The Stunning Art Deco Theatre Hidden Inside Catalina’s Casino

June 5, 2019, 6 Comments

Our main reason for visiting Catalina was to attend Catalinaland, a presentation by Ambassador of Americana, and personal idol, Charles Phoenix. Phoenix was presenting his slideshow celebrating the island in the iconic Avalon Theatre, which is located within the Catalina Casino. When chewing gum king, William Wrigley Jr. opened his “Casino” on May 29, 1929,…

Exterior of the Catalina Island Museum, a small, cream stucco colored building.

Catalina Island: A Tale of Chewing Gum, Grave Robbing, and Movie Stars

June 3, 2019, 4 Comments

On Sunday, Patrick and I finally made it over to the little island of Catalina. If you aren’t familiar with California geography, Catalina is a small island, roughly 30 miles off the coast of Long Beach, accesible by ferry from a handful of ports on the mainland. At just under 75 square miles, about 4,000…

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…

Myself, standing next to a floral arrangement in Ghost Town, wearing a large straw hat and white dress with a yellow and purple floral and straw hat print.

Boysenberry Festival Returns!

April 4, 2019, 2 Comments

Last week kicked off Knott’s Berry Farm‘s Boysenberry Festival! And Sunday Patrick and I were there to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes! This year, the festival lasts four weeks, up from three last year, giving locals and tourists alike more time to visit and eat to their heart’s content! In case you didn’t know,…

The outside of the Beauty Bubble, a cream building with orange sherbet trim, a large half circle painted turquoise reads "The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum" with small bubble like circles rising from it. A cartoon of a woman is painted next to it, who does her hair with hair spray while looking in a mirror. Outside sit a blue and a pink chair, and on the left a sauna hair dryer.

Step into the Beauty Bubble, Joshua Tree’s Kitschiest Salon & Museum

March 20, 2019, 1 Comment

Just past the turn to head into Joshua Tree National Park is another national treasure, the candy colored The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum. Step inside and you’ll instantly want to do something wild and crazy with your hair. Because, how can you not with a plethora of vintage hair goodies across every surface, and…

Exterior of Pappy & Harriets, a stucco and wood rustic western building with large agave plants growing on the edge. A large sign rising above the front door reading "Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace"

Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace

March 18, 2019, 1 Comment

I’ve mentioned visiting Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on the blog before, but never sat down and gave this place the post it so rightly deserves. As mentioned previously, Pioneertown was a live-in western shooting location that thrived in the late 40s and into the 50s when the cowboy was king. But then the western…

A brown sign with yellow letters reads "Moorten Botanical Garden"

Exploring the Desert Wonderland of Moorten Botanical Garden

March 11, 2019, 2 Comments

The annual visit to Palm Springs, which is for Pat’s work, typically means I fill the days on my own – shopping, visiting museums, etc. This year Charles Phoenix recommended I visit Moorten Botanical Garden. And when Charles Phoenix tells you to go somewhere, you go! Home to over 3000 plant varieties, Moorten Botanical Garden…

Atomic Redhead’s Knott’s Scary Farm Survival Guide

September 28, 2018, 3 Comments

UPDATE: This post has been updated with 2019 Knott’s Scary Farm information. Every fall a heavy fog creeps into Knott’s Berry Farm, transforming it into Knott’s Scary Farm. In a way, Knott’s Scary Farm is an entirely different version of Knott’s Berry Farm, as it offers so much more, and therefore is worthy of its own…

Inside the Redondo Fun Factory - wearing a vintage red shirt reading "Have a Coke and a smile" and wide leg blue jeans. In the background a variety of 80s arcade games, behind them a ton of vintage signs.

A Revisit to the Enigmatic Fun Factory

August 24, 2018, 5 Comments

Lost Places Update: The Redondo Beach Fun Factory been recategorized as a Lost Place. In October of 2019 the Fun Factory closed. * * * Last year we visited the Redondo Fun Factory located on the Redondo Beach Pier after hearing news it would be closing. Over a year later the bizarre Fun Factory, with its…

The building - two tall golden arches flank a slanted flat roof, and red and white tile wrap around the bottom. Walls of glass allow guests to walk up to the window and place their orders. The Speedee sign to the left.

The World’s Oldest McDonald’s

August 22, 2018, 7 Comments

Right here in Southern California, in the LA suburb of Downey (a place my father lived during part of his childhood), is the world’s oldest operating McDonald’s. It’s a unique claim to fame, and one some may pay no attention to, but, like it or not, fast food is an invention of America, and thus,…