Angled view of Johnie's Coffee Shop, a blue and stripe butterfly roof hangs low, with red letters reading "Johnie's Coffee Shop and Restaurant"

Step Inside the Googie Masterpiece Johnie’s Coffee Shop Thanks to Artist Gary Baseman

May 21, 2026, Leave a Comment on Step Inside the Googie Masterpiece Johnie’s Coffee Shop Thanks to Artist Gary Baseman

Every time I would visit the Petersen Automotive Museum or the Academy Museum I would gaze longingly at Johnie’s Coffee Shop. The red, white, and blue Googie masterpiece has sat empty since 2000, and I longed to step inside. Well, I finally got that chance, thanks to artist Gary Baseman. Baseman was born in LA…

Myself, seated at the counter with a mural of a beach with surfboards sticking up in the sand is behind me.

Chili John’s: The 80 Year Old Diner Beloved by Food Critics and Hollywood Alike

April 1, 2026, Leave a Comment on Chili John’s: The 80 Year Old Diner Beloved by Food Critics and Hollywood Alike

I’m not quite sure how to put into words what walking into Chili John’s is like…except it’s somehow magical. There are few places that feel as honest, warm, yet also bit like the Twilight Zone. Chili John’s is one of those places. From its massive murals to its well worn linoleum to its cracked orange…

Inside Greystone Mansion: Money, Murder, and the Movies

March 25, 2026, 2 Comments

Looming over the luxurious city of Beverly Hills sits Greystone Mansion, a sprawling estate built by Los Angeles’ first oil tycoon family, the Dohenys. It is also home to one of Beverly Hills’ earliest scandals. Typically Greystone keeps its doors closed, with only a handful of exceptions. Thankfully my friend, Kristen, was able to secure…

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…

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Filming Locations

Step Inside the Googie Masterpiece Johnie’s Coffee Shop Thanks to Artist Gary Baseman

Chili John’s: The 80 Year Old Diner Beloved by Food Critics and Hollywood Alike

Inside Greystone Mansion: Money, Murder, and the Movies

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