i love sierra madre! i just cant afford a house there! i love how most are unmolested, original and beautiful!
I've got a couple of ladies in the two of 'em that are on a limited budget, so I never raise the rent, no point in hurting people who are having a tough time. Nice neighborhood, too. Across the street from the Ward Ranch where they still make marmalade like they did in 1895...same family today... these Seville orange tree are over 100 years old they just restored the truck they bought brand new... up in the office is the br*** cash register and on the wall are rattlesnake skins....the great-grandson runs it today.... at the end of their driveway is one of the two houses, across the street...great quiet neighborhood. Auto racing author Joe Scalzo lives next door...he's written dozens of racing books... http://www.waldoward.com/Default.aspx
Balboa...... Custom Holy Grail for one weekend a year back in the late 40's & thru the 50's. My all time favorite place to cruise.
I cruise down here all the time now and just wish I could go back in time.I researched and found out where the service station parking lot was that George Barris would rent to park all the customs while they went dancing at the Rendezvous Ballroom during easter week.I just love it down there,I like cruising on the island too.
Here are addresses of the old shops in the LA area, taken from 1948-50 Hot Rod magazines and a few other places. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553905&highlight=hot+rod+history+tour
Those two gents owned the Mobil station behind them. The fellow riding shotgun (Sal) lived about five houses away from me a few decades ago, and saw me working on my car, pulled over, and introduced himself to me. Then he brought over hundreds of colorprints from the 1952 Los Angeles Motorama that he had photographed. His car was a**** many in attendance, along with the car I was working on in my driveway... He offered to give his tools to me, as he no longer wrenched on anything, but I could not accept such a personal item...
Here's that same roadster shown in that previous photo in front of the Mobil service station (post #2470) in Los Angeles...along with his shoebox, around 1953.
There was also a Clancy's in Redondo on PCH where it bends by Hollywood Riviera, and that was one of our hang-outs in the 50's.
Sunset Strip in 1964...Quite a few interesting rides-Enjoy! "><iframe ***le="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sLv4g_A1JP8" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe> Hollywood Blvd in 1967 "> <iframe ***le="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dBmaX64TWSw" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe> ...and Wilshire Blvd. "> <iframe ***le="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/i0lEosbR-Vg" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe> All courtesy of 'dantanasgirl' on YouTube/Facebook.
funny story. 1960 or so went there once, cruisin the strip, in my cool lo n slo 50 Buick with my buddy an our gals. Pulled into Dino's just like on the tv. Got out an they parked my car [Kookie wasnt there, thankfully]. Stan Kenton was playing we were hicks from the sticks, [riverside ca.] but Kenton was cool.Well then we were leaving, and these people waiting for there car, they were dressed to the nines, guys in suits and women in mink etc. They were callin out thier cars, like Lincoln, '60, Caddy '59, and all these big fancy new cars were pullin up, so the guy motions to me and I called out BUICK,--- 50! They all turned around, to see who was callin for that !! haha I always laff when i recall them daze.
That sunset strip daytime clip is really a time capsule. The cars that are still on the road together span many years. No so much today it seems.
Very cool story...was cruising Sunset with my friend Bill Shreiber, in a 33 Chev 5-window with a 283, 4-speed, etc...as we p***ed Dino's out came Dean Martin in a tan Lincoln Continental...he got a bit of a lead on us but try as we could we couldn't catch Dino....that guy could drive!!
My father was an OBN, and practiced at both St Luke and Huntington...he could have been the first to see you!
I miss the way L.A. was with all it's landmarks and cool art deco buildings. I can still remember some of it. Hardly any of that is left. All that's left now are piles of garbage, splattered graffiti, crowds and traffic clogged roads. It's hard to believe now that it was a nice place once upon a time. I left that ****-hole over 13 years ago. It was the best decision I ever made.
I remember livin in Chino 67-68 as a kid and my lungs burnin while outside playin. Still miss those good times
We went there a lot, the pea****s would chase you if you got too close...Mazooma mentioned Lucky Baldwin, who also built Santa Anita racetrack near the Arboretum...I went to school with his grandsons, and got to hang out in their mansion in Pasadena, both dead now....lots of Lucky Baldwin stories, most of them not kind...
Geez...I don't know where you're looking but many building have been restored. I'm going on a walking tour in downtown L.A. next saturday. There's much to be proud of as far as I'm concerned. "Piles of garbage"....really? You have a good time in wherever SW WA is.....
Seriously? Did you even bother to look through this thread? The investment in rebuilding downtown Los Angeles over the past twenty years has been absolutely astronomical. You would not recognize it except for the recently restored cool old art deco buildings, and stuff like the Disney Concert Hall...
Interesting new blog about a major gated street demolished for the Santa Monica Freeway: http://berkeleysquarelosangeles.blogspot.com/
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