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…

Myself standing in front of the old west medicine wagon sits in the middle of the parking lot. It is red and reads "Gower Gulch Medicinal Ointment" and has an image of an Indian wearing a headdress, wearing a black peasant top, and a green skirt with western images on it.

The Forgotten History of Gower Gulch, Hollywood’s Western Strip Mall

May 1, 2019, 9 Comments

Gower Gulch. Sounds like a small town in the deserts of Arizona, right? But you’d be wrong. It’s in fact a western themed small strip mall that sits at the corner of Gower and Sunset in the middle of Hollywood. But why a western theme? And just how did this corner get its name? The…

A rounded front building faces the street, atop it a tall spire stretches toward a bright blue sky. Near the bottom red letters spell out "Crossroads of the World." Atop the spire a globe.

The Violent History of LA’s Iconic Crossroads of the World

April 18, 2019, 5 Comments

Sunset Boulevard is synonymous with Hollywood. It’s home to a plethora of iconic buildings and linked to many legendary people. One such building is Crossroads of the World, a bizarre little 1930s shopping center turned office complex that looks like something out of a Disney theme park, with a steamship style building “sailing” past storefronts…

The red neon sign outside which reads "El Coyote Mexican Food"

The Kitschy Mexican Restaurant Where Sharon Tate Had Her Last Meal

April 11, 2019, 3 Comments

On August 8, 1969, four people, including young actress Sharon Tate walked into El Coyote and sat down for what would unknowingly be their last meal, for just a few hours later they would be brutally murdered by members of the Manson Family. El Coyote first opened in 1931, on First and La Brea by…

Hollywood

September 25, 2013, 4 Comments

Yesterday Patrick and I roamed around Hollywood for awhile. Even without a car, we were able to make it to downtown LA via Metrolink, a commuter rail that connects much of southern California with Los Angeles’ Union Station. Once at Union Station, we were able to take the subway on into Hollywood for a bit…

The Black Dahlia: A Work of Surrealist Art?

August 8, 2012, 3 Comments

WARNING: The Black Dahlia murder was gruesome and disturbing. This entry goes into some detail about her murder. To prevent any unwanted unpleasantness, I have included a link to an image for those interested in viewing a photograph of the crime scene. I encourage a view, so to better understand the argument made in the…