I miss being greeted by Angelyne while driving. Good times.
Check out her MySpace Page. Says she’s 39. [laughing hysterically] I saw her in real life, close up, in 1989 and she was on the far side of 39 then…And yet, I still love her.
50 thoughts on “LA Glory Days — What Do You Miss?”
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Wow, you’re really coming up with the great questions! And nice job on your $20 post too!
Vickman’s in downtown LA. Gorky’s too–but Vickman’s was a classic.
“Agnes Moorehead is God” graffiti on a wall in Hollywood.
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Peace, love and no traffic for 3 weeks–and a great color scheme to boot.
Chick Hearn.
Assuming the Lakers would make the finals.
Buck-fiddy in Westwood actually being a buck-fiddy.
I miss Angelyne posing for tourists with her corvette.
Netty’s being open air and serving on paper plates.
Brewery, pre artwalk.
Little Joes in Chinatown.
Riding down PCH with no motorcycle helmet. Not like I’d ever do it again but since I never crashed I look back on it fondly.
The scary thing is that Angelyne is still around. At least her pink Corvette is. And somebody who’s either her, or is wearing the shellacked blond wig. I see it every now and again driving through Malibu.
I miss KTLA before it became a WB affiliate. Back when it felt like it was a part of LA, rather than a conglomerate.
I used to live across from her sister (I think) in the Fairfax discrict in the early 90’s. Once walked around a corner and came face to face with Angelyne. Holy Plastic Surgery! She was scary looking up close, skin like a catcher’s mitt and way past 40 then. However, I once saw a cop car stop her and pull up to her pink corvette. They just wanted autographs…something about her old school celebrity was/is charming all the same.
Yee Mee Loo in Chinatown. Streetcars running down Santa Monica Blvd. Bullocks Wilshire during its glory. The Ambassador and Coconut Grove. Being able to hike to the Hollywood Sign. Pacific Ocean Park. Gypsy Boots. Johnny Carson. KHJ and the Real Don Steele. The Starwood. Cathay de Grande. The Germs. Gold Star recording studios. The Formosa Cafe during the 60’s.
There are others, but now I’m too depressed.
Michaels and Milanos on Hillhurst.
Angelas on Sunset.
Now I’m depressed and I’m hungry! haha
I used to see Angelyne at the Vons on 3rd and Vermont all the time (I moved and stopped going to that Vons, but presumably, you can still catch her there thumping melons).
Some friends paid her an undesclosed amount to show up at their birthday party a few years ago. Her entourage consisted of a young (20 y.o. or so) boy that drove her and stuck by her side the whole night. She didn’t really talk to anyone at the party, but her presence made the whole thing so surreal.
Waygone things I miss in LA:
1. Good Guys – an electronics store open 24/7.
2. Ships restaurants. Also open 24/7. The atmosphere, even for a chain, rocked in its simplicity and dim lights. But having a toaster at every table was the kicker.
3. The mid-90s coffee shop boom, pre-Starbucks explosion. The Novel still exists, but I still miss Wednesday’s House in Santa Monica.
4. The Roosevelt Hotel and pool, pre-hipness.
5. Moustache Cafe, Westwood. Well, Moustache Cafe waitresses.
I don’t know what this says about either me or LA, but having been here since just 1992, I don’t really miss anything that was here then that isn’t still here now (even if under a new name) or hasn’t been improved. Al’s Bar? The Onyx? Aron’s Records? Eh.
Okay, I miss the old Silent Theatre, when Laurence Austin was running it. Although it sounds like the CineFile guys are doing some cool stuff with the space these days.
I also miss the ABC Greek restaurant next to Book SOup (now some eternally empty place called “Pi”), and Saigon Street in Westwood Village, where you could get great banh mi for like $2, even in 1998.
Al’s Bar, the Starwood, Rajas and a club on Argyle and Selma I can’t remember the name of. An outdoor music festavel in Downtown LA in the 80’s or 90’s cool band and cool vibe (until it got ugly) Santa Monica and Venice in the 70’s when I was a kid growing up there- A rundown pier, cheep housing and great rec and parks and swimming pools. The beach was dirty but no one cared. Working class families, immigrants from all Europe and native born Mexican and black Families. Refugees from south East Asia and lots of hippies. Not every one got along, but it was cool and a much freer childhood then my daughter could get today. Hollywood during the 80’s when I first moved there and Silver Lake in the 90’s when we first moved here. Both places a lot like 1970’s Santa Monica. Mostly I miss the friends who have died- the ones who have fallen victim to their weaknesses.
Oh, don’t get me started! Too late…
• C.C. Browns
• Tick Tock Restaurant on Cahuenga
Ponyland Amusement Park on Beverly Boulevard at La Cienega
• Tail o’ the Pup
• Wil Wrights Ice Cream Parlor on Santa Monica Boulevard
• Jay’s Jayburgers
• The Akron stores
• The Marlboro Man billboard on Sunset next to Chateau Marmont
• Tower Records on Sunset
• Delores Drive-in on Wilshire @ La Cienega
• Stella Adler Conservatory on Argyle
• Thrifty’s ice cream (triple scoop; 15 cents)
• The Belmont Tunnel
• Silly String on Hollywood Boulevard on Halloween
• A&M Records
• Federated Electronics Superstores
• Tiny Naylors Drive-in on Sunset @ La Brea
• Schaeber’s Cafeteria on Victory near Laurel Canyon
• The Pink Pig on Van Nuys
• Panza’s Lazy Susan restaurant on Fountain @ La Brea
• Flip’s used clothing store on Melrose
• The Ambassador Hotel
• Swensen’s Ice Cream Shoppe on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills
• RJs Rib Joint in Beverly Hills
• Hunters Books on Rodeo Drive
• Pickwick Books on Hollywood Boulevard
• Ah Fongs restaurants in Beverly Hills and Encino
• the Racquet Centre in Studio City
• Chris & Pits BBQ in Van Nuys
• Adrays Electronics Stores
• Ohrbachs on Wilshire @ Fairfax
• Johnnies
• Farrells
• Ships at La Ciengega @ Olympic
I’ll stop here.
No I won’t:
Hughes Markets
Hollywood Ranch Market on Vine Street
Vine Street Bar & Grill
Dante’s Jazz Club on Lankershim in North Hollywood
Now I will.
The tore down Ships just like the tore down Tiny Naylor’s
They’ll tear down anything in this town
They do just about anything to squeeze and extra dime
They’d prob’ly even sell their own grandmothers
Ah, but Lena Horne’s still singing Stormy Weather
Yeah things get bad, but they do get better
Yeah things get bad, but they do get better
And I’m just waitin’ to see which way they go
Yeah I’m just waitin’ to see which way they go
— lyrics by Bob Forrest
I miss seeing Thelonious Monster at Raji’s in the basement of the Hastings Hotel on Hollywood Blvd. between Argyle & Gower. Damn that Northridge quake!
I miss:
– Back when the LAPD was allowed to kick ass
– “Drug enforcement areas”
– RTD Police
– Back when Silverlake was scary, and Echo Park was really scary.
– No traffic on the 134 or the 2. Ever.
– Mandatory auto insurance
– Streetwalkers
– Lil Rascals on Saturday mornings
– Popeye on Sunday mornings
– Killer local TV commercials – Who would have thought you could afford a piano of your own?
I’ll think of more, drawing a blank right now
I’ll second Tail o’ the Pup and the nearby pony rides. :(
I think I miss the former state of the McDonalds at Laurel & Ventura the most. It used to have a cowboy theme. It was awesome.
I miss everyone being 213.
May Company
Bullocks
I Magnin
The music from killer local TV commercials:
Federated Group
Colton Piano
Worthington Ford
Pete Ellis Dodge
Carpeteria
I guess my last attempt at a post got filtered.
Anyone remember “dr ug enforcement areas” in the late 80s? When certain Pico Union neighborhoods where blocked off to curtail out of area drive up traffic?
The Casa
The period when Jane’s Addiction ruled Los Angeles. 1988-1991 or so. At the time, it was the best band in the best town in the world. At least it felt that way to me as a high schooler.
The Mighty 690
KMET
Lil Rascals on Saturday mornings
Popeye on Sunday mornings
I can’t believe I forgot Al’s Bar…………
Jabberjaw.
i just saw angelyne today driving down crescent heights.
Yowza! I guess I touched a sweet nerve! Thanks for all those things, some of which I remember (having moved here for college in 85) and some are before my time.
Will, we had Farrells in Hawaii and it was so exciting to go there for birthdays and have them run the ZOO out!! The drum, the bell, the sirens! Woo hoo! Does anyone know someone who worked there and did they just HATE running around with that giant punchbowl of ice cream? And then the jawbreakers…
Ha! Thanks Will.
Tom! You lucky bastard!
Kelbo’s
Shadow Stevens’ unauthorized telecast of the Rose Parade
Zachary All commercials
Mutual of Omaha neon sign @ La Brea & Wilshire
Carnation building (pre-remodel)
Garvey/Lopes/Russell/Cey
Kareem’s skyhook
Dairy farms along the 91
Castle Books in Burbank
The Firefly
Gorky’s downtown
Oh yeah, almost forgot.
NICKODELLS!
Circus Market on La Brea
Licorice Pizza
Supplementing your life from The Recycler
Kung Fu movie marathons on Broadway downtown
The organ grinder with monkey in Chinatown
Dr. Toys store on 8th & Broadway
The Vex
Woolworth
Giant submarine sandwiches from K-Mart
Thrifty’s Coffee Shop
Starwood
The Palomino
Standing in line at Sears’ ticketron window and getting great tickets for the Led Zeppelin concert at the Forum for about $18 bucks each
When tourists would come here but not stay
Fwy driving on some weekend mornings, I’d often be the ONLY car on the 101 northbound from downtown till about Echo Park.
Argh, you can’t stop the Militant on this topic either, but a non-exhaustive list, for posterity:
– Zodys
So the Militant got his ass kicked in Jr High for wearing clothes from here, but whatevers.
– KIQQ 100.3 FM
Best. Local hit radio station. Evar.
– KHJ-TV
None of this KCAL/CBS’ bitch bullsheat.
– Thrifty’s Drug and Discount Store
Because Rite Aid is a perfect symbol of East Coast cultural hegemony.
– KABC’s “Eye on L.A.” & KNXT’s “2 On The Town”
Pre-Huell Howser, the city was educated and aware of itself via two evening local magazine-type shows that helped us know our city more. Yes, “Eye on L.A.” still exists as an obscure weekend program, but no one watches it.
– Tom Hatten and the Popeye Hour on Channel 5.
– Speed Racer, Giant Robot and the Little Rascals on Channel 52.
– TV Pow! On KTTV’s afternoon kids programming.
– Whitney and the Robot / That’s Cat on Channel 4.
– Busch Gardens in Van Nuys
Yes, the Valley did have a real amusement park!
– Marineland in Palos Verdes
Orky and Corky!
– Melrose Ave. in the ’80s.
Hasn’t been the same.
– Ticketron
Not Ticketslavemaster!
– The Federated Group
Just for the commercials.
Lucky’s! Still the low price leader!
Castle Books – yes! I totally remember.
I had at least one birthday party at Farrells, in North Hollywood, where the May Company used to be.
How about 15 cent ice cream (actually, ice milk) from Thrifty?
How about the Sherman Oaks Galleria, when it was a really good mall? It is criminal to even call it the Galleria these days.
How about Jolly Rogers restaurant? It was a pirate themed restaurant. There used to be one at Sherman Oaks Fashion Square. I think there used to be one in the Glendale Galleria too.
On the topic of malls (important topic for anyone who was a teenager in the 80s), remember the Glendale Galleria before the addition of the “new Galleria”?
Or, remember the mall in Pasadena where Paseo Colorado is now? We called it Murder Mall because some people had been killed in the parking lot.
Will, are we the same person?
With all this great stuff gone (and above is only a partial list), it’s hard to imagine there’s anything left!
The Great Grill when it was really great.
Harvey’s fast food restaurant in Burbank where Weinershnitzel is now.
NBC Studio tour. It was a low rent (well, free) studio tour. I remember they let you take a piece of the stunt glass.
Universal Studios tour when it was cool. The whole tour became completely irrelevant once the Six Million Dollar Man went off the air.
Atomic Cafe in Little Tokyo @ 4:20… a.m.
“726” in Glendale.
Before yuppie food bloggers deemed Silver Lake as “the eastside.”
Remember?
Three’s a crowd at Lucky’s!
The whole “east side” definition has definitely changed. When I was a kid, Silverlake and Echo Park were a no-man’s land. People of consequence did not live there.
At my private all-boys high school, which was comprised of people from as far away as Malibu, Palos Verdes, and Arcadia, the East Side meant all the nice places to live east of the 5 freeway – Glendale, Pasadena, La Canada, San Marino, Arcadia, South Pasadena etc. etc.
Silverlake was where we took our crummy fake IDs to buy beer. Actually, Atwater. Or Eagle Rock. Just inside LA City limits.
I remember the Glendale Gallerian- before the addition- had like three sewing shopps
Original Barbeque (9th and Vermont)Two Guys from Italy (12th and Vermont)Edwards Steakhouse (Alvarado by MacArthur Park)California Angels at Dodger StadiumLA Rams at the ColiseumOld Spaghetti Factory on Sunset (seems like just yesterday…)Old World restaurant by Tower records on Sunset
When I first moved to Burbank from Toronto in 1989 I knew no one so my first “friends” were barflies from The Blue Room. It’s still there at San Fernando and Alameda but without the bowling balls behind all the booths and my friends have disappeared. See the urinal, do.
Atomic Cafe.
Gorky’s downtown
Gorky’s Hollywood.
Al’s Bar.
FUZZYLAND parties hosted by Jack Zinder!!!!!!!
I miss sitting in the passenger seat of the Beetle, using the glove compartment knob as a steering wheel, as we went around the reservoir on Silver Lake Blvd., me not watching the road but the mid-century modern glass boxes, the road and forest of trees feeling a bit like a scene out of that program, UFO.
I miss the funny Italian micro car, painted like a lady bug, that sat for an eternity in front of the round building at the intersection of Beverly and Silver Lake and Temple and Hoover.
I miss those annual dinners during the holidays at Carnation on Wilshire, looking at the caged reindeer across the street, and laughing at anything because on a
too-full stomach everything seemed funny.
I miss the Santa Monica Freeway before they put in those plastic Lego-like blocks all over the place. Fer chrissakes, what’s next? Gigantic orange plastic Hot Wheels tracks?
I hope to do one of the mass bike rides, before I miss my chance to miss those!
April 29, 1992. No traffic, free shopping. Ah, the good old days.
Lucky’s all over, but damn the Los Feliz Lucky’s was cool. Remember the local photos in the produce section?
She is seriously at the Coffee Bean on Sunset just east of Vine every weekday at 6:30 PM. Pink car and all.
What do I miss? Two words: cheap rent.
Sigh.
Poorman and Lovelines on KROQ when it was truly insane. KDAY when rap was actually scary for real.
The LAPD before they got busted via Rampart, it was nothing that was more enjoyable than calling the cops about drugs and then you end up in handcuffs sitting on the curb.
“Hey I’m not 18, this is illegal, and I called you, what about the drug dealers,” me.
“Shut-up,” cops.
LAPD when they could just be their true a**hole selves, maybe I don’t miss that aspect so much.
Darryl Gates, he was rad. Do you guys miss Mr Gates?
Browne
Fedco.
life beforE “no cruising” signs….
van nuys blvd was, well watch the movie and well watch “cruising”
KWST
KMET with Jim Ladd….
Jeans West
Black Tower Rhine Wine at Vons
Moby Disc
Oly’s Home Improvement
Giamella’s subs in SF Valley
Fotomat
Pier One before it got big and pricey