Myself, wearing a black cowboy hat, black Mexican Tourist jacket with green design, white peasant top, blue jeans, standing in front of the mission.

Retracing Zorro’s Escapades at Mission San Luis Rey

January 25, 2023, 2 Comments

Before we get going, I want to say that it is important to remember that the California missions have complicated histories. For some, they were and remain a place of peace, with memories of weddings and other life events, however, they also have a history of violence, slavery, and forced religious conversion, which aided in the…

Myself, wearing a multi-colored bolero over a black lace dress, a pink lariat necklace, and a blue glass beaded necklace, and a pair of gold, shackle like bracelets, standing in front of the Muzeo's white brick building.

Unlocking Houdini’s Secrets at the Muzeo

October 19, 2022, 2 Comments

My dad is a delightfully bizarre and interesting person, who decorates his home with not your typical items. A coffin lays in his living room, a mannequin dressed as Sherlock Holmes sits on a small loveseat, and draped over the arm is a straight jacket, some handcuffs, and hanging on the wall, a small antique…

A waist up shot of me standing in front of Heinold's wearing a tan cowboy hat, floral cowboy shirt, and yellow tie with a horse on it.

Grab a Drink at Oakland’s Oldest Bar, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

July 12, 2022, 2 Comments

Resting on the banks of the Oakland Estuary sit a pair of buildings that look like they have been plucked from a wild west set; a small wooden saloon and an even smaller log cabin, making for an odd vignette among the taller glass and steel structures, railroad tracks, and sailboats. The saloon, dubbed Heinold’s…

Myself, standing in front of the Calico bottle house.

Calico Ghost Town: From Silver Boom Town to Tourist Trap

April 20, 2022, 2 Comments

Between the glittering searchlights of Hollywood and the buzzing neon of Las Vegas sits the Mojave Desert, desolate, but with colorful rolling hills. Tucked into one of the hills just north of the fabled Route 66 sits the town of Calico, once a bustling silver mining town that has since turned into a tourist attraction.…

Myself, wearing a purple psychedelic print long sleeve dress with a gold scarf at the neck, and a purple scarf in my hair, standing in front of the lake that sits in the middle of Hollywood Forever.

Touring the Hauntingly Beautiful Hollywood Forever Cemetery

April 18, 2022, 5 Comments

Hollywood. The home to the stars – both living and dead. While Hollywood and the surrounding areas have multiple cemeteries where Hollywood’s elite have been laid to rest, none is perhaps more notable than Hollywood Forever. Smack in the middle of Tinsel Town, and butting right up against Paramount Studios, this is the final resting…

Myself standing on the staircase, the opposite staircase visible in the background.

The Sly Bar Tucked inside the Legendary Bradbury Building

December 1, 2021, 4 Comments

To the uninitiated, the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles may not look like much, but step through its doors and you enter into one of the most fantastical buildings in LA. Standing at five stories tall, the Bradbury’s interior is an atrium with two open cage elevators, and swirling wrought iron that cascades around…

A rounded room with a gold chain curtain and small display cases housing Oscars. A small round red velvet couch sits in the center.

Celebrating Movie Magic at the Academy Museum

November 9, 2021, 3 Comments

Over the last few years Hollywood has been working hard in the former May Company building, overhauling it to turn it into the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Earlier this fall it finally opened, and we visited last weekend. Fair warning, this post includes spoilers of classic films such as Citizen Kane and Psycho. With…

Mission San Gabriel

April 30, 2018, 2 Comments

UPDATE: It is important to remember that while California Missions have been hailed as places of peace, they also have deep and complicated histories, including slavery, violence, and forced religious conversion. I recommend reading this article that further describes the problematic history of Mission San Gabriel. I love me a twofer – and that is…

Palm Springs Village Green Museums

March 11, 2017, 4 Comments

Patrick and I just returned home from a week in Palm Springs, like we do every March, as Patrick has an annual work conference there. During this year’s visit I spent a lot time at museums, and finally visited several small museums that are all clustered together. Located in the heart of Palm Springs is the…

A Return to the Autry

May 21, 2016, 8 Comments

A few years ago during a visit to California we took time to visit the Autry Museum of the American West. I was slightly crushed over the fact I didn’t blog about it, which was for a combination of reasons. First, it was very overwhelming! There is so much stuff at the Autry, and my…

Atomic Redhead

1890s

Retracing Zorro’s Escapades at Mission San Luis Rey

Unlocking Houdini’s Secrets at the Muzeo

Grab a Drink at Oakland’s Oldest Bar, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

Calico Ghost Town: From Silver Boom Town to Tourist Trap

Touring the Hauntingly Beautiful Hollywood Forever Cemetery

The Sly Bar Tucked inside the Legendary Bradbury Building

Celebrating Movie Magic at the Academy Museum

Mission San Gabriel

Palm Springs Village Green Museums

A Return to the Autry