History The History Of Los Angeles

Hello,
In 67-68 there was an abundance of so called "head shops" in Los Angeles. It just seemed like the center of the "summer of love" scene. This one little shop near Pico and Western had these cool candles that flickered. They were a mini light show in a darkened room. Since we used to sit around and listen to rock music a lot, these candles made the room very "atmospheric." If you moved your camera in a certain way, this was the result of the flickering candle. Good times and fun things make it more... no other shops in our area had these candles, so we stocked up for the summer...
Thanks,
Jnaki

 

Groovy, man.

 

1955

 

Hello,
In the late 60's and early 70's car shows were very popular in the LA area. The Long Beach arena, the LA Sports Arena, the old Great Western Hall, etc. these along with the Early Times and LA Roadster club picnic/car shows at the local municipal parks were the hot locales. I took this shot at the LA Sports Arena. At the time, custom cars, race cars and motorcycles were popular, but the big thing starting were the dune buggies and VW customs. It just seemed like everyone and his mother drove a VW with the Baja style set up or a lowered flashy painted VW Bug. Some were very creative, but in my eye, the hot rods still held my attention.
Thanks,
Jnaki

 

Another shot at the LA Sports Arena

 

Hello,

These events in the late 60’s and early 70’s were well attended, even though the photos make it look rather sparse. I was able to get up to the balcony for a clear shot using my press pass. That got me into show as well. I believe these photos were of the Thursday “set up day” or early Friday morning before the general public was admitted. These events usually ran Fri to Sun. I was trying to get enough nice photos to present a story and photos to one of the local car mags, but that is/was a tough sell. Usually, each magazine sent a staff member to the shows for coverage. But, there were enough cars/bikes for everyone to select a different angle on car show coverage. Did I get the story for the mag? Not this time… But the cars were still pretty cool, even the private and shop VWs.

Thanks,

Jnaki

The “T” roadster gave me inspiration for water flames on my little r/c cars many years later.

 

Hello,

One of the coolest drives in So Cal is one that goes up into the Angeles National Forest to end up at Mt. Wilson Observatory. All roads lead to La Canada/Flintridge as a starting point. The 210 freeway crosses the Angeles Crest Highway. Take this route (2) up to the end at Mt. Wilson in about 1.5 hours. It is not the time it takes, but what you see on the way up and once you get there. We did this drive a couple of times, once in our 65 El Camino and once in a 4 speed car years later. Get ready to enjoy up and down shifting a million times for a very cool drive up a forested road to the top. If you are in a car with good sounds emanating from the exhaust pipes/motor, you are in for a great show/drive. But it is worth it, except for rainy weather. That could be a little tricky. We went up in December (one time) and there was snow on the sides of the road, but the road itself was clear and moist. It was a little slow going and cold, but worth the drive.

Coming down is a little hectic, like all mountain drives, but with care, you will be safe. What you see is what you get…and it is a good one.

Jnaki

from the top, but it cleared up in an hour or so…

 

Cool stuff Jnaki, keep 'em coming!

 

Hello,
56 years ago, this skinny teenager from Long Beach got his first taste of the LA County Fair. I found out that it was a tradition at our high school to ditch school on the first week to go to this annual event. How did we not get in trouble with the school authorities? Well, our parents wrote notes with some excuse, which was ok with the authorities.

Parents: Where are you going?
To the LA County Fair at Pomona.
Parents: Who is going?
All of my friends from school.
Parents: It is a school day, won’t they/you get in trouble with the school? Their parents are writing “excuse my son/daughter” notes for missing school.
Parents: Why are you going?
Mom, it is a tradition for the teenagers at my school. It happens every year during the first week of school in September. It is a school field trip.
(with the gullibility scenario over, it was time to head out with our friends, fast.)

With a note in hand, we jumped into our cars and headed to Pomona for an all-day extravaganza. The fair was not as polished and commercialized as they are today, but it was still fun to roam around, ride the carnival rides, and see all of the stuff with our friends. A free day out of school that was ok with our parents, what more could a teenager want? A normal foot long hot dog, fries, and coke for lunch instead of bacon infused, gourmet, egg roll sandwiches with taco sauce and chocolate chips on top…ha!

SEPT. IS COMING UP and so is the LA County Fair.

(this was the only fair around, compared to all of the “fair” events that have popped up all over the So Cal area in the past 50 years.)

Jnaki

 

G


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"He Walked By Night", a Los Angeles film noir murder mystery movie. Some good LA scenery shots, some old cars and Jack Webb in a supporting role.

 

Hello,

Custom car/hot rod painters have been creative for the last zillion years. I am envious of the skills it takes to complete such great paint schemes on cars. These take the idea to the extremes…(flames, scallops, shading, fades, multi-color outlining, etc.) It’s showtime in So Cal. The flames and multi scallops were very popular for dual purpose cars, street and show. It certainly would be an eye catcher to drive around in that black 55 Nomad on the street.

Jnaki

 

Hello,

When we always traveled north to the South Bay LA to surf in our 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, our favorite stop was Haggerty’s Cove in Palos Verdes. It is the first big point that everyone sees from any part of the coast line and the highway. The surf break for us was always good to excellent. We knew the swell direction and would only go to the South Bay when the direction was perfect for the area.

Our 40 Sedan Delivery was for us, the ultimate surf wagon as it provided security and privacy with the panel van sides. We never put boards on top because the only ledge for the racks was at the front doors. The best way for us was to take out the rubber window edging, remove the rear window and slide the boards in over a towel being used as a protected edge. Remember, these boards were at least 10 feet long and thick. Not like today’s lightweight surfboards. If it were today, the short, lightweight boards would all fit inside of the Sedan Delivery.

But, as simple as the boards would go inside the rear window, the opening was just big enough for a small person to slide in and open the rear or side doors to gain entry into the vehicle. That created problems here. Back in Huntington Beach or Seal Beach, it wasn’t necessary to secure the delivery by putting the rear window back in place each time we went out surfing. For some reason, the PV locals were a little touchy when traveling surfers came to their surf spots.

So, caution had to be taken when we were ready to leave the car to walk down that long trail to the surf break. We had to make sure that no one was watching how we put the rear window back in place. But, by the time we were way down on the lower beach trail, we usually got pelted with rocks and gravel from up above… surfers…what a bunch of hooligans…
our security look out was pretty good as we never had a break in during those times.

Jnaki
Once in northern San Diego county, we forgot to put the window back in place (it was 4am and dark) and when we got back to the 40 delivery for a lunch break, all of our clothes, lunches, extra drinks and money was taken out of the back area. The only thing the thieves did not take was the one gallon (labeled) recycled oil sitting behind the driver’s seat. That had no value for those sneaky thieves. Boo on you...pox

 

OR...do the same drive on a modern Sport Bike, in about 15/20 minutes..!
A fun drive on two wheels too.

Mike

 

PV local surf gang Lunada Bay Boys had a small fort that they built into the side of a bluff..these guys would terrorize any non local that came to surf that cove. It was just removed after someone was beat up pretty bad...surfers are supposed to be layed back for the most part...but some are thugs unfortunately.

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It's like any group of people, most will be cool but some will be a-holes, those are the ones who want to get noticed. I lived in SoCal for a long time and knew a lot of surfers, the ones who were really territorial were just using the whole turf thing as a way to indulge in selfish macho BS. If they get their legs bitten off by a shark they will start racing RC cars from their wheelchair and give anyone who walks into their local track a hard time. As my friends were teaching me to surf they were really clear about where I could and could not practice (for my protection). I got tired of the drama so I would just take my bike up Angeles Crest instead...

 

Hello,
After a hard day’s work and getting stuck in traffic in So Cal, it is nice to be able to unwind.
Yes, So Cal has great weather, average almost 300 days of sunshine per year, but, it does have traffic, too. The local freeways used to be “free-ways.” In 1957, when my dad used to take us to Pasadena to our friend’s house on New Year’s Day, there were a few cars on the freeway back then, even on a busy holiday. The exits on the Pasadena freeway were very sharp and were made for slow driving. It was always difficult to make the off ramps at any speed. But, as the years rolled on and more development happened, it was obvious that cars started clogging up the freeways.

In 1960 So Cal, it was ok to drive on the freeways until 500pm when most of the jobs let out. Then, when people realized the crowds on the freeway from 500 until 7 or 8, businesses began to alter the times to let their workers out earlier. So, some people still had a 500pm ending time, whereas others began getting let out at 400pm. Then it was 300pm. Today, the some freeways are crowded beginning at 300pm.

The farther south you drove on the 5 freeway, there were less and less cars. Our surf trips in our 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery from Long Beach to San Clemente and San Diego we took the 5 freeway that narrowed down to two lanes in each direction. South from San Clemente to San Diego we took the coastal route Highway 1. Most of the time we took the coastal route, but when we wanted to get home faster than the trip down, we went back through Orange County on the freeway through Los Angeles County and Long Beach. The freeway was relatively empty.
But to unwind after a hard days driving, it can’t get better than So Cal all year around. For us, driving is fun and our cars make it fun…but to live and relax in mild climates and locales is hard to beat.
There must be something in the water...
Jnaki

 

Hello,

The Yamashiro restaurant just above the Hollywood/Highland center on Hollywood Blvd is a remarkable place. It is only at a 600 ft elevation, but from any part of the restaurant, the LA/Hollywood view is outstanding. While dining, it seems like you are on top of the world…the view is almost 180 degrees plus and the lights make it a dreamlike world.

In 1967, our first date was to have a nice dinner and go to a movie in Hollywood. It was supposed to be an impressive venture and outstanding food. We ogled the view and ate a fabulous dinner. Much later, when it was time to leave, we had to scrape every last penny, nickel, dime, quarter we had from our purse and wallet to leave a 20% tip. I am sure that pile surprised the wait staff and tip jar. Even though this was an unusual start of a relationship, it has lasted quite long, even to today.
The grounds are just a wonderful place to walk around and spent the rest of the day or a long evening. It was impressive to say the least. Yes, we have gone back a couple of times and were well prepared for the 20% tip.

As we were categorizing our family movie files recently, we came across this movie clip that my dad had taken in 1957. He and my mom had taken a visitor from a big corporation to dinner and do touristy stuff.
Today, this place is owned by the same company that owns the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. (wedding receptions, dining, and the fabulous grounds make it a place for just about everything.) It is just up the street from the famous Hollywood Highland center with the Dolby/Kodak Theater, home to the Academy Awards…very “touristy.”

Jnaki

 

Hello,

The Lunada Bay boys did not seem to be around back in 1960-62. They either were not born or their fathers left us alone. Two big, Hawaiian look/type, surfers need space when hanging around or out in the water. My brother and I looked the part and we weren’t mean or anything, but the “look” worked for us. We liked the next cove (Paddleboard Cove or PV Cove) closer to Marineland better because of the long walk to the surf and the seclusion from prying eyes. This was the usual look, barren and very cool. Only a few guys out.
. (photo by Leroy Grannis) Our 40 Ford Delivery and then the VW vans were always left unscathed. This was a typical weekend when the word was out that the waves came in the night/day before:
But, what kept this place fairly empty was the long walk and seclusion. The downhill walk was very cool, but after a hard day of surfing, the long walk uphill was just a killer. Sitting in the crystal, blue water with tons of kelp below, riding these waves…what more could you want?

The only other place that had similar characteristics was in the southern part of Orange County, back during this same time period. Salt Creek, today, is a very popular spot, with all of the amenities and surrounding beachfront homes.
But, back in 58-through the late 70’s, it was secluded and barren, just great waves. The Ritz did not come in until 1984 or so and the same for the surrounding homes. The beach was empty with great waves rolling in, unridden.
(photo by Art Brewer 1971) It was hard to see from the Coast Highway 1 unless you knew where to park for the view.

Gone are those days…but, did I forget to mention about the secret beachfront parking at Salt Creek?

Jnaki

 

Back in the early/mid 60's, we used to do the long trek down to Bluff Cove and take the Waikiki waves.
I wasn't sure why the called them Waikiki waves until many, many years later I surfed Waikiki!

Like was mentioned........the walk down with my heavy 9' 1" long board not so bad.....after surfing most of the morning and no food to replaced lost energy, that walk back up was "killer" but when you're 16-17 yo........you got over it pretty quick!

 

One of the most memorable surfing times in the 60's was at the Seal Beach power house at midnight.
A light at the end of the jetty was enough to see, as the break was pretty lame, however the reforms
further in was the real experience as the water temp was probably in the 80's and was like surfing in a bathtub. The wax wouldn't stay on , but it didn't really matter.

 

Surfed the Jetty a ton...sting rays...sea turtles....leopard sharks you name it and I probably stepped on it once or twice!

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"Surfed the Jetty a ton...sting rays...sea turtles....leopard sharks you name it and I probably stepped on it once or twice! "

Very Cool....I couldn't see much marine fauna at midnight, but remember having our breakfast bag sitting on the jetty and picking it up to find that rats had eaten everything out the bottom. We drove back to Santa Monica tired and hungry.

 

Hey YD and LBCD,
That sounds like what we used to do for fun. We also used to park on the Alamitos Bay side parking lot and paddle across the channel. It was exciting, dodging sailboats and powerboats going in and out of the harbor. Once on a huge south swell, we tried to surf the inside of this same channel, off of the Seal Beach side. We could get in the swell, but the ride was not good. So, we went on the Seal Beach, Ray Bay side and the rides were so fast, it was superb. I am sure you guys know why it is called "Ray Bay." (and the lore of the cure for the pain...)
Jnaki

 

Hello,

Malibu brings memories of ritzy movie stars, fancy cars, and all of the other things associated with the California movie lifestyle that everyone sees when they hear of So Cal. But, to us young surfers with hot rods and VW vans, the drive to Malibu was not to see movie stars or cars, but to ride some of the most pristine waves of the world famous, Surfrider Beach at Malibu Point.
surfer mag photo
It was a long drive from Long Beach to Malibu along the PCH Coastal Highway 1, so we made sure that the swell was running for this angle of beach. In our Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach area, if the southern swell was coming from Mexico, Malibu (one day later) would get the same outstanding “hurricane,” south swell for some great waves there.

So, we packed up the 40 Ford Delivery with its (at least) 100 hp
and a 40 hp, VW vans for the almost 2 hour drive up the coast. We did not stop at the South Bay portion of Los Angeles as the swell would go right by those beaches. But, it would hit Malibu perfectly as that beach faces South. On one of our early sojourns to Malibu, we left around 2 a.m. We parked right in front of the beach in the dark and walked up to the point. We could not see the waves, but could hear them rolling from the point all the way to the pier. When we paddled out later in the light fog, it was eerie. When we got out there expecting no one out until actual daylight, a voice came out of the fog… and our local whistle…(phew, pheeew)
It was one of our friends from Huntington Beach, down south, that drove from midnight and made it up here by 2 am. He slept in his car and then paddled out at 4 am. Was the swell running? Boy, was it ever! There were only three of us out because everyone else was sleeping in the line up of cars on Coast Highway 1. But, by the time the sun popped up and the fog started clearing up, there were many more surfers getting out of their surf cars and wagons to ride these pristine waves from the south. surfer mag photo
The waves were some of the best we have ever ridden. The outside point was breaking and on some of the largest waves, we made it all the way near the Malibu Pier. The hardest thing was to paddle back out or the other choice was to walk back up the beach with the 45 lbs. boards…But, at any rate, our journeys up the coast in our 40 Ford Delivery and 60’s VW vans were the highlight of the summer months.

Yes, those boards weighed 45 lbs. But, they rode quite well, did well in hard cutbacks and were very stable in larger waves. Nowadays, some boards weight 6 lbs. The newer boards do not last as long as the 60’s boards. There is less fiberglass, the foam is super light, and the fins are pop out and not glassed in place.

Our 60’s boards had wooden and balsa stringers for strength and art. They also had two layers of 20 oz fiberglass on the top and bottom. (that made for bulletproof overlapping rails and future dings.) Today’s 5 oz fiberglass boards can get dings by flicking your finger in a snapping motion. 3 of the old 60’s thick heavy boards fit into the rear window of the 40 Ford Delivery backdoor. A tight squeeze, but they fit. Surfing…USA


Jnaki

 

This probably isn't worthy of the title "The History of Los Angeles" since it's more in the category of "Stupid kid stuff" but here goes: This is a current shot of the L.A. River, between Ave. 60 and Via Marisol in Highland Park. Doesn't look much different now than it did in 1957 and 1958 when, looking for adventure, a group of us rowdy teenagers would grab our flashlights, and head into the storm drain system here. We would occasionally pop up into one of the curbside drain openings to see where we were. We knew the route over to York Blvd. by memory. There were changes of elevation in there, and usually a trickle of water, and if you didn't mind getting your backside wet, you could slide down the mossy concrete - yelling like crazy. In the miles of tunnels we covered, we never ran into anyone else sharing this adventure. I was wondering if anyone else on here ever did this.

Great times in L.A. back in the day.

 

Hey Waldo,
We were at the other end of the LA River near the ocean. We would climb down the bank to the white sand and dirt (thanks to everybody upstream) and start our walk down to the mouth near the LA/LB Harbor. As we got closer to the mouth, the river got a little wider and we had a heck of a climb back up the side to the trail on top. This was done many times on our way to the Pike in the downtown area of LB.
There were many days during the dry season (summer) that we would take our Army surplus shovels and canteens down there to create foxholes and forts. (in the winter time, the water level was a raging, Colorado River style place... no one was dumb enough to play down there) BB guns and pellet rifles did not make any noise and besides, who paid attention to a couple of kids down in the dry area of the river? Great times to be a kid doing stuff outdoors in those days...
Jnaki (lower LA river area: PCH overpass)

 

THE RAINBOW PIER LONG BEACH LB city archives
The red arrow shows where we used to live, off of Caspian and PCH. The yellow arrow shows where Joe Mallard, Clay Smith, Mickey Thompson and others had their small shops, about four blocks from our house.
Hello,

Back when we had access to cars, one of the coolest places to drive was the old Rainbow Pier in Long Beach along the shoreline. It was built in 1931, but by the time we were able to drive, it lasted until 1966 when a massive rebuilding and development project started. Now, today, there is the sports arena/convention center, the Shoreline Marina/Village, and the latest, Aquarium of the Pacific. The whole area redeveloped the old Pike area and created a new road (used by the LB Grand Prix) with a ton of shops and restaurants.
LB city archives
Gone is this cool circular pier. The circular pier encompassed the old LB Municipal Auditorium that had its last high school graduation ceremony and grad night dance in our class of 1962. Future classes started the ceremonies in the new sports arena next door. The views from the upper floor of the old auditorium were pretty nice at night with the shoreline lights and the circular pier.

The drives around the pier back in the day were wonderful as the ocean without the oil islands had the great views. At night, the ocean was pitch, black, but the lights all along the circular pier made it a great place to impress a date. Walking along the pier at night was eerie, so that was not done regularly. The annual fireworks show on the 4th used to go off the end of circle. Boy, was it loud on the beach.
By 1961, even though the long breakwater (1941-49) was out there, waves used to sneak in and break quite well. In his younger years, (prior to 40) my father used to go to the west side of the circular pier (with his friends from San Pedro) during the big swells and bodysurf those crushers. In 1961-62 we board surfed the big south swells that came in through the openings of the breakwater and broke well on the eastern side of the pier. Parking was nearby, while our friends stood on the pier and cheered us riding those crushers. By “crushers,” we mean not those long, well-shaped waves like Malibu, but the kind that everyone sees along the Bolsa Chica State Beach bruisers. Some waves offered great rides, but others just crushed the rider. LB city archives
Ahhh memories of the good old days at “The Beach.”

Jnaki

Currently, there is a movement to tear down some of the long breakwater to get the beach revitalized with wave action and make the waters clean again. Cruising along the Long Beach city shoreline starts at the Queen Mary. It is located at the end of the ever polluted Los Angeles River that pours out stuff regularly into the Long Beach bay and beaches. The route ends at the southern harbor at the Orange County borderline in Seal Beach.

 

Jnaki, those are some great pics of Long Beach! I wasn't around in those days to see rainbow pier in its heyday but spent alot of time as a kid on that beach. 2 years ago the south swell hit long beach pretty good and we got a rare couple of days of good surf 10'+ as the swell just came in over the break water.

This is only pic still on my phone I guess I deleted the others...this was a small one from that day...the tide came way up on the sand....I wouldnt go in as the rip currents were crazy. Fun to watch though...

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