I am leaving this fabulous vintage photo large and uncropped . . . I think it’s that good. How many Angelenos know that Glendale, once a rather sleepy L.A. suburb, was actually at the very heart of the burgeoning aviation industry here in Southern California? (Unrelated side note: the edge of the small billboard to…
“Tarzana”—it’s one of L.A.’s true suburbs. Located in the Valley. Drive down Ventura Boulevard (or up the 101 toward Topanga) and you are there. Nearly nine miles square, it is pure San Fernando Valley with a ranch flair! Ever wondered how the town got its name? Perhaps the word derives from So Cal’s Spanish or…
The 1979 Oil Crisis was an energy crisis characterized by a huge drop in oil production for the second time in the 1970’s, the first being in 1973. In the wake of the Iranian Revolution, Iranian oil refinery employees went on strike in 1978. Iran’s oil refineries went from producing 6 million barrels per day…
In December of 1964, ground was broken on a magical “Land of Oz” playground in the San Fernando Valley. It was a joint venture between the Van Nuys Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Department, and the Valley Children’s Play Park Association. The $250,000 park was supposed to recreate areas described…
A singing lark and a speeding Lark, both are creatures of the dawn. From 1941 until April 8, 1968, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company operated the Lark overnight passenger train on the 470-mile run between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Lark was train #75 (northbound) and #76 (southbound). It was the only all-room/roomette sleeping…
