1900s

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

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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…

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Me riding the carousel.

Exploring the Historic Santa Monica Pier

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Nothing quite says summer like a day at the beach, especially if that beach is lucky enough to have a pier filled with rides such as a carousel, roller coaster, 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 that jutted over…

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Me standing outside of the Gamble House.

The Gamble House – Pasadena’s Craftsman Masterpiece

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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…

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Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour

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When I was a kid there was this wonderful, magical place that I would sometimes get to go to. No, for once I’m not talking about Disneyland. I’m talking about Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour. Founded by Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy in 1963 in Portland, Farrell’s quickly became the go-to place for birthdays and other celebrations for…

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