LA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Samoan Gangs in [Carson] Los Angeles, 1990s

"One day I was one of life's losers / even my friends were my accusers / I'm winning / I'm winning / And I don't intend on losing again" --Russ Glyn Ballard

 

Heard this 1981 song by Santana, "Winning," tonight on the radio and I just loved it. Loved the opening guitar riff by Santana but also loved the alto voice by Alex Ligertwood.

He is best known as a lead vocalist for Santana, with five different stints from 1979 to 1994, which included the US Festival in 1982 and Live Aid in 1985. He is credited as lead vocalist on Santana songs such as "All I Ever Wanted," "You Know That I Love You," "Winning" and "Hold On." He also has co-writing credits for Santana songs including "Brightest Star," "E Papa Re," "Make Somebody Happy," "Somewhere in Heaven" and "The Nile." 

Here are the lyrics.

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 1964-

One of the more elegant experiences for any kid in LA trying to learn what culture is.

 

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Chaspeak Apartments at 512 W. 2nd Street [between Grand & Olive], Los Angeles, 1940s

I am sure that Dad would have loved to have seen these pictures.  Breaks my heart a little to see these without his eyes and comments on them.  He was at heart, aesthetically and nostalgically, a true Victorian, era 1837-1901, or maybe in love with his parents years and Victorian ornaments of the late 1880s. 

The Chaspeak Apartments at 512 W. 2nd street would have been my favorite building in L.A. had I lived there in the 40s. It was the inspiration for Arturo Bandini's rooming house in the 2006 film adaptation of "Ask the Dust." It is just creepy enough to be interesting. It was the home of a slightly mad spinster Josephine Hutchinson in the "Somewhere in the Night, 1946." Find more details at Water & Power.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Chaspeak Apartments at 512 West Second Street became a familiar presence in Hollywood films. The building appeared in Somewhere in the Night, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and later in The Days of Wine and Roses. Its steep setting and layered architecture made it a natural backdrop for stories set in Los Angeles’ older neighborhoods.

By the mid-20th century, buildings like these reflected the changing character of Bunker Hill. Once home to wealthy residents, the area had become a dense working neighborhood filled with apartment houses and rooming establishments. Residents included laborers, retirees, and recent arrivals, giving the district a lived-in, textured quality that filmmakers often sought to capture. 

1950, * A closer view of the Chaspeak Apartments highlights the square bays, twin towers, and rounded entrance arch. Photographer Arnold Hylen can be seen walking in the foreground.

Thanks to the great Jack Feldman for these photos and their captions.  1950 – A closer look at the Chesapeake or Chaspeak? Apartments at 512 West 2nd Street.

Its twin towers are arched entrance made it one of Bunker Hill's most recognizable buildings.

"You don't know how much I'd give / Or how much I can take / Just to reach you" --Melissa Etheridge, 1993.

1993 single, "Come to My Window," Melissa Etheridge. 

I would dial the numbers

Just to listen to your breath
I would stand inside my hell
And hold the hand of death
You don't know how far I'd go
To ease this precious ache
You don't know how much I'd give
Or how much I can take
Just to reach you

Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Come to my window

Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon
Keeping my eyes open

I cannot afford to sleep
Giving away promises
I know that I can't keep
Nothing fills the blackness
That has seeped into my chest
I need you in my blood
I am forsaking all the rest
Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Oh to reach you
Come to my window

Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon
I don't care what they think

I don't care what they say
What do they know about this
love anyway
Come to my window

Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/melissa_etheridge/come_to_my_window

1937 film “Heidi”, starring Shirley Temple, all the alpine scenes were filmed around Big Bear and Sky Forest, Lake Arrowhead.

 

Bruce Dunseth explains that "In the 1937 film “Heidi”, starring Shirley Temple, all the alpine scenes were filmed around Big Bear and Sky Forest, Lake Arrowhead."

Thanks to Bruce Dunseth @ Southern California Nostalgia.

Ending Scene of Chaplin's 1921 The Kid was Filmed on Olvera Street, Los Angeles

I had no idea that this ending scene was shot behind Olvera Street in Los Angeles.  

This video comes from Silent Locations.

Court Flight, 1904-1943

Thank you to Alvaro Guevara.

My dad would have loved to see this pictures.

Angels Flight & 3rd Street, 1901-2025

Knott's Berry Farm Restaurant, Buena Park

 

from the looks of the women's hairdo and the men's ties, I'd say this is 1967 or 1968.  Thanks to Jeff Tucker for the pic.  Another picture from about 1985.

Dad absolutely loved the chicken dinners at Knott's Berry Farm.  I know for a fact that he used to go here with Marilyn and her friends a few times.  I went at least once with Dad.  One reason he loved it was because they served rhubarb cobbler on the side.  Talk about your old-fashioned treat!  He loved rhubarb.  I don't know what his earliest experience with it was, but he loved rhubarb.  

I did go on a date here with Joanne and her sister, Jen, chaperoned.  Joanne liked the place a lot because she and her family used to attend here along with her boyfriend, Dennis, from Calvary Chapel. 

 

There are other names for tart or crumble: Other names for fruit desserts include cobbler, crisp, buckle, betty, grunt, slump, and pandowdy. Each of these desserts has its own unique preparation and topping style.

ABBY STEINER top-end speed and mechanics at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The cheetah’s daughter! 😮 pic.twitter.com/AUYcGQP3RX

— Epic Clip Vault (@EpicClipVault) April 4, 2026

This is a clip from the women's 100m sprint final at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

It shows University of Kentucky sprinter Abby Steiner (in the blue-and-white uniform) on one of the legs—famously surging from behind with explosive late acceleration to nearly overtake the field, which is why the viral caption calls her “the cheetah’s daughter.”

Exact date of the race: Saturday, June 11, 2022 (women’s 100m final at ~2:32 p.m. local time in Eugene, Oregon).

Kentucky took 2nd overall in that final (Texas won), but Steiner’s race went massively viral for her top-end speed and mechanics. The clip is from her standout college season where she also set the NCAA 200m record earlier that same weekend. 

As a champion, she's had other victories.

The Midnight Story, 1957

As well as Tony Curtis, the standout performances come from Gilbert Roland & Marisa Pavan, as well as Kathleen Freeman, who makes the most of a couple of scenes.

Plenty of San Francisco location work, and supporting roles for Jay C Flippen & Ted De Corsia. Liked Peggy Maley too.

The Midnight Story, 1957.  

Los Angeles, 1930s

Dana Pinsky Chelf writes, 

The first clip is 6th and Hill. Second clip is Broadway (Kress was located at 644-646 Broadway). Can’t make out the others but I love the old traffic signals “STOP” and “GO”

Clifton's Cafeteria Culture

Elysian Park landslide, 1937

Nice find and compilation by Henry Briceno.

This shot amazes me.

That's Figueroa Street in the foreground.  The Figueroa Street Tunnels are just west of this on the eastbound lanes.  Also called even today the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

"Griogal Cridhe," a Scottish lament.

 

"Griogal Cridhe," a Scottish lament.  "Griogal Cridhe" translates from Scottish Gaelic as "Beloved Gregor" or "Gregor of the Heart."  It is a renowned traditional Scottish lament and lullaby, often pronounced "GREE-uh-gul KREE-uh," composed around 1570 by Marion Campbell for her husband, Gregor MacGregor of Glen Strae, after his execution

Thanks to this post about Kriss Donald.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Kriss Donald: “I’m only 15, what have I done?”

“Kriss was snatched while walking with a friend, forced into a stolen silver Mercedes despite desperate resistance—he reportedly cried out, ‘I’m only 15, what have I done?’”

The UK’s most shocking racially motivated… pic.twitter.com/qpLO7aWe47

— 'Seeing is believing' (@dave24144975) March 14, 2026

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 with Mike's Morning Coffee

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto · Leif Ove Andsnes. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2.

It's a sad, reflective piece, and at points hard to bear. It just reminded me of loss, the loss of the things I loved the most, my mom and dad. Loss of other people, too, things not so much, mainly the loss of people. It's only people that can break your heart. Speaking of loss reminded me of Elizabeth Bishop's poem, "The Art of Losing," 1979. It doesn't read like a highly technical poem, nor does it capture the grief of loss so much. It has a bit of a cavalier attitude toward loss, like it's no big thing.

I heard this Rachmaninoff on the way to get coffee this morning, and it reminded me of how Mom and Dad loved, endearingly and deeply.  I miss being in their physical presence when they were overwhelmed by loving feelings for their mom and dad.  And too for their affection and doting love for their sons and daughters.

7th & Broadway in front of the Lankershim Hotel. 1970

 1970, View of the overturned snorkel truck as seen from the fire escape of the Lankershim Hotel. A huge crowd gathered as firemen hosed off Broadway Street; it took three hours to right the vehicle and tow it away. (E. Bruce Howell - Herald Examiner Collection).  Thanks to LAPL.  If you're in the mood, check out these other photos of 7th and Broadway.  

7th Street, San Pedro, Remigrating Japanese Americans to Internment Camps in Arcadia and Manzanar, CA, 1942

Manzanar, CA.  Japanese Internment began in February 1942.

LA was second only to Detroit in auto production.

LA was second only to Detroit in auto production: Ford: DTLA, Maywood, Pico Rivera, Long Beach; Chrysler: Commerce; GM: South Gate, Van Nuys; Studebaker: Vernon; Nash: El Segundo; Willys-Overland: Maywood;

— Chris Moore (@pathfinder17m) February 16, 2026

Cincinnati's Incline, 1872-1894

Buck Owens to George Jones to Marty Robbins

A Buck Owens halftime show would heal the nation. pic.twitter.com/YJ217xyVPC

— Ry (@ryjlocal) February 8, 2026

I liked Buck Owens, 1929-2006, a lot.  Then the Hee Haw singers, 1969-1997.  And though I'd heard Tammy Wynette's [1942-1998] "Stand by Your Man" a lot on the radio, I didn't really know who George Jones, 1931-2013, was.  Owens sounds an awful lot like George Jones. But I guess the standard for a lot of these western singers was Marty Robbins, 1925-1982.

San Fernando Valley Had Its Own Song, a 1944, #1 Hit Sung by None Other Than Bing Crosby

Duarte to Ontario, CA January 17, 2013

San Gabriel River Bed looking north up the canyon to Mt. Baldy.

San Gabriel River Bed looking north up the canyon.

El Encanto Park, Duarte, CA. 

El Encanto Park, Duarte, CA. 

El Encanto Park, Duarte, CA. 

"tree sculpture" Ontario's public parks art, Ontario, CA. 

Street art, Ontario, CA. 
 

San Gabriel Reservoir, Azusa, CA January 23, 2013

Bakersfield Gun Show, Saturday, January 12, 2013