Six Historic Spots In Downtown Los Angeles

If you've got a few hours to spend in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), you can easily cruise by six historic places that are located within a few blocks of each other! One of the many things I (Lara) love about DTLA is that everywhere you look you will see a piece of the past, and many buildings have been beautifully renovated and are enjoying an awesome second act. Wear some comfortable shoes, bring your water and sunscreen, and have fun! And for some terrific tours (self-guided and with an actual guide), check out the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Conservancy. Also, I cover 30 Old Hollywood-inspired places in my book, FROM THE CORNER OF HOLLYWOOD AND DIVINE. 

1. Pershing Square 532 South Olive Street

 
In the early 1900s, Pershing Square (which is exactly a block in size) was known as Central Park and filled with trees. Now, it is mainly concrete and the site of many musical performances and events, with a cool fountain in part of the park and playground areas for the kiddos. Le Pain Quotidien, Tender Greens, and Pitchoun! French bakery are in the nearby PacMutual Building; you can grab a bite to eat and enjoy it in the park while soaking up some sun.

2. Metro 417 (formerly the Subway Terminal Building) 417 South Hill Street

  Opened in 1926, the Subway Terminal Building once had 65,000 people passing through it each day! It was part of the Pacific Electric Railway system, and this line allowed people to bypass the busy streets of Downtown Los Angeles. Yes, even in the 1920s people were complaining about the traffic! The tunnel has been filled in for decades now, but the Italian Renaissance Revival building has found new life as Metro 417, a luxury apartment building.

3.  Grand Central Market 317 Broadway

 

Grand Central Market first opened in 1917 on the first-floor of the Homer Laughlin Building (architect Frank Lloyd Wright once had an office here), and offered the finest open-air shopping experience in Los Angeles. The wealthy folks that lived in the nearby (now demolished) Victorian mansions at the top of Bunker Hill would ride the Angels Flight Railway down the hill, pick up what they needed, and take the little train back up the hill. Today, you'll find restaurants, produce vendors, and specialty stands (we even spotted an herbal pharmacy). This is where you can fuel up with some strong java, and there are also public restrooms downstairs. 

4.  One Bunker Hill (formerly the Southern California Edison Building) 601 West Fifth Street

 Opened in 1931, this building features a classic Art Deco design, with setbacks, recessed and symmetrical windows, and strong vertical lines (representing progress). Also, as a nod to progress, there are decorative panels at the entrance with carved figures representing light, power, and hydroelectric energy. This was one of the first buildings in the U.S. to be electrically heated and cooled, which was life-changing in scorching DTLA in the summer. 

 

5. Los Angeles Central Library 630 West Fifth Street

Opened in 1926, the Central Library is still stunning, and most people would probably say that its most recognizable exterior feature is the pyramid with suns on each side. In addition to a full-on Egyptian influence, you will see lots of Art Deco details. And things just get better inside, with murals depicting the history of California, ornately patterned floors, and an art gallery. Check out the library store, café area for some fresh-squeezed juice, and (if you have kiddos) the wonderful children’s section complete with a puppet show theatre and tiny toddler amphitheatre. 

6. Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 South Grand Avenue

Opened in 1923, the Biltmore Hotel (as it was originally known) is a wonderful hodgepodge of styles, from Mediterranean to Beaux Arts to Spanish-Italian Renaissance Revival. Between the crystal chandeliers, wood-beamed ceilings, frescos and murals, gorgeously embroidered tapestries and drapes, and a ton of bronze and gold, it is no wonder that the Biltmore hosted the Oscars in the ceremony’s early years; in fact, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded at a luncheon here in 1927. 

Walk through the Galleria that’s just off the lobby, and descend the large staircase into the hotel’s Rendezvous Court, which was the Biltmore’s original lobby. There’s a gently gurgling fountain in the middle of the room; this is where afternoon tea happens in the afternoon. I recommend making a reservation and getting your hands on some homemade scones and clotted cream!

Walk out the back doors of the Biltmore, and there’s Pershing Square! You’re right back where you started.

10 Reasons Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Rocks

My kids (ages six and one) and I recently stayed at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa for the fourth time, and I swear it just keeps getting better. Besides the obvious convenience of being right at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, the hotel is an attraction unto itself. With the famous Disney Magic in full effect at the Grand Californian and so many fun things to do, you might find it hard to pull yourself away to hit Hyperspace Mountain and Small World!

Here are 10 things my kiddos and I flipped for at the Grand Californian, although I could have easily listed 50: 

1. There are old-school Disney cartoons playing on a little television in the lobby, complete with tiny chairs and rocking chairs. If it takes a moment to check in, the children will be happy to hang out here and watch Goofy, Donald, and Mickey. 

2. The gorgeously open lobby. My six-year-old said, "It looks like you can see all the way to Heaven!" Add a piano player playing classic Disney tunes like “Part of Your World,” and you will definitely be transported to Disney Heaven.

3. The cast members. Ernie brought our luggage up, and gave us all kinds of tips on things like asking for a switch ticket at the attractions (one parent rides with big kid while other parent waits with baby, and the ticket allows the other parent to then come back and ride with big kid without waiting in the regular line), the special World of Color viewing deck at the hotel, and early admission Magic Hours, where guests enter a park (it varies day to day as far as which park) an hour before it opens to the general public. His enthusiasm was contagious!

World of Color from the viewing deck.

 4. The Hearthstone Lounge offers comfy chairs and (on chilly mornings and evenings) a cozy fireplace, plus adult beverages. They also open at 6a and serve caffeine and juice and pastries; I was thrilled to be able to get a really good soy latte here! 

5. The pool. It's really a collection of pools and hot tubs, with a tiny water slide for the little ones and a bigger, swirly one for adventurous kids of all ages. During our visit, Pluto showed up for a fun pool party and to lead the kids in games, and Disney movies (like FINDING NEMO and ENCHANTED) were being shown poolside every night. 

 6. The rooms. The first time we stayed at the Grand California, our train-obsessed son was two, and we had a “Monorail View” room; he had a great time sitting on the patio and waiting for the Monorails to come roaring through the hotel complex. Check out the different kinds of rooms, as some offer fun features like bunk beds! We also had a fridge in our room (great for storing healthy snacks we brought from home), and a generous bathroom/vanity area.

7. The food. The kids had the best time ever at the Chip ‘n Dale Critter Breakfast at the Storytellers Café! The food was delicious, and the characters come around to each table to greet the children. You can also pick up a quick meal, some basic grocery supplies for the fridge in your room, and snacks at White Water Snacks, or have an elegant meal at Napa Rose, which serves seasonal cuisine. 

 8. The private entrance to California Adventure, and access to Downtown Disney. Needless to say, the line to enter the park is MUCH smaller here than at the main entrance, and it is also nice at the end of the day to have a shortcut back to your room, especially if you are carrying a tuckered-out child. The hotel also opens right on to Downtown Disney, with tons of great food and shopping and entertainment. During our stay, there were some special offers for Downtown Disney, and our son got to go to a “Master Class” at Build-A-Bear Workshop an hour before the store opened.

Build-A-Bear Workshop fun!

 9. The architecture. I mentioned the spacious lobby earlier, and I have to include the overall gorgeousness of the Grand Californian on this list. You are in the middle of Anaheim, but at the same time it feels like you are at a cozy lodge in Northern California! The style of the hotel is based on the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20^th Century, and if you would like to learn more you can take a hotel tour (I was so bummed that I missed it during our stay!) or pick up a book in the lobby. Also, as you are rushing around, glance at the beautiful artwork on the walls. We had a lovely painting of Snow White in our room!

10. Pinocchio’s Workshop. At some point, you might need a break from the kids. Enter Pinocchio’s Workshop, which is for ages 5-12 and open seven days a week from 2p-11p. You can drop the kids off and know that they are having fun playing while you enjoy a quiet dinner, time to relax by the fire, a spa treatment, or maybe you even sneak into the park to ride the grownup attractions, or grab a much-needed nap.

Bonus: Ask about the Grand Californian’s scavenger hunt, where you answer questions about different park attractions for a special prize. It's very challenging and fun!

Contact Info:

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

1600 Disneyland Drive

Anaheim, CA 92802

(714) 635-2300

www.Disneyland.com (Click “Places to Stay”)

The Second Annual Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon

Thanks to Crystal, who runs a terrific blog called In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood, for including me in her Barrymore Blogathon! My entry (through my Classic Movie Recall podcast) is on John Barrymore (Drew's grandfather) in TWENTIETH CENTURY (1934), and you can check it and all the other great Blogathon pieces out here.

The Deco Building: Timeless Elegance in Classic Art Deco Surroundings

(This is a modified version of a section of my and Cori Linder’s book, FROM THE CORNER OF HOLLYWOOD AND DIVINE: YOUR GUIDE TO 30 OLD HOLLYWOOD-INSPIRED SPOTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Buy the book here!)

 

With its black and gold exterior, The Deco Building stands out on a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard that boasts many impressive structures, such as Desmond’s (a former department store), Southwestern School of Law (the former Bullocks Wilshire department store), the Los Altos Apartments, and the Wiltern Theatre. Sweeping through the doors of this historic structure is quite an experience, and I encourage you to pause at the front of the building and take in the fabulous Deco details (which I’ll get into below) that were used to convey a sense of strength, prosperity, and security when the it first opened as a bank and remain today. 

The story of Wilshire Boulevard began in the late 1800s, when Gaylord Wilshire cut a narrow lane 120 feet wide from Downtown Los Angeles to the Westside. In the 1920s, real estate developer A.W. Ross bought up acres of land on Wilshire between La Brea and Fairfax Avenue, with the idea of attracting shoppers away from Downtown Los Angeles by making Wilshire car-friendly He had such a great vision for the area that a friend said something like, "From the way you talk,you would think this is really a miracle mile." And hence, this certain stretch of Wilshire got its nickname. 

In 1929, nearing the end of the Art Deco ZigZag Moderne years, Security First National Bank (as the Deco Building was originally known) opened at 5209 Wilshire Boulevard with a black and gold terracotta finish and all kinds of lavish details on display. The bank was built for $45,000, and designed by architects Morgan, Walls, and Clements, a firm responsible for local Deco landmarks like the El Capitan Theatre, the Wiltern Theatre, and the now-demolished Richfield Tower in Downtown Los Angeles, which also had a black and gold façade. 

The building underwent a renovation in the early 2000s, and they did a great job preserving the details of a place that most people take one look at and exclaim, “What IS it?” The Deco Building has the kind of WOW factor that can make people fall in love with Art Deco with one look. I went into the building a few years ago and saw it as an office modeled on the boutique hotel concept: There was a concierge just inside the front door, and then small enclosed offices all around the ground floor. There were conference rooms, and even offices inside the former bank vaults! When I drove by recently, I saw a sign advertising the building for filming and hosting special events.

Other things to notice at The Deco Building are the symmetry of the pillars on each end outside, and the setbacks, a major ZigZag Moderne feature that began with skyscrapers in New York City; buildings were required to “fall back” on themselves (think of the layers of a wedding cake that get progressively smaller toward the top) so that sunshine would reach all the way down to the street level. It started off with a functional purpose, but quickly became decorative, too.

Inside, there are leaping gazelles, which tended to represent the leap away from the Art Nouveau style to the new modern style, cast aluminum grill work, and repeating patterns of flora and fauna. There are also images that give the effect of cascading water, which symbolized energy and new beginnings and life, along with chevrons and zigzags—the classic signature of Art Deco. All of these were unconscious cues to represent growth and safety, two things that are very important to any institution that is trying to convince you to give them your money!

Contact Info:

The Deco Building

5209 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90036

323-592-3600

3.5 Questions With Fashion Expert Annamarie von Firley of reVamp Vintage

(We were thrilled to have vintage fashion expert Annamarie join us on my film podcast, Classic Movie Recall, to talk about the clothing in 1935’s TOP HAT, and of course we discussed THAT ostrich feather gown that Ginger wears in the “Cheek to Cheek” scene. You can hear the ep here!)

I (Lara) first spotted Annamarie von Firley at an Art Deco Society of Los Angeles event and immediately thought she was one of the coolest people I had ever seen. With her sleek bob and groovy vintage dresses, she is hard to miss!

I later met her when I visited her fabulous store in Downtown Los Angeles, reVamp Vintage (which sells their own ready-to-wear vintage inspired line and also makes custom clothing), to see about having a copy of a Madeleine Vionnet dress from the 1930s made. Since she has been running a successful fashion business for over a decade, I thought she would be a great person to share everything from how she got started with vintage clothing to why knowing your fiber content (in clothing, not your breakfast cereal) is important!

1. How did the vintage clothing love affair begin and then turn into a business?

Annamarie: I started collecting in the late eighties, and I did not know what I was doing at the time. I would go to the Salvation Army and purchase 1950s evening gowns for $20 and wear them to high school. Eventually, I moved to San Francisco and met like-minded people who knew way more than I did about everything historic, and I went on a self-education historic binge for the next 20 years. Before then, I had no words for my interest in period garments, just a deep heartfelt response to the silhouettes.  Now, I can talk at length as to the reason why I like what I like—instead of operating on a purely visceral reaction to a silhouette.

As for how the business started, a friend of mine and I were at a swing dancing event on the USS Jeremiah O’Brien in Alameda. We were lamenting how poorly everyone was dressed, and she suggested that we start a company that did vintage inspired clothing. I said no. At the time, I was working for a startup company and saw that my boss never got paid. I needed a steady income. Shortly thereafter the company I worked for was sold and moved to the Midwest.  I was between jobs and able to pursue the vintage inspired clothing idea…and 15 years later here I am.  Incidentally, while my friend and I were business partners in the beginning, the partnership lasted only one year.  However, the friendship continues to this day.

2. What’s your #1 tip for someone who wants to become a vintage-purveying rock star?

Annamarie: I like to get a lot of “bang for the buck” for my time, so I prefer to go to Vintage Expos where there are a lot of vintage vendors all in one location.  As a mother of a four-year-old child and a business owner, I don’t have a lot of free time.  I shop three times a year in a two-to-three hour window.  I carry a tape measure and measure everything before I bother to take it to the dressing room, which saves time trying on things that are too big or small.  I do not purchase anything that is not in close to perfect condition, because while I have the ability to repair or alter a garment and access to the right machines, I do not have the time to do it.  So I have learned not to bother with anything I have to mess with. In the end, finding the best things takes time and patience.  It also might pay off to make nice with the octogenarians in your life in the hopes that they pass on their goodies to you before they end up at the Goodwill or in the dumpster.

 And keep in mind that there is a finite supply of vintage.  Every day there is less and less of it. Also, the fabrics that the garments are made of have a shelf life, too.  Therefore anything made before the 1930s is in a delicate condition even if it has never been worn.  This being said, if you like Mid-Century clothing you are in luck.  You still can find it, and its shelf life is 20 years longer than its forebears.  

  3 . What’s the one thing that anyone wanting a career in vintage clothing should NEVER, under any circumstances, EVER do?

Annamarie: Nothing will really squash a career in vintage clothing, but you really need to know your decades. I have been shocked to discover vintage stores and vendors with wildly misidentified decades on their clothing. One person marked a 50s wedding dress as Edwardian, which was a style from the early 1900s! This didn’t kill their business, but I no longer thought they knew what they were doing. 

 Also, know your fiber content. Don’t label rayon as a silk, or polyester as a rayon. Your fiber content can be one of the keys to dating a garment. For instance, there was no polyester in the 1930s. You can quickly lose respect from those who know about these things when you show that you can’t tell the 1970s from the 1930s, or cotton from polyester.

 3.5 How would you finish the following sentence? “Old Hollywood is ______.”

Annamarie: Old Hollywood is a glamorous apparition that some of us reach out to as a respite from the distinctly un-glamorous aspects of modern day life, dissolving like a celluloid dream as it represents a period of time that never has and never will exist. But we can still dream! 

Contact Info:
reVamp Vintage
818 South Broadway, Ste. 801
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 488-3387
Appointments are recommended.
www.revampvintage.com

Baroque 'N Roll at the Los Angeles Theatre

The Los Angeles Theatre was the last (and many say the most beautiful) of all the theatres built in Downtown LA’s historic Broadway theatre district between 1911 and 1931.

The Los Angeles was designed by prolific architect S. Charles Lee (who also did the Tower Theatre just down the street and the Max Factor Building/Hollywood Museum) in the Baroque style, and the lobby was based on the Hall of Mirrors in France’s Palace of Versailles. Others have compared the look of the Los Angeles to that of the Fox Theatre in San Francisco, which was built in 1926.

The sweeping lobby is six stories high, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and there are all kinds of flowing drapes and crystal chandeliers and columns that give it an incredibly opulent feel. It is impressive to think that this whole theatre was built in less than six months.

It all began when independent exhibitor H.L. Gumbiner convinced William Fox (who founded the Fox Film Corporation and the Fox West Coast Theatre chain) to let him develop a theatre on a piece of land that Fox owned. Fox agreed, and Gumbiner was the one who hired architect S. Charles Lee to create the Los Angeles. However, as the Great Depression deepened, Gumbiner ran out of money.
Enter Charlie Chaplin.

Chaplin’s CITY LIGHTS was a silent film, and is now regarded as BRILLIANT. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading and do that now. But in the early thirties, talkies were all the rage and CITY LIGHTS had gotten some…shall we say “unfavorable” reviews and he was having a hard time finding a place to premiere it. Remember that at this time, film companies owned theatres and they would open and run the movies they had made in their own theatres.

Since Gumbiner was an independent and not tied to a studio, it was decided that the film would debut at the opening of the Los Angeles. Legend has it that Chaplin invested his own money into finishing the theatre, and in January of 1931 the film and the theatre premiered together with a huge gala. Two notable guests: Actress Gloria Swanson…and Albert Einstein!

All of this grandeur must have distracted patrons, at least for a few hours, from the nightmare of the Depression. But reality and fantasy collided even on the theatre’s opening night; there were crowds in front of the Los Angeles to see the stars, but also a crowd across the street…waiting in a breadline.

The draperies and carpets were all custom-made for the theatre in shades of deep red, gold, and royal blue. And even though the stage looks perfect for hosting  a musical like PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, since the Los Angeles was built as a movie house there is not a lot of room backstage for props and to accommodate large live productions.

If you were super fancy, you may have enjoyed a film away from the general public in a box seat. But even the “cheap seats” are wonderfully detailed, and there are eight aisles on the main floor so that each row has no more than six seats. There is a balcony, too, along with offices and ballrooms and lounges downstairs. And right off of one of the ballrooms is one of the loveliest bathrooms we have ever seen, with a large “cosmetics room” full of individual vanities and mirrors and (I never thought I would type this sentence) a very beautiful row of stalls. Men always talk about how women go to the restroom in groups and then stay in there gossiping, but with a powder room this grand, why would you ever want to leave?

Takeaway Tips:

• Keep an eye out for Los Angeles Theatre tours offered by groups like the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation.
• Host a party, performance, or screening at the Los Angeles. You can also get married here!
• Visit some neighborhood spots that are also located on Broadway, like the Tower Theatre and the Orpheum Theatre, and reVamp Vintage.

Contact Info:
Los Angeles Theatre
615 Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 629-2939
www.LosAngelesTheatre.com

Film Fatale: DOUBLE INDEMNITY's Phyllis Dietrichson

Life can be so tough for film noir ladies. They have to be sexy yet (faux) sweet, hard as nails but also (faux) tender, and manipulate every situation so that the man who has fallen into their clutches thinks he is in control. Ready to play the shady lady in your own life? Inspired by Phyllis Dietrichson (played by Barbara Stanwyck) in 1944’s DOUBLE INDEMNITY, this is the How to be a Film Fatale Guide in seven easy steps:

1. When you first greet a strange man in your house, a man who has come to sell you insurance, wear only a towel and an anklet and appear at the top of the stairs. It will distract him and put him at a disadvantage.

2. When the strange man comes over again, pretend to call for the maid. Then pretend to realize it’s her day off and feign surprise that the two of you are alone. After all, you’re not that easy.

3. When you drop hints that you would like to knock off your rich husband and the strange man calls you out on it, insult him. Later, show up at his house with a flimsy excuse like he forgot his hat, his cigarette case, or his socks. After all, these things happen.

4. As you hatch your scheme, make sure to use a seductive voice that sounds half needy and half sultry. Call the strange man “Walt-uh,” not “Walter.” Stumble into some good film noir lighting, and choose clothes that hug your curves. And don’t smile. No smiles!

5. After your husband has an unfortunate accident on the late train leaving Glendale, the insurance policy company will bring you in for questioning. Be sure to wear a veil. Nothing is as dramatic and screams “widow in mourning” like a black veil. You'll gain oodles of sympathy, and it looks good with your blonde hair.

6. When you meet your lover /accomplice in the grocery store and want to make it look like you are not meeting your lover/accomplice, wear dark shades indoors. Nothing says incognito like dark glasses inside a grocery store while shopping for tomatoes.

7. When the plan falls apart because of a suspicious insurance claims investigator, know when to cut your losses. Invite your lover/accomplice over in the evening, and be sure to turn off almost all the lights and close the venetian blinds to make some scary shadows. Keep a weapon handy; maybe  tuck it under a cushion. And if all else fails, reveal to your lover/accomplice that you were only using them, but just now started loving them 30 seconds ago.

After all, you really do love the guy. Really. You do. Maybe. We think. Or not.

 By: Lara Scott and Tracey LaMonica

Hear Lara's Classic Movie Recall review of DOUBLE INDEMNITY here.

THE STELLA DALLAS GUIDE TO BREAKING HEARTS

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THE STELLA DALLAS GUIDE TO BREAKING HEARTS

Buckets. Rivers. Oceans of tears. King Vidor's STELLA DALLAS (1937) is a twelve hanky weeper that stars one of the greatest of the great actresses of all time, Barbara Stanwyck, in the title role. I think Stanny might be my all-time favorite, and Stella is a fantastic, fascinating character because she is over-the-top and garish, but also incredibly generous and loving; there is something completely lovable about her and she is someone that you want to root for. However, she doesn’t realize that she is too much (too loud, too unsophisticated, too ambitious) for the refined, upper-class peeps that she wants to associate with, and they are certainly not rooting for her. One of the many things that makes this film so devastating is that from the beginning, we (or at lease I) see where things will most likely end up, yet we are powerless to stop it, even by shouting at our tv, computer screen, or iPhone as we slowly cry our eyelashes off. No one does heartbreak like Old Hollywood, so I give you:

Five Ways To Channel Your Inner Stella Dallas

5. Aspire to a higher station in life, when we all know it's going to be a train wreck when you get there. Young Stella has her eye on the finer things in life; as we might say today, she has champagne tastes on a beer budget. Her ticket to the good life comes in the delicious package of Stephen Dallas (John Boles), a rich, eligible bachelor who is smitten by Stella and marries her after a whirlwind courtship. He whisks her away to an elegant home, dresses her in fine apparel, takes her to high-society events, and dotes on her after their baby girl is born.

4. While your husband is in New York working most of the time, have the inappropriate guy (Ed, played by Alan Hale) you recently danced with in front of your hubby over to the house, serve him a drink and then make sure he is holding your precious baby girl as your husband WALKS IN THE DOOR from NYC. Surprise!

3. Get dressed up in your “fancy” clothes, the ones you have made yourself because you are no longer Mrs. Stephen Dallas and money is tight, put on lots of makeup, wear high heels and a ginormous hat and stroll through the high-society crowd at the ritzy vacation spot looking for your daughter (Laurel, played by Anne Shirley) and the mother of the boy she likes. Look around as the crowd makes fun of what they consider your vulgar appearance.

2. After your daughter hustles the two of you away from the ritzy resort without telling you why (Laurel has a heart of gold and doesn’t want you to be hurt by the nasty comments), settle into your berth on the train for some much-needed rest. Be wide awake as you hear some young girls that know Laurel ripping you to shreds, and let the realization that this crowd will never accept you play out on your face in a subtle way. When your sweet daughter looks into your berth so see if you have overheard, pretend to be asleep.

(In order to NOT give away the ending, I am going to omit a scene that should be here. If you have seen the film, it is where Stella meets with Helen to pitch her an idea, followed by what Stella does when Laurel comes home.)

1. Stand in the dark with the other peasants outside the big, beautiful house in your sad coat and hat, tears streaming down your face, as you look through a window at your only child with the man she loves. Make sure your face is perfectly framed between the pointy iron bars of the fence that are a physical reminder of a class line you can never cross, and as you walk away, change your face subtly from longing and sadness to relief that your sacrifices were worth it, as your daughter will have the life you always wanted.

Love classic film? Check out my new Classic Movie Recall podcast on Itunes or at www.ClassicMovieRecall.com. 

A Guacamole Recipe For Cinco de Mayo

I love that my girl Kristin Cruz volunteered me to share this recipe! :-) I think they're going to talk about it on the MomBlab Momangeles podcast on 5/2 at 10:30a Pacific, so check out Kristin and Laura Nickerson as they talk Cinco de Mayo and lots of fun stuff for families.

GUACAMOLE

I like to make my own because I think when it is fresh it just tastes better, and I also know exactly what's in it. Take a look at a lot of guacamole that you will find at the store; there will most likely be a long list of ingredients, and possibly some that you don't recognize and/or can't pronounce. Also, when you see the word "spices" in an ingredient list, that is code for "chemicals." Get the best quality ingredients you can, as fresh herbs and produce from the farmers market will make a huge difference in the taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 perfectly ripe avocados
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea Salt (NOT table salt) to taste

My kids are little and aren't into a lot of chunky texture in their food at this point, so if we are all eating it that is all I will use and I just mix and mash up everything really well. BUT...you can also add:

1/2 of a medium sized onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
2 Romo tomatoes (seed and dice them)
(I usually toss the above 3 ingredients in my food processor and pulse them to chop)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (if you are sick, add an extra clove)

Add these to the avocado mix above and stir well! I serve with tortilla chips, on sandwiches, spread on a sheet of nori seaweed and rolled up like a burrito, and right out of the bowl on a spoon.

5 Lessons Learned From 1950's SUNSET BOULEVARD

Billy Wilder’s 1950 film noir classic, SUNSET BOULEVARD, won three Academy Awards and has inspired countless viewers to wrap their heads in leopard-print turbans while perfecting lines like, “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!”

Why do people still freak out over this film? Perhaps it’s William Holden’s cleft chin, or nostalgia for the Golden Age of cinema. Could be that people enjoy experiencing the worst of Hollywood made by the best of Hollywood. Or, maybe we all just like seeing Gloria Swanson, a true silent screen goddess making the mother of all comebacks in this film, do her Charlie Chaplin routine.

Here are a few things we learned while watching the film for the umpteenth time and deciding that we are firmly #TeamNorma:

1. When a delusional former silent film star (Norma Desmond) falls for you (Joe Gillis) – try not to end up floating in her pool, even if you do make the most handsome corpse ever.  Next time you want to leave, try sneaking out the back door while she is playing bridge with Waxworks buddies like Buster Keaton.

2. If you happen to be a former silent film star that has not had a hit in, oh….decades, it is important to pay attention to your budget. When hiring staff, save some coin by hiring someone like Max, who can chauffeur, be a butler and play the organ. Yes, he may have once directed you and been your husband, but—bygones!

3. Don't mix work and, um, pleasure. If you accept the role of Norma Desmond’s male “companion”– be that and only that. If she wants you to work on her comeback screenplay where she will play a teenager, tell her to to hire a ghostwriter. And if you want to hone your writing skills, start a blog.

4. While living with a former silent film star, don’t fall in love with any sweet ingénues like Betty Schaefer. True love does not exist in film noir, and you don’t have time for it anyway because you are busy attending funerals for monkeys and driving through the hills with Norma and Max.

 

5. If YOU are the former silent film star and are losing your grip on reality, one must always remember their adoring public and make an entrance like the queen of the screen you once were. Assemble the police and the press, and descend the stairs of your mansion to deliver one of the most famous lines in film history: “All right, Mr. DeMille. I’m ready for my close-up.”

 

 

 

And by the way...don't bother looking for Norma's house on Sunset Boulevard; it was actually on WILSHIRE Boulevard, and has since been torn down. 

 

Hear my Classic Movie Recall review of SUNSET BOULEVARD here. 

 

This blog was co-written with Tracey LaMonica.

Tea For Two With A Side Of Old Hollywood Glam At The Millennium Biltmore Hotel

The Millennium Biltmore Hotel, a Historic Cultural Landmark, is located on Grand Avenue, right across the street from the Central Library, and has retained its classic glamour for almost 100 years. It opened in 1923, and at the time was the largest hotel west of Chicago. Even now, surrounded by skyscrapers, it still looks and feels imposing with a solid eleven stories. It is beautiful and warm on the inside, and the perfect place to kick back and relax with an afternoon tea break.

The Biltmore has always had a strong Hollywood connection, from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences being founded here, to the rumor that MGM Art Director Cedric Gibbons sketched a drawing on a napkin that was the basis for the Oscar statue, to hosting eight Academy Awards ceremonies in the 1930s and 1940s.

It is tough to pin the décor down to one style; is it Mediterranean? Beaux Arts? Spanish? Yes, yes, yes, and more. As you stroll in, make sure you look up in the Galleria to see the hand-painted, frescoed mural ceiling done by Italian artist Giovanni Smeraldi (one of the restaurants in the hotel was named after him).

Afternoon tea happens Wednesday through Sunday (reservations are recommended), in the Rendezvous Court, which was once the hotel's lobby. The tables are set up beside a gently gurgling fountain, under Italian chandeliers, and at the foot of an impressive Spanish Baroque staircase that you may have seen on the TV show Entourage.

 The Princess Tea includes a pot of tea, a freshly baked scone with cream and preserves, and a selection of freshly baked cakes. The Victorian Tea (which is what I--Lara-- had on my visit) came with more than enough food and drink to fill up two people, served on a three-tiered stand on tables covered in white tablecloths and set with china featuring a sweet rose pattern.

There is a wonderful variety of teas to soothe away stress and help you forget that you are surrounded by the busy streets of Downtown Los Angeles, including Ceylon and India, Black Tea Blended, English Royal Breakfast, Masala Chai, Lemon Echinacea (good for a cold), and Apricot Cinnamon. 

The tea sandwiches are cut into tiny diamond shapes...with the crusts off, of course! My selection included egg salad and asparagus, smoked salmon and dill butter, cucumber and cream cheese, and ham and cheese on pumpernickel. 

The pastries include fruit tarts, chocolate truffles, and  freshly baked scones with homemade Devonshire cream and strawberry preserves that will most likely have you licking the heavenly clotted cream off of your fingers.

(This blog is also up at www.ClassicMovieRecall.com, where you can also hear my podcast.)

Contact Info:
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-624-1011

Tell Me Something Good Tuesday

Why am I hugging two K-EARTH 101 Street Teamers in front of our Surf Pig? Which is, literally, a van with a pig on a surfboard on top.

I got to be a part of Tell Me Something Good Tuesday, which my friends Gary Bryan and Lisa Stanley do every week on the K-EARTH 101 Morning Show. The idea is that people share something positive that has happened to them on the radio with our millions of listeners, and that makes everyone happy.

We took it to the streets (Ventura Boulevard and Allott) of Sherman Oaks early this morning, and we were looking for someone who wanted a $100 Starbucks gift card for breakfast.

It took about 30 minutes to find someone, but a beautiful and sweet mama named Alicia walked up with her little daughter, Zoe, and asked, "What are you guys doing?" As people tend to do when there is a pig on a surfboard on a van behind you.

We told her about the gift card, gave Zoe a Barbie DVD, and then told her about one small twist: We asked if she would be willing to pay it forward and spend the gift card money to buy breakfast for everyone in Starbucks.

She didn't even hesitate, and gave us an excited yes! She called her mom to tell her to listen, went on the air to talk about what she was doing and how K-EARTH used to be her mom's station but is now her station (yay!), and then we headed inside.

It was a joy to see the surprise on everyone's faces when they placed their order and were told their coffee and food were being paid for by Alicia. One gentleman we talked to, Jacques, said he had been coming every morning for years to have breakfast and talk with his buddies (most of whom are veterans), and that this was the first time that anyone had bought him breakfast. And btw, the Starbucks manager, Ashlyn, and her team were AMAZING.

The money went quickly, as it tends to do when there is life-giving hot coffee and breakfast paninis, and when it was all gone we went back on the air because we had a surprise for Alicia: Tickets to see The Who in concert!!! She got super excited, and we were all  so happy to see that she was happy.

I noticed that, for the rest of the day, I did things like let people merge in front of me on the 101 and 405, and I smiled at people when I might normally have had RBF (resting b*tchy face), and I talked to the people around me and asked how their day was going. Mainly, I was inspired to share how Alicia didn't hesitate to share what she had been given, and I am now thinking of ways that I can give back. A day like today is a great example of why I love radio and how it still has the power to make a difference in people's lives.