Illustration of a woman in a Marie Antoinette style outfit with a tall wig and large skirt, along with a photograph of a woman in the same outfit, all pink.

A Showgirl’s Treasures

February 26, 2025, Leave a Comment on A Showgirl’s Treasures

The other day I received a text message from my dear friend Eric, the Knott’s Berry Farm historian, informing me of an estate sale here in Anaheim of a former Knott’s employee, and that I might find some interesting stuff. Already en route to go thrifting that day, I abruptly changed course and made my…

Myself standing in front of the barn, behind me a large white sign atop the porch that reads "Hollywood Heritage Museum Lasky-DeMille Barn Est. 1913"

Farm to Fame: Tales of Glitz, Glamor & Eminent Domain at the Hollywood Heritage Museum

April 17, 2024, Leave a Comment on Farm to Fame: Tales of Glitz, Glamor & Eminent Domain at the Hollywood Heritage Museum

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…

Overall, angled view of the Baskin Robbins, with its pink roof and palm trees out front.

A-Frame Icon: The Scoop on Baskin-Robbins History

August 16, 2023, Leave a Comment on A-Frame Icon: The Scoop on Baskin-Robbins History

Amid a plethora of auto body shops stands a bubblegum pink A-frame building, at first glance someone could mistake it for a life size version of Barbie’s ski shop mistakenly plopped near LAX instead of the mountains of Mammoth. But you won’t find Barbie here, this is a Baskin-Robbin’s and it’s said to be the…

Myself, wearing large pink sunglasses, a white cowboy hat, with blue stars edged in rhinestones, a white and light blue patterned suit with silver thread running through it, and a blue satin shirt.

Rocket Man

November 30, 2022, 3 Comments

In 1975, after climbing America’s music charts, Elton John stepped onto a stage at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium to a crowd of over 50,000. In the audience for one of the two sold out shows was my mother-in-law, and last week she got to do it all over again, as her, Patrick and myself went…

Accidental Icon: How the Hollywood Sign Became a LA Mainstay

June 3, 2021, 1 Comment

Recently Patrick, myself, and some friends decided to conquer the Hollywood sign hike. We hiked up steep dusty trails that wove their way for over three miles through Griffith Park, finally reaching the peak and it got me thinking about the amazing history of this accidental symbol of Tinseltown. As America entered the roaring 20s,…

On the left a blue and green map of Los Angeles, with the silhouette of a man walking, black text reads "Paul Revere was Here On the Trail of L.A.'s Legendary Architect Paul R. Williams" and on the right a photo of the Beverly Hills Hotel's green side with white script reading "Beverly Hills Hotel" and tall palm trees stretching toward a blue sky.

Celebrating the Life and Work of Paul Revere Williams

April 14, 2021, 2 Comments

It’s no secret I love a good building. Los Angeles is filled with many beautiful buildings of both the private and commercial kind, and in a wide variety of styles. One person who embodied Los Angeles architecture was Paul Revere Williams, and recently the LA Conservancy teamed up with the National Organization of Minority Architects…

A group of guests look over a pool that has a steep slide, which an alligator slides down. Text across a roof in the background reads "Alligator Farm." Red text in the upper right of the postcard reads "Entertaining guests at the California Alligator Farm, Los Angeles."

Sights and Souvenirs from the California Alligator Farm

March 10, 2021, 6 Comments

As mentioned before I’ve been watching a lot of TV since I’m not going anywhere thanks to COVID, and I recently binged the entire first season of HBO’s new interpretation of Perry Mason. Early in the show Mason handles a taxidermy turtle and small alligator, both which feature a paper label reading “Los Angeles Alligator…

The Employee Handbook, which features a woodgrain background, and the "Old Timer" with a white beard, black hat, check shirt, black vest, brown pants, and black boots, waving, and holding a pick ax. A donkey stands next to him.

The Legend of Whittles, Knott’s Berry Farm’s Forgotten Icon

April 9, 2020, 3 Comments

Update: Whittles has made his triumphant return to Knott’s Berry Farm as a walk around character! And he’s cuter than ever! As part of being a Knott’s Berry Farm Ambassador, I am tasked with writing posts for the Knott’s Berry Blog. Last week my first blog post for them was published, which was an overall…

Screencap: Men take a body out of the orange and blue Laff in the Dark building, covered in a white sheet.

Tracing the Journey of Mummified Outlaw Elmer McCurdy to the Long Beach Pike

June 26, 2019, 3 Comments

Last week I talked about the history of Long Beach’s infamous Pike, including the location being used in an episode of Charlie’s Angels and The Six Million Dollar Man. What I didn’t mention was that in the Charlie’s Angels episode, “To Kill an Angel,” a man’s body is found within the Pike’s Laff in the…

Myself standing with the Cyclone Racer Bridge in the background, wearing a t-shirt with a female sunbather and the Cyclone Racer in the background, and red shorts.

The Rise and Fall of the Long Beach Pike

June 20, 2019, 36 Comments

Towering above shops like H&M, Forever 21, and The Gap is what appears to be a rollercoaster, yet no cars race by, and no screams of riders can be heard. Upon closer inspection, it is no rollercoaster, just bridge built to look like one. But, why? Let’s take a trip back in time, all the…

Atomic Redhead

California Dreamin'

A Showgirl’s Treasures

Farm to Fame: Tales of Glitz, Glamor & Eminent Domain at the Hollywood Heritage Museum

A-Frame Icon: The Scoop on Baskin-Robbins History

Rocket Man

Accidental Icon: How the Hollywood Sign Became a LA Mainstay

Celebrating the Life and Work of Paul Revere Williams

Sights and Souvenirs from the California Alligator Farm

The Legend of Whittles, Knott’s Berry Farm’s Forgotten Icon

Tracing the Journey of Mummified Outlaw Elmer McCurdy to the Long Beach Pike

The Rise and Fall of the Long Beach Pike