Olvera Street, where Los Angeles officially started, was originally called Vine Street because a bunch of Italian winery folk had shops there. Antonio Pelanconi came later and took over Pelanconi House, the building that eventually came to house La Golondrina. I’ve been in some of the spaces not open to the public, and it’s pretty obvious from how they’re constructed that the building has been around a long time- well before current building codes, that’s for sure. Here’s an article about Italians at the Pueblo that became Los Angeles.
The Original Pantry has been open for 97 years. It is Los Angeles Historic/Cultural Monument Number 255. As you might expect, it’s also been used as a film & TV location.
Here it is in Knocked Up. Warning: this scene has one of those swear word things.
I don’t know why I got confused about which version of Psycho filmed at that lot. Hitchcock filmed the original when he was at Universal, which is less than a mile up the street. A couple of years ago the current dealer held a screening right before Halloween.
Look how close it is to Universal!
That sheepskin seat cover place really was a bit of a miracle. I have no idea what arcane magic they used to keep it open so long.
I can’t believe that I talked about different artists who drew Batman but didn’t mention Neal Adams, the comic artist legend who now runs a comic shop within a couple of miles of the statue.
He draws a cool Batman, that’s for sure.
I haven’t been to his shop yet, but that’s only because COVID is keeping me out of all non-essential stores. Get your shots, people!
Also shot at Johnie’s: the “I can get you a toe” scene from Big Lebowski.
The May Company Building (which, in spite of my failing brain’s insistence otherwise, never had anything to do with Bullocks) is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument number 566. It’s been used as an exhibition space for LACMA, but hasn’t yet opened as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum. They’re still hoping to open in December. I hope so, too. Get your shots, people!
I didn’t realize until I wrote the title of this post how silly it is to pair a history lesson with a guy from the band that sang “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.”
If you’d like to see more about the Battle of Providencia, this guy has created a 20 minute video (with actors and sets and stuff!):
I can actually identify a couple of these guys now. I couldn’t do that six hours ago.
Hollywood Forever really is an amazing place to explore. Tons of old school famous people are buried there. There are amazing headstones and memorials, but there are also simple markers made with pipes. Not fancy pipes; regular plumbing pipes. I’ve taken a few pictures there over the years. Here’s a set of them.
Today I saw a marker for someone I hadn’t noticed before: Holly Woodlawn.
First, let me clear something up: For the most part I wasn’t an awful person in high school; I was mostly just an awful student.
Second: These are stories as I remember them, not deep dive researched facts. I reserve the right to get things wrong, to leave things out, and to contradict myself. I contain multitudes.
I wasn’t supposed to go to El Camino Real High School; I lived in Canoga Park, and my house was in the borders for Canoga High. But I wanted to go to ECR because they had a better drama department, and I wanted to be an actor (with about the same level of realistic planning as a five year old has when they want to be an astronaut who fights fires, and is also a video game champion).
The problem: LAUSD requires you to have a reason to transfer, and in the days before charter schools “I MUST SHARE MY GIFT OF ACTING WITH THE WORLD” wasn’t a good enough reason. So my folks and I found another way: a gifted transfer. I used a dubious gifted test from elementary school as an excuse to get back into the gifted program, and that was only offered locally at ECR. After a year of skating through the gifted program I returned to regular classes, where I thrived (or just continued skating at the new, easier level).
The “become an actor” plan didn’t pan out, but I did meet Katherine at ECR, and that was better. If you’d like to know how that story goes, you can read my ancient short stories I wrote for an English class when I finally decided to properly go to college instead of skipping classes and hiding in bookstores. That’s right, even my wild college escapades were boring.
People. PEOPLE. Thanks to the donations you’ve given, at this point I’ve had three dollars donated for every mile I traveled! THAT IS OUTSTANDING. Thank you! It would be AMAZING if that trend continued. Share and make it happen, because YOU ARE AWESOME.
Next, The Hopefully Interesting Ramble
It’s probably hard to tell, but I sometimes do a bit of research before I go out on a ride so I can have some ideas for things to talk about; that’s how I knew about the Tataviam Tribe and Charles Maclay. It started with a 1923 map of the San Fernando Valley from the Library of Congress.
Why, this very map in fact!
Lots of changes in the last 100 years. One of them is that green box around streets in the Northeast corner of The Valley.
Why, this very box in fact!
The largest thin in the bost is the name Maclay. It’s the street name, but it’s larger than the other streets in the area, so I searched for it and found this article:
That’s a little heavier than I usually like to go in these videos, but I’m always interested in finding out the history of The Valley. So in it went.
The Oviatt Library was different. I already knew about the filming at CSUN, and I knew where I could find those clips, so I didn’t look it up ahead of time. When I got home I realized I’d been going to that library for over 30 years and I had no idea who it was named after, and thought I might find a History Fun Fact or two that I could throw into the edit.
Mom didn’t just teach 36.6 miles away for twenty years. For most of that time, she taught first grade. I’ve taught first grade; it’s hard. Kids aren’t used to longer school days, and the sheer number of different subject (and amount of information students are supposed to learn in each of them) is overwhelming. Add to that teaching kids for whom English is often a second language and the pressure skyrockets. I don’t think I could have done it. Go mom! You rock.
A nearly-current picture of Mom and me.
The Thanks and The Asking (slight return)
This is probably my last TogetheRide post of 2020. It has been thrilling and inspiring to see people give so much during this wacky, difficult year. Let’s all have a 2021 with more of the inspiration and less of the difficulty. A year that lets us actually see each other’s faces! And enter the “Tell Me Where To Go” contest!
The title of this post makes more sense after you watch.
Wicker, Wicker, Wicker…
You might have watched that and thought “How the heck did he find four wicker pop culture references?” Well, I’ve got news for you: I barely scratched the surface of the world of wicker. Vox did a whole video on the pop history of a wicker chair.
Yes, their video is better than mine. They have a lot more money. (also more talent)
Donut King II is not the most famous giant donut on a building in Los Angeles (that would be Randy’s by LAX) but it’s a very similar giant donut on a building. A very different option for giant donut is the donut hole, where you actually drive through the donut. Read some donut words here!
Too much monkey business
If you’ve never seen “Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp,” you are about to experience…something. The pitch meeting must have been amazing. “Okay, here’s the idea: You know how people loved that talking horse show? That was just one animal! What if we did a show where everyone is a talking monkey? And the main character has a Humphrey Bogart voice? And there’s a monkey band- not The Monkees, but actual monkeys? This thing is gonna be HUGE!“
I have no idea why the person who posted this added the Get Smart theme to the beginning when the actual theme for the show SLAPS.
Four and a half years ago, I rode my first century ride from Toluca Lake to Santa Barbara. I was so worried about making it over the hill into Simi Valley that I took a different route with longer, less steep hills. I finally went over the pass last week- and discovered it’s now not a big deal.
I took Box Canyon back. Winding road, lots of blind corners, and only one lane in each direction with almost zero shoulder. A little spooky.
Bike Tag
The BikeLA subreddit plays bike tag. One person rides somewhere and takes a picture. When the next person finds it they take a new picture somewhere else.
I found this Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Mural:
My bike fell over while I was taking this.
…and I submitted this Nipsey Hussle mural:
La Crescenta & Tujunga
Windy Day
It was supposed to be a lazy ride, but wind means work.
San Fernando Valley Half Century
I had originally planned to ride through Simi again, but I forgot my pump and if my bike breaks down it’s a lot easier to get help and a ride home from the San Fernando Valley.
Look, a map to help you pick! Remember, it has to be bike accessible. I will not be riding into the ocean.
TogetheRide is a community-wide cycling challenge that is raising $5,000,000 in critical funds to support the work of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation and create awareness about the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic. More information is here.
I’ll put all of the entries in a list and let the computer pick one at random. I had two thoughts about when to end this. I think it’s going to have to be the end of February (yes, months away). I don’t want it to end in the middle of winter when I can’t predict if I’ll be able to ride. So,let’s say all entries due by February 28th.
I spent way too long making this fancy image that only shows up for a few seconds:
And If you’re not an ancient person who remembers the reference, here’s what the real books looked like:
