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Mid-century aerial of the 3rd/Fairfax/Beverly Blvd. quadrant. Farmers Market is the last extant structure today. The three Gilmore enterprises are now Television City and the Grove. Fun fact: Jackie Robinson played for the LA Bulldogs (pro football) in 1941 in Gilmore Stadium.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Two mainstay restaurants since the early 2010s are shuttering later this month -- Messhall (Los Feliz) and Tar & Roses (Santa Monica). 😑

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The largest accidental oil spill in world history happened in California (near Taft). In 1910, Lakeview Gusher blew out. 378 million gallons of oil formed black rivers & lakes. It took workers 1.5 years to cap it. (The 1969 spill in Santa Barbara Channel was 4 million gallons.)

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Malibu Creek State Park, when owned by 20th Century Fox, was the sight of over 300 movies and TV shows, most famously M*A*S*H. But holy Dr. Zauis, how great is this 1968 set for "Planet of the Apes"?

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

UNREMARKABLE POSTCARD SERIES. No. 222. Glendora, Calif. 1966.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Originally a silent movie house in 1921, Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo is a gem. All volunteer run, 1925 Wurlitzer pipe organ, popcorn & drink for $5, shorts & classic movies -- mostly sound, also silents. Fun lineup of horror flicks this month. oldtownmusichall.org/home

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Cattlemen's Steakhouse was an institution at the Redondo Beach Pier, most of it valiantly saved during the 1988 fire that charred 33% of the pier. Two days later, a storm took out the rest of the structure, which fell into the sea. The former space is now Kincaid's Retaurant.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Just visited Young Research Library at UCLA and noticed this century-old shovel in the lobby. Maybe cuz I had just seen the movie, but my first thought was it was a prop from "Digger." How odd!? Then I read it was the shovel used for UCLA's groundbreaking on Sept. 21, 1927. 😏

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Carpool lanes lasted only for about 6 mos. on I-10 (between downtown & Santa Monica) in 1976. It was a disaster, with drivers suing Caltrans, saying they did not do due diligence, and a judge ruled the lanes returned to normal. Since then, no carpool lanes there; but yes, carpool lanes east of DTLA.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

A lifetime ago, I was a globehopping Dork working at E!, where I produced "Wild On" w/Brooke Burke. In this latest podcast of that era, we bring on John Rieber, E!'s former VP of Programming, who raps about the show's origins and E!'s buzzy salad days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxgm...

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Re. my previous post, you think 3.5 years to fix "Golden Sta" is a long time? After the 1994 Northridge Quake, Caltrans converted part of I-10 to Carpool lanes due to a bridge collapse. It was short-lived, but the carpool sign remained for 29 years (2023) before it was removed!

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

In 2023, a storm blew off the right panel of the "Golden State Fwy" sign on the 134 East, revealing the pre-1965 route number (99) for the 5 Fwy. Caltrans overlayed the old route with a new "5" sign. Meant to be a stopgap, we're still stuck with "Golden Sta" 3.5 years later. 😏

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

A fun thing about dining out at old LA restaurants are the plaques & legends about who sat where, whether it be at Tam O'Shanter (Walt Disney), Musso's (Welles, Chaplin), La Dolce Vita (Sinatra), etc. Bob's in Burbank has David Lynch's booth, and I was just made aware of this one.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Lucille Ball (and her pups) at her "Desilu Ranch," a five-acre spread at 19700 Devonshire Street, Chatsworth. Custom-built by famed architect Paul R. Williams in the '40s, it was later demo'd for tract housing.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The First National Bank Building (est. 1928) at Hollywood & Highland, an art deco/Gothic historic masterpiece, has been vacant for 18 years. Current owner non-responsive, probably a fortune to upgrade. Meawhile its gargoyles and statuary are left to deteriorate like a Roman ruin.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm thrilled to announce my next book about LA, which comes out Feb. 23, 2027, thru Chicago Review Press. I'll be doing signings at LA bookstores around its release. Meantime it's available for pre-order on Amazon and other online retailers.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I go thru cold cereal phases. Recently I've been missing Product 19. Introduced as a rival to Gen. Mills' Total ("vitamin/iron fortified"), its multi-grain flakes were crunchier & tastier than Wheaties & Total. Alas, RIP by 2016. These days, it's a perfect name for a rock band.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

In the '60s, Johnny Cash & fam lived near Ojai, where he built his dream home. It's been amazingly preserved & restored. You can actually get tours, stay there, even record music at "California's Graceland," as they're billing it. Heaven for this Cash nut! www.cashmountainranch.com

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Before moving to his iconic house off Mulholland in 1987, David Lynch lived in Granada Hills, where he wrote "Blue Velvet." He loved his orange trees & his dog Sparky loved eating the oranges. Sparky is the water-biting pup at the start of the movie when Mr. Beaumont collapses.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

With hundreds of Wendy's closing, it reminds me it was a latecomer (from Ohio) to SoCal, where so much fast food was born. Like In-N-Out then, Wendy's was only on the fringes of LA in the late '70s. Our fam, drawn by their novel square patties, hit one in Oxnard on a road trip.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It's the 50th Anniversary of Kent Twitchell's "Bride and Groom," located in a lot off 242 S. Broadway. Carlos Ortiz, owner of Monarch Bridal, paid $5K for the mural, my favorite among Twitchell's still-existing ones. Ortiz & his girlfriend were the models for the groom and bride.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

More side effects of warmer seas: A sea turtle (or 2?) laid eggs in Seal Beach & Huntington Beach. First time any have been seen or known nesting here. (Those tire tracks on the beach are so SoCal!) Eggs now fenced off, but I vote in-person volunteer guardians 'til they hatch.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Dodger Stadium parking prices over decades. *$1 parking in 1978 equals $5 in 2026, but actual gate price is now $45. *O'Malleys kept it under $5 from 1962-1998 *Fox capped it at $10 (1999-2004) *Up ~100% since '19 *Guggenheim rents 50% of lots from McCourt, who gets $7M a year

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I remember them all over... I'm gonna keep a lookout for any vestiges.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Look closely at my '70s WeHo post and you'll see a "30 MPH" street sign with a BLACK background. The black field signaled "night speed limit," usually 5 mph lower. LA often had those signs; some current US highways spell it out. Anyone know any white-on-black signs still around?

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

1970s WeHo: Grubby RR tracks along Santa Monica Blvd., cigarette ads, rock-debached Alta Cienega Motel, wheezy smog... my urban companions for after-school walks to La Cienega Lanes, where mom was on a weekly bowling league. The lanes became Flipper's roller rink... now a CVS.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Los Feliz Towers (opened 1966) epitomizes the adaptive use of turning reflecting pools and fountains -- all the rage midcentury -- into native-plant beds. In the 2000s, landscape architects have gradually converted all its water ornamentation (not counting the pool of course).

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I'm late to the party but the Hollywood Sign was lit up a few nights ago to advertise the new Fast & Furious roller coaster. Universal used projection mapping to illuminate imagery from the Fast franchise. Word is the plan was kept kinda quiet beforehand to avoid sign intruders.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This month is the 1-yr. "relaunch" anniversary of Woolworth's luncheonette counter in Bakersfield... the last of its kind in the US. Opened for decades after WWII, it had closed along with others. Can't get a 25 cent malt anymore but the one I had was awesome & place was packed!

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Wasn't there long, swells of screams. I get that it's a game changer for folks living there, since most rides up till now were interior rollercoasters or not built on a bluff directly overlooking their homes. It's a tricky one.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

View of the Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift track from a residential street in Toluca Lake. The Universal Studios roller coaster is now officially open. Even with damping, screams audible but inevitable -- it's a thrill ride after all. Where do you stand on neighbor complaints?

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The Chatsworth helicopter crash during an NBC4 segment recalls the KNBC crash in 1977 when two colleagues died, including Francis Powers, who was once shot down by the USSR flying a U-2. I happened to be watching when Jess Marlow cried on air. Still hits. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_PT...

youtube.com

Short News report of the death of Francis Gary Powers from KNBC - Aug. 1977

YouTube video by videoholic50s60s70s

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The Santa Monica Cycle Path opened on June 24, 1900 -- a free counterpart to Pasadena's toll bike route, the California Cycleway. SM's crushed granite bike path went from Palms to the coast, cutting travel time in half vs. wagons and streetcars, and pepper trees provided shade.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Bikes were all the rage in the 1890s. In 1895, the LA Times Bicycle Club cruised Western Ave. -- still a dirt road -- north of Pico. 35,000 cyclists roamed LA. 'Course, they had to share the road with walkers and buggies... an early version of a sharrow. 😎 Lower pic from 2021.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Finally caught a show (PiL) at Belasco. Wow! Classic case of an old Broadway movie palace enhancing one's experience. The theater, backrolled by Ed Doheny in 1926, had languished for decades... its beautiful decadence was perfect for John Lydon's anti-establishment takedowns.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The Bags were a seminal LA punk band, fronted by Chicana Alicia Armendariz (Alice Bag) from East LA, seen in "The Decline of Western Civilization." Last night I caught the group's farewell show opening for Bikini Kill. Bag is now 67 but still ragin' and rockin' in grey pigtails.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Planet Hollywood's 1995 debut in Beverly Hills & its star-centric movie glitz was a perfect time capsule of the '90s. The chain is basically a ghost now. An auction in 2024 netted $16 million from the sale of 1,600 movie props & costumes... 2nd most after one by Debbie Reynolds.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This Sept. deluge? Pshaw. On Sept. 18, 1965, 1+ inches of rain fell in less than an hour. The downpour flooded the dugout & clubhouse at Chavez Ravine, postponing a game between the Orioles & Calif. Angels. Batboy Roger Hailey literally swam to retrieve equipment. (h/t Rob Show)

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Tar Pits Park in Carpinteria is a trip... Its tar pits are second in size to La Brea Tar Pits and much older, dating back almost 2 million years. A beachfront hiking trail takes you past much of the goo, used as a sealant by the Chumash and for asphalt mining in the 20th century.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Paradise Cove Pier dates to 1945. Well, half of it. 1983 storms wiped out its middle portion and left today's stub (currently closed). The Malibu landmark famously appeared in The Rockford Files and in the Happy Days episode where the Fonz "jumps the shark."

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Can we just give it up for Lamonica's pizza? Founded in NY by John Lamonica in 1954, it's been a rare Westwood mainstay since 1980. I've been coming here since high school. Still great NY-style slices, still lotsa subway imagery like this old plated metal NY subway map w/bulbs.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Ever since I posted about LA's vestigial water fountains, I can't stop finding others... The front plaza of this medical bldg at 4323 Riverside is shoddy and kind of a hazard. Then I read the plaque. It used to be a "stream" in honor of Chuck Jones' 85th birthday, gifted by WB.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The 1984 Olympic Torch Run featured O.J. Simpson leading the charge up California Incline in Santa Monica. That same day, The Juice was jokingly cuffed by a police officer. These days we'd think AI, but this photo has long been in SM Library's archives... his "crime" unknown.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Great find from @martinturnbull.bsky.social. So much of the midcentury LA experience was about glorifying water. The Bowl, Ft. Moore memorial, DWP building, Busch Gardens, countless malls, plazas, libraries (Beverly Hills's!)... dancing fountains everywhere, many now converted to planters.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The midcentury DWP building is known for completely lighting up at night. Looks great but there's the irony of a power company using that much energy when the building is basically empty. Going thru old pics, turns out DWP has been illuminating it ever since its 1965 completion.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A huge thank you to San Fernando Valley Historical Society for allowing me to present at the Adobe Museum in Mission Hills. This was my first "al fresco" presentation, and a curious coyote watched some of the set-up from outside the gate.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Today's "Bridge to Nowhere" over the RR tracks near Woodley was, as seen in 1976, a walkway & monorail conveyance to Busch Gardens' southern expansion. Note the huge netted aviary, lower rt. The monorail & log ride traveled THRU this misty, parrot-squawking domain. It was dope!

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

In Long Beach, there's a house at 708 Gladys Ave. that looks like it's on Ozempic. Both Guinness & Ripley's cited it as the Skinniest House in the US. Built in 1931, it has 2 bedrooms squeezed into 860 sq. ft. and even has a rooftop deck. It's a city Historic Landmark.

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

If you've never visited the Adobe Museum in Mission Hills, come by Thur., 8/27 @ 7 pm. I'll be presenting the Rise of the San Fernando Valley for the SFV Historical Society. Beyond lotsa Mulholland stuff, we'll ask, Moses Sherman (left)... why so smug? www.facebook.com/events/s/fro...

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LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Disneyland announced a long-overdue reset of Tomorrowland and is open to incarnations of past rides. Bring back Adventure Thru Inner Space! Imagine the immersive prospects of a dark ride thru genetic editing, etc. No more Monsanto. A biotech sponsor? Another "Inside Out" angle?

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