Overall view of the Gran Salon with its rose marble columns and collection of cars.

The Mechanized Wonder of the Nethercutt Collection

April 14, 2022, 2 Comments

Earlier I shared the impressive Nethercutt Museum. While the museum is amazing, and free, visitors have the option to extend their visit and tour the Nethercutt Collection, a paid ($10 at the time of our visit) tour showcasing even more cars, unique mechanical musical instruments, and more. Visitors enter the Collection via the basement, known…

The Incredible Automotive Museum built by a Cosmetics Empire

April 12, 2022, 2 Comments

Sometimes I go somewhere and I am just so knocked on my feet I’m not even sure where to begin to share it with you. This is the case for the Nethercutt Museum and Collection. In fact, this place is so massive it’s actually receiving two blog posts! The Nethercutt is probably best known as…

A massive, foreboding, yet elegant building features curling Spanish Churrigueresque architectural details at the top and above the door. Large red letters spell "CVS" both in the middle of the building, and above the three arches at the doorway.

A Look Inside the Fanciest CVS You’ve Ever Seen

March 30, 2022, 4 Comments

Imagine you’re driving down the street and you see this… As the bold red letters spell out, this is indeed a CVS. There are thousands of them, or similar drug stores, across the country. But this one seems a little over-the-top…why is that? Well, once upon a time, this drug store was a glamorous movie…

A Bite of Hot Dog History at the First Wienerschnitzel

March 24, 2022, 2 Comments

Driving down Pacific Coast Highway, this small, yet vibrant red and yellow building may not catch your eye, and if it does you may just write it off as one of the many Wienerschnitzel locations scattered across California, but this is in fact the first Wienerschnitzel! Unlike a similar hot dog counterpart (coughHotDogOnAStickcough), Wienerschnitzel has valued…

Myself standing in front of one of the islands.

Long Beach’s Strange Offshore Oil Wells are Hiding in Plain Sight

March 22, 2022, 2 Comments

About a quarter mile off of the sandy shores of Long Beach sit four rather alluring islands, some of which feature futuristic looking curved walls and tall towers. Upon first glance they appear to be condos or part of a resort, but the truth is much, much less glamorous, as they in fact are oil…

Myself standing in front of a large stamp mill.

Remnants of the Mojave Desert at Route 66’s Goffs Schoolhouse Museum

March 17, 2022, 3 Comments

As mentioned in my Needles post, we were lucky enough to make it to another museum along Route 66 before the sun went down, the Goffs Schoolhouse Museum. While the building started out as a schoolhouse, today it showcases the history of Goffs and the Mojave Desert, both inside the schoolhouse itself as well as…

Myself standing in front of massive mural featuring a train, bridge, broken down car, and Spike, the cartoon beagle brother to Snoopy.

A Visit to Needles, Home to Spike and the Remains of a Grand Train Depot

March 15, 2022, 3 Comments

Before Interstate 40 arrived through the southwest, there was Route 66, and before that the railroad. And if you traveled any of them to California, Needles was that first city to welcome you to the Golden State. The connection to Route 66 makes Needles proud of its history, but there is much more, much of…

The tops of some of the trees, which include an antique phone, "Enter Only" sign, and chair.

The Weird and Wonderful Glass Forest of Bottle Tree Ranch

February 23, 2022, 3 Comments

In my Amboy Crater post, I mentioned Patrick and I are intermittently traveling the full stretch (or as much of it that is accessible) of Route 66 through California, with the eventual plan to do a lengthly blog post sharing the unique sights from the Arizona border to the sunny shores of Santa Monica. However,…

The 1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 as seen in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and driving by Diana Rigg's character. The red car features black details on the hood, including the silver head of a cougar in the center.

A Revisit to the Petersen Automotive Museum

February 16, 2022, 2 Comments

Last week my dad was in town, mainly so we could attend a NASCAR race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (while a historic location and event, it won’t be featured on the blog, but you can see a few snaps on Instagram), however we also went to Disneyland and visited a few museums, including the…

Myself walking along the rim of the crater.

A Hike into an Ancient Volcano along Route 66

February 2, 2022, 2 Comments

The legendary Route 66 often conjures imagery of neon signs for diners, a plethora of tourist traps, and gas stations. Something that perhaps doesn’t spring to mind is a volcano. But in fact there is a volcano right off of the famed Mother Road, and you can hike into it. The town of Amboy is…

Atomic Redhead

Places to Explore

The Mechanized Wonder of the Nethercutt Collection

The Incredible Automotive Museum built by a Cosmetics Empire

A Look Inside the Fanciest CVS You’ve Ever Seen

A Bite of Hot Dog History at the First Wienerschnitzel

Long Beach’s Strange Offshore Oil Wells are Hiding in Plain Sight

Remnants of the Mojave Desert at Route 66’s Goffs Schoolhouse Museum

A Visit to Needles, Home to Spike and the Remains of a Grand Train Depot

The Weird and Wonderful Glass Forest of Bottle Tree Ranch

A Revisit to the Petersen Automotive Museum

A Hike into an Ancient Volcano along Route 66