Myself, wearing a black cowboy hat, black tee reading "Bounty Law" and jean shorts, leaning against a large sign reading "The Red Dog" in large red letters.

The Red Dog, the Saloon that Once Served Trigger right at the Bar

June 8, 2021, 1 Comment

When I first went to Pioneertown in 2014 with my dad, we wondered through a desolate western town where the only activity was dirt blowing across the street. Completely devoid of people, we peeked through the windows here and there, windows of legitimate businesses, though closed, and faux ones with pun based names such as…

Myself standing in front of a western style outhouse with cacti in front, wearing a Cerro Gordo tee and western style jeans.

Vicariously Exploring the Ghost Town of Cerro Gordo on YouTube

January 6, 2021, 3 Comments

Amid COVID-19 I’ve been watching a lot of TV. Like, a lot. In my New Year post I mentioned watching a lot of DC content, but something else Patrick and I have been watching for the last several months is on YouTube actually, Ghost Town Living. A couple years ago a listing for an entire…

Myself, standing on the porch of a blue painted wooden western building, decorated with poinsettias, wearing a red sweater and a red and green skirt with chickens printed at the bottom.

Knott’s Merry Farm is a Western Winter Wonderland

November 26, 2019, 2 Comments

Last week Knott’s Berry Farm received a dusting of snow transforming it into Knott’s Merry Farm. I love Christmas, and honestly, Knott’s is the warmest, coziest place to spend the holidays when it comes to theme parks. Intimate settings, multiple shows, shows plus a craft fair make you feel like you’ve come to a small…

Myself standing against an old west building wearing a long sleeve, white blouse with ruffles down the center, and a cranberry floral print skirt with lace trim.

Go West, Young Lady

September 3, 2019, 2 Comments

It’s hard to believe summer has come to a close, and with it, the end of my favorite summertime event, Ghost Town Alive, at Knott’s Berry Farm. Every Labor Day for the last four years we’ve spent it at Knott’s Berry Farm enjoying Ghost Town Alive, the unique, award-winning, interactive experience where you get to…

Myself standing against a worn wooden building, wearing a blue and green dress that features western images and faux adverts.

Ghost Town Alive Rides Again

May 30, 2019, Leave a Comment on Ghost Town Alive Rides Again

If you’ve been reading the blog at all for the last four years, then you’re well aware of the unique event that Knott’s Berry Farm offers each summer called Ghost Town Alive. If you’re new, well, I’ll explain… Ghost Town Alive is an eight hour interactive structured improv, where the entire area of Ghost Town…

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, 7 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 in front of the Pioneertown Motel sign, wearing a butter yellow leather jacket with dark brown fringe, a t-shirt featuring the cover of the Eagles' album "Hotel California," jeans, and a cream colored flat top cowboy hat.

Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

March 15, 2019, Leave a Comment on Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

After Patrick wrapped up his conference in Palm Springs, we headed to the high desert to spend a couple of nights at the Pioneertown Motel. Long time readers may be familiar with previous visits to Pioneertown, a real town originally built as a live-in backlot of sorts made exclusively for westerns back in 1946. But…

Myself standing in front of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, wearing a magenta dress with gold and silver ric-rac, a silver belt, and silver moccasins.

Valentine’s Month at Disneyland

January 25, 2019, 2 Comments

This year Disneyland introduced “Valentine’s Month” to the park with extra decor, special food items, and even a scavenger hunt to celebrate the holiday of love. I’ve always enjoyed a good scavenger hunt, so Patrick and I went over to the park for the day to experience it. For those familiar with Disneyland’s Easter Egg…

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…

Myself standing in front of the Palomino sign, wearing a blue jean jacket, white t-shirt reading "Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels" and a dark brown cowboy hat.

The One Night Revival of Hollywood’s Favorite Honky Tonk, the Palomino Club

October 10, 2018, 6 Comments

When people think of Hollywood, they think of searchlights rocking back and forth, glittering movie stars, and flash bulbs popping on a red carpet. But just on the other side of the Hollywood sign is North Hollywood, and the further out you go, it turns heavily industrial, and you begin to feel a long way…