside the Redondo Fun Factory - wearing a vintage red shirt reading "Have a Coke and a smile" and wide leg blue jeans. In the background a variety of 80s arcade games, behind them a ton of vintage signs.

A Revisit to the Enigmatic Fun Factory

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UPDATE: The Redondo Beach Fun Factory closed October, 2019. Last year we visited the Redondo Fun Factory located on the Redondo Beach Pier after hearing news it would be closing. Over a year later the bizarre Fun Factory, with its eclectic variety of games and collection of odd signs, is still operating, but now has…

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Standing next to one of the traveling theaters, where puppets sit.

Peek Inside America’s Oldest Puppet Theater

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Recently we visited The Bob Baker Marionette Theater for a friend’s birthday. It was our second visit to what is the oldest puppet theater in the United States, and it was just as trippy and wonderful as the first time. For the afternoon we got the party room all to ourselves before the show, and…

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Art Installation - a faux billboard reading "The Last Stop For The Bombay Beach Resort" but with most of the letters fallen off, so it reads more like "The Last Resort"

Abandoned Resort Town of Bombay Beach Now Weird Artist Paradise

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Over the last couple days I have been entertaining one of our friends visiting from Portland. It was a whirlwind few days hitting up various tourist and not-so-tourist spots. We spent Sunday in the desert including a visit to the Salton Sea. I’ve been several times now, but it’s always worth revisiting as it is…

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Paramount Ranch: Set to Screen

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Over the last week my friend Mel (of Deela Designs) was staying with us. Mel is a fellow cosplay friend, with a passion for all things nerdy, and during her stay we had many fun adventures, including a visit to Paramount Ranch. Like me, Mel enjoys HBO’s Westworld, and after she heard about my visit…

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The Weird and Hidden Figures of Old Trapper’s Lodge

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Off the 101 lies Pierce College in Woodland Hills, and on its campus is a unique and downright bizarre sight, a collection of concrete sculptures depicting old west figures, along with a faux cemetery featuring rather colorful epitaphs. What is this exactly? Well, it’s the remains of Old Trapper’s Lodge. Built in 1941 by a…

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The Abandoned Movie Ranch of Corriganville

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Over the weekend Patrick and I visited Corriganville Park, the former location of Corriganville, a western backlot and amusement park of sorts from 1949 to 1965. Corriganville was built by movie and TV actor Ray Bernard, but better known as Crash Corrigan. After going on a hunting trip in Simi Valley with fellow actor, Clark…

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Redondo Beach’s Bizarre Fun Factory

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UPDATE: The Redondo Beach Fun Factory closed October, 2019. Recently I found out that another SoCal institution will only be a memory, the Fun Factory at the Redondo Beach Pier, which has been an oceanside attraction since 1972. Much like Gill’s in my last post, I can claim no fond memories of birthday parties spent…

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