Category

Places to Explore

Tourist traps, museums, neon, places to grab a bite to eat, and rest your head.

Myself standing in front of the old west medicine wagon sits in the middle of the parking lot. It is red and reads "Gower Gulch Medicinal Ointment" and has an image of an Indian wearing a headdress, wearing a black peasant top, and a green skirt with western images on it.

The Forgotten History of Gower Gulch, Hollywood’s Western Strip Mall

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Gower Gulch. Sounds like a small town in the deserts of Arizona, right? But you’d be wrong. It’s in fact a western themed small strip mall that sits at the corner of Gower and Sunset in the middle of Hollywood. But why a western theme? And just how did this corner get its name? The…

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A rounded front building faces the street, atop it a tall spire stretches toward a bright blue sky. Near the bottom red letters spell out "Crossroads of the World." Atop the spire a globe.

The Violent History of LA’s Iconic Crossroads of the World

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Sunset Boulevard is synonymous with Hollywood. It’s home to a plethora of iconic buildings and linked to many legendary people. One such building is Crossroads of the World, a bizarre little 1930s shopping center turned office complex that looks like something out of a Disney theme park, with a steamship style building “sailing” past storefronts…

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

The Kitschy Mexican Restaurant Where Sharon Tate Had Her Last Meal

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On August 9, 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…

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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

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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,…

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The outside of the Beauty Bubble, a cream building with orange sherbet trim, a large half circle painted turquoise reads "The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum" with small bubble like circles rising from it. A cartoon of a woman is painted next to it, who does her hair with hair spray while looking in a mirror. Outside sit a blue and a pink chair, and on the left a sauna hair dryer.

Step into the Beauty Bubble, Joshua Tree’s Kitschiest Salon & Museum

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Just past the turn to head into Joshua Tree National Park is another national treasure, the candy colored The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum. Step inside and you’ll instantly want to do something wild and crazy with your hair. Because, how can you not with a plethora of vintage hair goodies across every surface, and…

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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

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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…

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Decapitated palm trees jut from concrete in front of a boarded up building.

The Charred Ruins of the Palm Springs’ Playground where Marilyn Monroe was Discovered

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Tucked away behind a tarp covered chainlink fence sits the remains of what was once one of the most glamorous spots in all of Palm Springs, The Racquet Club. The motion picture industry changed Palm Springs from a sleepy health resort town to a getaway for Hollywood’s elite by the 1920s. In 1934 actors Charles…

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A brown sign with yellow letters reads "Moorten Botanical Garden"

Exploring the Desert Wonderland of Moorten Botanical Garden

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The annual visit to Palm Springs, which is for Pat’s work, typically means I fill the days on my own – shopping, visiting museums, etc. This year Charles Phoenix recommended I visit Moorten Botanical Garden. And when Charles Phoenix tells you to go somewhere, you go! Home to over 3000 plant varieties, Moorten Botanical Garden…

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Exterior of Sherman's, featuring Sherman's spelled out in green diamonds.

Sherman’s – Palm Springs’ Star-Studded Deli

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When in Palm Springs dining at Sherman’s Deli & Bakery is an absolute must. And if I’m honest, sometimes I stop here multiple times during our week long stay each March. This classic New York style deli restaurant features the fare you would expect, like pastrami and corned beef, along with a wide selection cakes…

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