Full exterior view of Idle Hour, in the center is a large barrel with smaller buildings attached at either side.

Idle Hour: Eat Inside a Giant Hidden Dog at California’s Last Barrel Restaurant

April 15, 2026, Leave a Comment on Idle Hour: Eat Inside a Giant Hidden Dog at California’s Last Barrel Restaurant

As many of you know I’m an architecture junkie, and one of my favorite forms of architecture is programmatic, or fondly known as “California Crazy” that is to say, buildings that are constructed to look like something, which California was wildly known for. Sadly, there are very few examples left, but at Idle Hour you…

Straight on view as seen from a grassy hill next to the pool, a two story Spanish Revival style building with red tile roof sits in the middle, and is flanked by arched arcades on either side with the long empty pool in front.

Griffith Park’s Abandoned 1920s Pool Waits in the Wings for a Second Act

April 8, 2026, Leave a Comment on Griffith Park’s Abandoned 1920s Pool Waits in the Wings for a Second Act

Spanning five square miles, there is something for everyone at Griffith Park. Visitors can hike the miles of trails, visit multiple museums, learn about the stars at the observatory, get up close and personal with animals at the zoo, and enjoy the variety of recreation facilities. But in 2020 it lost something, the Griffith Park…

Inside Greystone Mansion: Money, Murder, and the Movies

March 25, 2026, 2 Comments

Looming over the luxurious city of Beverly Hills sits Greystone Mansion, a sprawling estate built by Los Angeles’ first oil tycoon family, the Dohenys. It is also home to one of Beverly Hills’ earliest scandals. Typically Greystone keeps its doors closed, with only a handful of exceptions. Thankfully my friend, Kristen, was able to secure…

Exterior of the Mob Museum, the former federal courthouse.

Returning to the Scene of the Crime: Visiting the Mob Museum Again

February 18, 2026, Leave a Comment on Returning to the Scene of the Crime: Visiting the Mob Museum Again

While in Vegas, my friend Cristal and I went to a few other museums, including the Mob Museum, which I had been to previously, but it had been awhile, so I was happy to go back. Las Vegas and the mob basically go hand-in-hand. Housed perfectly in the city’s first federal courthouse, built in 1933,…

Myself, wearing a blue western wear shirt, cream cowboy hat with blue stars, leaning against a barrel bar.

A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

January 21, 2026, Leave a Comment on A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

Back in 2021 Patrick and I made our first visit to the Kern County Museum, an outstanding museum with over 50 buildings across 16 acres in Bakersfield. Our visit was amid COVID restrictions, and meant that few of the buildings were open, and between then and now, it has opened a Bakersfield Sound exhibit and…

The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

October 8, 2025, Leave a Comment on The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

WARNING: This blog post contains a grizzly image of a very realistic prop of a dismembered body, that some readers may find disturbing. Tucked away in the hills of Oak Glen rests Stone Oak Manor. Designed by Reginald Inwood for Murle and Samuel Baumann, the manor was built in 1926 using stones found on the…

A mannequin family sits at a card table playing Monopoly. A stone fireplace is on the back wall, which is painted pink.

Mining, Gambling, and More all on Display the Clark County Museum

August 20, 2025, Leave a Comment on Mining, Gambling, and More all on Display the Clark County Museum

While Las Vegas may be the literal bright spot that everyone flocks to when visit Nevada, just a few miles to the southeast is something anyone who loves Nevada should visit, the Clark County Museum. The museum sprawls over 30 acres, and features relocated buildings, train cars, antique farm equipment, and more. The adobe-like building…

Exterior view of the Ryman, a multi story brick building with white details and a peaked roof.

Behind the Curtain of the Ryman, the Mother Church of Country Music

May 19, 2025, 3 Comments

Running through Nashville is the Cumberland River, and in the 1880s it meant Nashville was a rough and tumble river town with saloons, gambling, and of course riverboats. Thomas Ryman was a man of the river, owning a successful riverboat company, and not exactly a man of God, but all that changed on May 10,…

Sign above the door reading "Arcade" in script, and "Restaurant" in bold letters.

Breakfast at the Oldest Restaurant in Memphis, the Arcade

May 1, 2025, 1 Comment

After visiting Dollywood, Patrick and I drove across Tennessee to our next stop, Memphis. We hit the hay and woke up bright and early for breakfast at The Arcade, which has the honor of being Memphis’ oldest restaurant. The Arcade, although not initially known by that name, was established in 1919 by Greek immigrant Speros…

Myself, wearing a Hex Girls t-shirt and purple shorts, walking through the pumpkin Patch.

Bates Nut Farm: The 100 Year Old Farm to Find Your Perfect Pumpkin

October 22, 2024, 3 Comments

When fall arrives, it means it’s time to find a pumpkin patch and pick that perfect prized pumpkin to take home. Over the years I’ve tried to find just the right pumpkin patch, and I mean honest to goodness pumpkin patch, where you pick a pumpkin off the vine! This year we decided to venture…