The red neon sign outside which reads "El Coyote Mexican Food"

The Kitschy Mexican Restaurant Where Sharon Tate Had Her Last Meal

April 11, 2019, 2 Comments

On August 8, 1969, four people, including aspiring actress Sharon Tate walked into El Coyote and sat down for what would unknowingly be their last meal, for just a few hours later they would be brutally murdered by members of the Manson Family. El Coyote first opened in 1931, on First and La Brea by…

Me, standing in front of Pasadena City Hall, a tall, domed, Mediterranean style building, wearing a long pale green dress with small white flowers.

Stumbling Upon Pasadena’s Beautiful City Hall

March 26, 2019, 2 Comments

Last Sunday, Patrick and myself met up with some friends for tea at a tea room in Pasadena. Wanting to get out and wear my vintage Gunne Sax dresses more, I opted for one, and in walking from the parking structure to the tea room we stumbled upon the gorgeousness that is Pasadena’s City Hall,…

Myself standing in front of the Pioneertown Motel sign, wearing a butter yellow leather jacket with dark brown fringe, a t-shirt featuring the cover of the Eagles' album "Hotel California," jeans, and a cream colored flat top cowboy hat.

Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

March 15, 2019, Leave a Comment on Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

After Patrick wrapped up his conference in Palm Springs, we headed to the high desert to spend a couple of nights at the Pioneertown Motel. Long time readers may be familiar with previous visits to Pioneertown, a real town originally built as a live-in backlot of sorts made exclusively for westerns back in 1946. But…

A red stone building with arches in the middle stands tall with text overlay reading "American Horror Story Filming Location: Old Orange County Courthouse"

American Horror Story’s Creepy Briarcliff Manor is Actually a Courthouse

January 23, 2019, 1 Comment

Like many, I’ve been sucked into the anthology series that is American Horror Story. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, it is a horror inspired show, where each season season has its own individual story to tell while also loosely linking the seasons together. And while the show has taken place across the United States, many…

Exploring the Historic Santa Monica Pier

July 27, 2018, 2 Comments

Nothing quite says summer like a day at the beach, especially if that beach is lucky enough to have a pier filled with a carousel, roller coaster, games and more. Around the turn-of-the-century California’s coast was dotted with what was known at the time as “pleasure piers” a wooden boardwalk along the coast that offered…

Me standing outside of the Gamble House.

The Gamble House – Pasadena’s Craftsman Masterpiece

July 23, 2018, 2 Comments

California is renowned for its Craftsman architecture. But, if I’m totally honest, I’m really not the biggest fan of the American Craftsman Movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. That isn’t to say I can’t appreciate it, as it proved to be innovative, and even influential on Mid-Century Modern, but still, I really…

Canter's sign outside, black with yellow letters reading "Canter's" smaller letters read "restaurant, bakery, delicatessen"

Rock ‘n Roll’s Favorite Jewish Deli

July 18, 2018, 3 Comments

Canter’s Deli is borderline synonymous with Hollywood, but it is just as well loved by rock ‘n rollers as it is movie stars, and it was the late night place for the bands of the 1960s, and it’s said to be the only Jewish deli on the west coast to rival one of the east…

Me sitting at one of the gorgeous turquoise and white booths.

Grand Re-Opening of George’s 50s Diner in Long Beach

June 25, 2018, 1 Comment

On December 16, 2016, one of Long Beach’s historic landmarks was in trouble. A fire tore through George’s 50s Diner, leaving the interior of this Googie masterpiece completely gutted. Miraculously the exterior was virtually untouched. But it was still a long road to rebuild, and a year and a half later, this icon is open…

The Hidden Remains of MAS*H in Malibu Creek Park

May 22, 2018, 3 Comments

I watched a lot of the channel TV Land as a kid, and one of my favorite shows was M * A * S * H, which revolved around the 4077th mobile army surgical hospital (that’s what “MASH” stands for in case you were wondering) in Korea during the Korean War. At some point I learned…

Vasquez Rocks: Outlaw Hideout Turned Hollywood Filming Location

May 8, 2018, 4 Comments

What do Westworld, The Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Army of Darkness, and Zorro all have in common? Well, aside from being awesome, they all, at one point or another, filmed at Vasquez Rocks. For me, Vasquez Rocks is a gorgeous natural landscape that is a perfect meld of my favorite things – it is…

Atomic Redhead

Filming Locations

The Kitschy Mexican Restaurant Where Sharon Tate Had Her Last Meal

Stumbling Upon Pasadena’s Beautiful City Hall

Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

American Horror Story’s Creepy Briarcliff Manor is Actually a Courthouse

Exploring the Historic Santa Monica Pier

The Gamble House – Pasadena’s Craftsman Masterpiece

Rock ‘n Roll’s Favorite Jewish Deli

Grand Re-Opening of George’s 50s Diner in Long Beach

The Hidden Remains of MAS*H in Malibu Creek Park

Vasquez Rocks: Outlaw Hideout Turned Hollywood Filming Location