TWA Hotel: A Time Capsule of Air Travel on the Eve of the Jet Age

July 8, 2025, Leave a Comment on TWA Hotel: A Time Capsule of Air Travel on the Eve of the Jet Age

John F. Kennedy International Airport bustles with millions of travelers coming and going, but amid the chaos is the opportunity to travel back in time, back to the swinging 1960s; the TWA Hotel, the last stop on our New York trip. In the middle of the 1950s JFK, then known as Idlewild, sought to become…

Overall view of the Liberty Island with hundreds of people outside.

American Reflections: A Visit to the Statue of Liberty

June 25, 2025, Leave a Comment on American Reflections: A Visit to the Statue of Liberty

In November 2001 I made my first trip to New York City. Just two and a half months after the attacks of September 11 (we had booked our trip back in July), it was a surreal experience, as my dad and I attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rockettes Christmas show all amid…

Exterior view of the Ryman, a multi story brick building with white details and a peaked roof.

Behind the Curtain of the Ryman, the Mother Church of Country Music

May 19, 2025, 3 Comments

Running through Nashville is the Cumberland River, and in the 1880s it meant Nashville was a rough and tumble river town with saloons, gambling, and of course riverboats. Thomas Ryman was a man of the river, owning a successful riverboat company, and not exactly a man of God, but all that changed on May 10,…

Sign above the door reading "Arcade" in script, and "Restaurant" in bold letters.

Breakfast at the Oldest Restaurant in Memphis, the Arcade

May 1, 2025, 1 Comment

After visiting Dollywood, Patrick and I drove across Tennessee to our next stop, Memphis. We hit the hay and woke up bright and early for breakfast at The Arcade, which has the honor of being Memphis’ oldest restaurant. The Arcade, although not initially known by that name, was established in 1919 by Greek immigrant Speros…

Close-up of the marquee in color, red neon script reads "Whisky a Go Go" and below in interchangeable block letters it reads "Robby Krieger"

Time Traveling back to 1966 at The Whisky A Go Go with Robby Krieger

August 8, 2024, 1 Comment

If you pick up any book about music in the 1960s or 70s, there is a more than likely chance that one venue will be mentioned more than any other, and that is The Whisky A Go Go. In the summer of 1964 The Whisky opened its doors, eventually becoming a legendary mecca for the…

Exterior of the top portion, which features a tower of neon reading "Studio City" below the marquee reads "Bookstar" in neon and "Barnes and Noble" on the marquee.

From Movies to Books: The Studio City Theatre Barnes & Noble

June 5, 2024, 1 Comment

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,…

Myself, standing outside the Bate's Motel, as Norman steps out of the office.

Hop Aboard a Glamor Tram for the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Studios Tour

May 15, 2024, 4 Comments

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…

View of the neon for the Formosa, which is green and sits within white script letters on a red building. A black and white stripe awning juts out from the front.

The Formosa Cafe: Watering Hole for Mobsters and Movie Stars

May 1, 2024, Leave a Comment on The Formosa Cafe: Watering Hole for Mobsters and Movie Stars

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…

Front of the Vista, a Spanish revival style building with curved details on the roof, painted yellow with white trim.

A Movie Night at the 100 Year Old Vista Theater

April 3, 2024, 3 Comments

While I grew up in the age of the multiplex, I also went to small, independent cinemas frequently. I saw Disney’s Pocahontas at Eugene’s old McDonald Theatre, which was built in 1925, and I spent many midnight screenings at the Cameo in Newberg, which opened in 1937. So I of course have a soft spot…

A singer in a sequin gown stands at a microphone.

Angel of Light: A Walk Through Horror Experience at the Historic Los Angeles Theatre

October 18, 2023, 1 Comment

While Knott’s Scary Farm may be the oldest Halloween haunt experience in Southern California, it’s far from the only one. From home haunts to the movie set horrors of Universal Studios, Southern California is full of a wide range of spooky experiences at a variety of venues. Recently we had friends rave about Angel of…

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Filming Locations

TWA Hotel: A Time Capsule of Air Travel on the Eve of the Jet Age

American Reflections: A Visit to the Statue of Liberty

Behind the Curtain of the Ryman, the Mother Church of Country Music

Breakfast at the Oldest Restaurant in Memphis, the Arcade

Time Traveling back to 1966 at The Whisky A Go Go with Robby Krieger

From Movies to Books: The Studio City Theatre Barnes & Noble

Hop Aboard a Glamor Tram for the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Studios Tour

The Formosa Cafe: Watering Hole for Mobsters and Movie Stars

A Movie Night at the 100 Year Old Vista Theater

Angel of Light: A Walk Through Horror Experience at the Historic Los Angeles Theatre