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 was, and remains, a bizarrely 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…

Myself standing in front of the banner advertising the Jewish Deli exhibit.

Dishing Up Deli History at the Skirball Cultural Center

August 8, 2022, Leave a Comment on Dishing Up Deli History at the Skirball Cultural Center

Being from the west coast and growing up in the 90s, the idea of the Jewish deli wasn’t a big thing around me. It wasn’t until I started watching and paying attention to television shows and films set in New York that I really began to understand this cultural phenomenon. With the rise of foodie…

The dock of the island, with the large former barracks turned apartments looming above.

More than a Prison: The Gardens, Native American Heritage, and Birds of Alcatraz

July 1, 2022, Leave a Comment on More than a Prison: The Gardens, Native American Heritage, and Birds of Alcatraz

Alcatraz. The Rock. The most formidable prison in the United States. From its early years as a fort, later turned prison, and then the location of the protest that sparked the 1970s Native American Rights Movement, Alcatraz Island is now a National Park that seeks to preserve the history of the island, while also accepting…

Myself, wearing a white embroidered peasant top with flare blue jeans, standing in front of one of the doors to the mansion.

A Night at the Historic Hayes Mansion of San Jose

June 20, 2022, 3 Comments

Patrick and I just returned from a little trip up to the Bay Area and what a whirlwind it was! I’m delighted to share many of the wonderful places we visited, and I’m going to start with the hotel we stayed at for our first night, San Jose’s Hayes Mansion. Even though we were only…

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…

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…

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…

Stepping Aboard Angels Flight, the World’s Shortest Railway

January 19, 2022, 3 Comments

When it comes to Los Angeles, often times things can disappear without a trace, and never return, but thankfully that isn’t what happened to the “world’s shortest railway” known by the charming name of Angels Flight. While on railroad tracks, Angels Flight doesn’t travel in a loop or even on flat ground, but rather at…

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…

Atomic Redhead

1900s

Unlocking Houdini’s Secrets at the Muzeo

Dishing Up Deli History at the Skirball Cultural Center

More than a Prison: The Gardens, Native American Heritage, and Birds of Alcatraz

A Night at the Historic Hayes Mansion of San Jose

Touring the Hauntingly Beautiful Hollywood Forever Cemetery

The Mechanized Wonder of the Nethercutt Collection

The Incredible Automotive Museum built by a Cosmetics Empire

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

Stepping Aboard Angels Flight, the World’s Shortest Railway

The Sly Bar Tucked inside the Legendary Bradbury Building