Myself standing in front of one of the islands.

Long Beach’s Strange Offshore Oil Wells are Hiding in Plain Sight

March 22, 2022, 2 Comments

About a quarter mile off of the sandy shores of Long Beach sit four rather alluring islands, some of which feature futuristic looking curved walls and tall towers. Upon first glance they appear to be condos or part of a resort, but the truth is much, much less glamorous, as they in fact are oil…

Screencap reading "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" with additional text reading "Filming Locations"

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Filming Locations

August 25, 2021, 3 Comments

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood has quickly become one of my all time favorite movies. Quinten Tanatino’s love letter to late 1960s LA is full of wonderful details and used many beloved SoCal institutions, including a number that are accessible to the film buff! While many of the locations in the film, they “play themselves”…

A yellow building features a yellow and white sign next to it reading "Nick's Liquor Parking Cigars" and features a small arrow.

The Vintage Neon and More of Highway One: From Santa Monica to Dana Point

August 4, 2021, 1 Comment

California has many legendary roads criss-crossing the state. From the fabled Route 66 to the infamous Sunset Strip, there is plenty of history along these stretches of blacktop. One of these is the Pacific Coast Highway (often abbreviated to PCH) also known as Highway One. It stretches nearly the entire length of the state, often…

Screencap: Men take a body out of the orange and blue Laff in the Dark building, covered in a white sheet.

Tracing the Journey of Mummified Outlaw Elmer McCurdy to the Long Beach Pike

June 26, 2019, 3 Comments

Last week I talked about the history of Long Beach’s infamous Pike, including the location being used in an episode of Charlie’s Angels and The Six Million Dollar Man. What I didn’t mention was that in the Charlie’s Angels episode, “To Kill an Angel,” a man’s body is found within the Pike’s Laff in the…

Myself standing with the Cyclone Racer Bridge in the background, wearing a t-shirt with a female sunbather and the Cyclone Racer in the background, and red shorts.

The Rise and Fall of the Long Beach Pike

June 20, 2019, 26 Comments

Towering above shops like H&M, Forever 21, and The Gap is what appears to be a rollercoaster, yet no cars race by, and no screams of riders can be heard. Upon closer inspection, it is no rollercoaster, just bridge built to look like one. But, why? Let’s take a trip back in time, all the…

Myself looking at a sea otter through a massive floor to ceiling window.

A Visit to the Aquarium

February 19, 2019, 2 Comments

Over the weekend a group of my friends and I went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. I honestly hadn’t been to an aquarium in ages, so it was a fun diversion for the weekend. I fully intended to really go nuts shooting photos here of the cute seals, brightly colored fish, and other fun…

Me sitting at one of the gorgeous turquoise and white booths.

Grand Re-Opening of George’s 50s Diner in Long Beach

June 25, 2018, 1 Comment

On December 16, 2016, one of Long Beach’s historic landmarks was in trouble. A fire tore through George’s 50s Diner, leaving the interior of this Googie masterpiece completely gutted. Miraculously the exterior was virtually untouched. But it was still a long road to rebuild, and a year and a half later, this icon is open…

Greetings from Los Angeles

July 9, 2015, 4 Comments

I seem to have caught a slight summer cold, and have been trying to rest up as much as possible lately, especially since Cast Member canoe races have officially kicked off, and I’m overjoyed to be a part of this tradition at the Disneyland Resort. With all of that being said, I sadly haven’t been…

Case Study House #25

January 27, 2015, 11 Comments

When Janey and I moved to California we already had a list of places we wanted to visit, and then I remembered that the majority of the famous Cast Study houses were in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. I first heard about the Case Study House program while taking an architecture course in college,…