Visiting Merle Haggard’s Home and More at Kern County Museum

May 17, 2021, 4 Comments

Being vaccinated means I feel a bit more comfortable going out and doing some things, and I’ve been itching to get on the road for a little day trip. I recently heard that Bakersfield had a wealth of great neon signs, which are a favorite subject of mine, including an entire courtyard display dedicated to…

Cover of Spectacular Illumination, which features a black and white photograph of a streamline modern drive-in restaurant. Overlay text on the photo reads "Just Finished..."

Book Review: Spectacular Illumination

May 6, 2020, 3 Comments

In addition to sewing, I’ve been spending a good deal of time outside reading, and recently I finished Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles 1925-1965. I’ve always been a fan of neon, and if you’ve been reading the blog for any length of time, then you know that! When I saw this book for sale the…

Myself, standing in front of the neon mural, wearing a dark blue velvet wide brim hat with a mustard band, and a light brown suede jacket with cream fur trim, a white peasant top underneath, and dark jeans.

Inside Los Angeles’ Historic Grand Central Market

March 12, 2020, 4 Comments

In the heart of downtown Los Angeles stands a rather unassuming building, but on its first floor is a unique icon of the city, Grand Central Market. Under various buzzing neon signs, each advertising a different vendor, crowds of people make their way through what is now a first class food hall offering unique dishes…

The Moulin Rouge on a postcard from the period. A low roof building features towering script that reads "Moulin Rouge." A tall tower on the left also reads "Moulin Rouge" in neon, and also features a massive neon version fo the Eiffel Tower. Script across reads "Greetings from the Moulin Rouge"

The Fleeting Life of America’s First Integrated Casino, the Moulin Rouge

February 4, 2020, 4 Comments

“In Vegas for 20 minutes, our skin had no color. Then the second we stepped off stage, we were colored again. The other acts could gamble or sit in the lounge and have a drink, but we had to leave through the kitchen with the garbage.” That is how Sammy Davis Jr. described performing in…

Bob's, a large, long flat roof building, with a jutting pointed sign reading "Bob's Big Boy Broiler"

The Bob’s Big Boy that Almost Never Was

January 8, 2020, 3 Comments

As I’ve said before, and as many of you know, I love visiting places that let you feel like you’ve stepped back in time, and one of those places is Bob’s Big Boy Broiler in Downey. But this place wasn’t always a Bob’s Big Boy, and it almost never was… It is no secret that…

Faded blue neon sign for the Frontier Motel and Restaurant. A mural painted on the side of the building features a chef and the word "Cafe"

Fading Icons of Arizona’s Route 66

September 27, 2019, 9 Comments

As mentioned in earlier Arizona posts, most of our journey took us along the Mother Road, Route 66. The legendary stretch of blacktop is dotted with a combination of still functioning tourist attractions and long forgotten buildings, all begging to be photographed. So, in my concluding Arizona post, I share with you a sampling of…

The roadside sign for "El Trovatore" a brick structure stands on a hill above the motel, with a red and white sign jutting from the brick reading "El Trovatore Motel" An old rusted car sits out front.

The Star-Studded El Trovatore Motel

September 10, 2019, 1 Comment

Patrick and I just returned from a mini road trip to Arizona, and boy are y’all in for a slew of posts! But let’s start off with the first place we stopped for the night, the El Trovatore. El Trovatore is not only right along Route 66, but it is perched right on the edge…

The marquee for the Orpheum theatre, which reads "Orpheum" in yellow neon script, and lines of pink and green neon above.

Electric Paradise – The Los Angeles Neon Cruise

July 24, 2019, 1 Comment

The Museum of Neon Art feels like a museum that was made for me. Not only does it restore, house, and exhibit some of the finest works of neon signage, it also offers the Neon Cruise, an incredibly unique tour of Los Angeles showcasing some of the city’s most fantastic neon signs. As sun set,…

Chris and Pitt's resides in a building painted to resemble a log cabin, and features signs along its top reading "Sandwiches, Bar-B-Q" and a large red and black neon sign reading "Chris & Pitt's Bar-B-Q" Along the side in turquoise painted letters reads "Chris & Pitt's" I stand below the large sign in a pair of wide leg jeans, a t-shirt featuring a cowgirl pin-up who has been bucked off a horse, a blue and brown plaid jacket, and a cream cowboy hat.

Find Delicious BBQ Inside this Kitschy Faux Log Cabin of Chris & Pitt’s

January 9, 2019, 4 Comments

My dad has endless stories of growing up in Southern California in the 1950s and 60s. Many of the places in those stories are gone, but some still remain, Chris and Pitt’s Bar-B-Q is one of them. A staple of my dad’s childhood, it was even the location we chose to meet at after my grandmother’s funeral…

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,…

Atomic Redhead

vintage neon

Visiting Merle Haggard’s Home and More at Kern County Museum

Book Review: Spectacular Illumination

Inside Los Angeles’ Historic Grand Central Market

The Fleeting Life of America’s First Integrated Casino, the Moulin Rouge

The Bob’s Big Boy that Almost Never Was

Fading Icons of Arizona’s Route 66

The Star-Studded El Trovatore Motel

Electric Paradise – The Los Angeles Neon Cruise

Find Delicious BBQ Inside this Kitschy Faux Log Cabin of Chris & Pitt’s

The World’s Oldest McDonald’s