Hollywood and not Vine, but Ivar Avenue. Hello, At one time in So Cal, one of the largest banks with a branch in almost every city was not Bank Of America, but Security First National Bank. The larger the city, the larger the branch buildings and services. The city of Long Beach had one in the downtown area and that bank was a tall building with the teller’s window section located in a very tall room as one walked into the main doors. When our dad had a day off, he took us to the downtown area. We would go to the bank, first, then the rest of the day was spent walking down Pine Avenue, the main drag, a block or so... towards the ocean. The favorite hot dog/chili dog/Orange Julius place was across the street from one of his shopping stops. So that was always good for us. Two of his favorite places to shop was just two blocks toward the beach. Buffum’s Department Store and around the corner, Desmond’s Department Store. Two of the largest stores for the whole family. Jnaki The Security First Bank building was one of the tallest in Long Beach downtown and it was the busy part of Pine Avenue leading directly to the ocean. The white sand and the nearby “Pike,” was at the end of the downtown avenue and row of tall buildings. It was a contrast to the Los Angeles/Hollywood area as the tall buildings were more abundant. Today, the old Hollywood + Ivar area has lost some luster from the busy days in the 1960s in Hollywood. But, then again, so has downtown Long Beach. Note: When our mom took us to Los Angeles to visit our dad for lunch, she wanted to go shopping nearby and seeing our dad was a side trip. The restaurants near the city hall were really good and our mom was always happy she did not have to cook. There was a Security First Bank on the same street as the city hall and it was always full of people. Our mom got her cash from that bank before we all walked to the shopping area, nearby. Sometimes we stayed until our dad got off of work. Other times, we took a cab to the red car station for the long ride back to downtown Long Beach near our Westside of Long Beach house. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
