By the 1920s, it became possible to hop aboard a commuter train at 6th and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles, ride it to Los Angeles Harbor, switch to the Catalina Island Terminal line in Wilmington, and, at that terminal, catch a ride aboard a steamship over to the Island, all without using a car.Continue reading “The popular Pacific Electric Red Car line made getting to San Pedro easy for all”
Tag Archives: travel
It took many years for the two Cabrillo marinas in San Pedro to become reality
Los Angeles Harbor Area pleasure boat marinas have been around for a long time. The Al Larson Boat Shop, one of the oldest, opened its 128-slip small boat marina in 1924. Two marinas were built in Wilmington right after World War II, the Yacht Haven Marina in 1947, and Holiday Harbor in 1954, with moreContinue reading “It took many years for the two Cabrillo marinas in San Pedro to become reality”
The worst accident in LAX history took place miles away from the airport itself
The 80th anniversary of the first commercial flights at Los Angeles International Airport will arrive this December. The former Mines Field west of Inglewood became the city’s first official airfield, Los Angeles Municipal Airport, on Oct. 1, 1928, but the first commercial flights to use the facility didn’t do so until Dec. 9, 1946. ItContinue reading “The worst accident in LAX history took place miles away from the airport itself”
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored the California coastline in the 1500s
In the decades following the historic voyage of Christopher Columbus to America in 1492, Mexico underwent much exploration and development – not to mention financial exploitation – by conquistadors under the aegis of the Kingdom of Spain. But Spanish and other European explorers knew very little about the lands along the coast north of Mexico.Continue reading “Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored the California coastline in the 1500s”
Pacific Coast Highway was part of an ambitious master plan in its early days
President Theodore Roosevelt did not come up with the Roosevelt Highway plan, which was launched two years after his death in 1921. The ambitious undertaking was named in honor of the charismatic late president after the fact. The Roosevelt Highway master plan envisioned the building of an intercontinental roadway that would stretch along the westernContinue reading “Pacific Coast Highway was part of an ambitious master plan in its early days”
The Rolling Hills Country Club’s origin and subsequent iterations
Plans to build a golf course and a large housing development near the eastern edge of the Palos Verdes Hills were first floated in 1958. The area just north of the Palos Verdes Reservoir had become a part of Rolling Hills Estates when that city incorporated in 1957. The roughly 30 acres of hillside landContinue reading “The Rolling Hills Country Club’s origin and subsequent iterations”
Larry Walters takes off from San Pedro for his unbelievable 1982 flight
Larry Walters told the San Pedro News Pilot that he got the idea for his July 2, 1982 flight after seeing some military weather balloons for sale in an Army-Navy surplus store when he was 13. He no doubt wasn’t the first person to imagine tying balloons to a lawn chair and taking to theContinue reading “Larry Walters takes off from San Pedro for his unbelievable 1982 flight”
Panama Canal celebrations at the Port of LA were muted by the outbreak of World War I
The successful completion of the Panama Canal on April 1, 1914 stands as one of the most significant moments in the development of the West Coast shipping industry, and, in particular, the development of the newly minted Port of Los Angeles, founded just seven years earlier. The idea of linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceansContinue reading “Panama Canal celebrations at the Port of LA were muted by the outbreak of World War I”
Changing street names, fanciful road projects often reflected shifting civic ambitions
Enthusiasm was running high at the formation of the Redondo Beach Good Roads Association on Feb. 5, 1913, according to an account in the Redondo Reflex. The group of civic boosters were particularly excited about the plan to build a new highway, Redondo-Riverside Blvd., from Redondo Beach to the Riverside county line, some 50 milesContinue reading “Changing street names, fanciful road projects often reflected shifting civic ambitions”
Trailblazer LeRoy Grannis set high standards for surf photography
LeRoy Grannis fell in love with the ocean and surfing at a very young age, and at a time when the sport was also at a very young age. He was born at home, blocks from the ocean in Hermosa Beach on Aug. 12th,1917. The family made the most of living near the beach. Grannis’Continue reading “Trailblazer LeRoy Grannis set high standards for surf photography”
