Myself standing in front of a quartette of black cats of wood, wearing a patchwork print dress of orange, yellow, black and white, as a large straw hat

95th Annual Anaheim Halloween Parade

October 30, 2018, 1 Comment

Last weekend Patrick and I finally made it to one of Anaheim’s oldest traditions, the Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade, which turned 95 this year! Starting in 1924, the parade was started the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce as a way to bring the community together and create a more family oriented Halloween event, and…

A Sneak Peek at Howard Johnson Anaheim’s Retro Redo

June 19, 2018, 7 Comments

There is nothing I like more than a mid-century business fully embracing their history and running with it, and that is exactly what the Howard Johnson here in Anaheim has done. Recently, this HoJo decided it was time for a renovation, and they looked to the past for inspiration. Located right across the street from…

The Packing House, a mission revival styling building with cream colored stucco and orange color domes. A large orange with "Sunkist" across it pops just slightly from the middle above the door.

The Food Hall Hiding Inside Anaheim’s Former Citrus Packing House

June 8, 2018, 9 Comments

Orange County. There is a reason it’s called that. It’s well known that the area that is now the Disneyland Resort was once orange groves, and well, that is what most of Anaheim was like. In the late 1800s and through the early part of the 20th century citrus was king here. And where did…

Linbrook Bowl's sign, with "Bowl" spelled out on the left, and a large bowling pin reading that they offer 40 lanes.

Linbrook Bowl: Anaheim’s Neon Gem

May 19, 2018, 2 Comments

I won’t lie, I have a soft spot for bowling. I mean, who doesn’t love throwing a ball to try to knock over things? Anyway, I have been meaning to check out Linbrook Bowl, Orange County’s oldest bowling alley (according to the OC Register) for sometime, and earlier this week we finally made it with…

Original Pancake House sign, red, white and blue, with a cartoon version of a chef flipping pancakes.

The Original Pancake House Anaheim

May 14, 2018, 4 Comments

Not too far from our house is The Original Pancake House, which is not only an institution here in Anaheim, but a Portland one as well. Funny how that works, isn’t it? What makes the Anaheim one so special is that it has been serving up locals and tourists alike since 1958, and still features…

Americana Along Beach Boulevard

April 9, 2018, 4 Comments

Photographing old signs has long been one of my favorite passions. And California has a plethora of them. Just the other day I decided to drive down Beach Boulevard (also known as California Route 39) through Buena Park, Anaheim, Stanton, Westminster, and Huntington Beach to take pictures of the fair amount of signs this short…

Dressing Downton

March 19, 2017, 4 Comments

Earlier in the week, myself, Patrick, and a friend went to Anaheim’s Muzeo as they were hosting the touring exhibit, Dressing Downton, which features the costumes of British show Downton Abbey. As a fan of the show and vintage fashion, I leaped at the opportunity to visit! If you’re unfamiliar with the show, it chronicles the…

Goodbye to the Fantasyland Skyway Station

June 9, 2016, 6 Comments

Sorry for the dead air as of late. I caught what has been going around down here, a late spring cold that had me laid up for the last two weeks. I’m finally beginning to feel better and can finally begin to focus on blogging again. Four years ago I wrote a post dedicated to…

Anaheimland

October 14, 2015, 6 Comments

Over the weekend Patrick and I went to another one of Charles Phoenix‘s shows, and this one about our still-new-to-us home, Anaheim. Okay, well, we really live in Orange, but Anaheim is right next door, and I work in Anaheim! Phoenix’s presentation was at Anaheim High School, which is a beyond gorgeous 1930s school, built during…

Citrus Fest

March 31, 2015, 7 Comments

Oranges are by far my favorite fruit ever. So one of the things I love most about living in California is not just the accessibility to fresh oranges, but also the celebration of the fruit itself. After all, we even live in a town and county named after it! So needless to say, I was…