The S.S. Catalina was one popular ship in its heyday. During its fifty-plus years of operation beginning in 1924, she carried an estimated 25 million passengers from the Port of Los Angeles to Santa Catalina Island and back again. The Catalina wasn’t the first ship built specifically for transporting tourists across the sea to Avalon,Continue reading “The Great White Steamship delighted millions before meeting its ignominious end”
Tag Archives: travel
The USS California served as flagship of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet for nearly two decades
Seven U.S. Navy vessels have been named the USS California since 1867. Perhaps the most famous is the fifth one, the Tennessee-class battleship given the identification number BB-44 (“Battleship #44”) by the Navy. The ship got its official launch on Nov. 20, 1919 in Vallejo, California at the Mare Island Navy Yard where it wasContinue reading “The USS California served as flagship of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet for nearly two decades”
Some ideas for using Alondra Park land didn’t work out, but others did
According to the official list kept by the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions, World’s Fairs in 1938 were held in Berlin, Helsinki and Glasgow. Missing from that list: Alondra Park. I wrote about the history of the county park ten years ago, but I thought a look at some of the early plans for theContinue reading “Some ideas for using Alondra Park land didn’t work out, but others did”
The Gardena Buddhist church has endured for nearly 100 years despite challenges
The first Buddhist churches of any kind in the country were built in the Bay Area in the early 1850s by Chinese migrant workers who had come to the U.S. to work in the mining and railroad industries. The first Japanese Buddhist church in the U.S. was built in San Francisco much later, in 1899.Continue reading “The Gardena Buddhist church has endured for nearly 100 years despite challenges”
A long tale of a short freeway: California State Route 47
The 47 Freeway may not be the longest in the Los Angeles area – only the 3.1-mile Marina Freeway is shorter – but it provides a vital link to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Officially known as California State Route 47, or California 47 for short, the freeway was part of theContinue reading “A long tale of a short freeway: California State Route 47”
Torrance planners struggled for years to connect Cabrillo and Eshelman avenues
Though scarcely more than a decade old, the city of Torrance was humming during the 1920s. Major industrial plants had set up shop there, employing thousands of workers, and developers were kept plenty busy trying to build enough housing for them Many of the workers from outside the area who commuted to their jobs atContinue reading “Torrance planners struggled for years to connect Cabrillo and Eshelman avenues”
Remembering when Western Airlines was “the only way to fly”
If you lived on the West Coast and watched television in the 1960s and 1970s, you couldn’t miss the Wally Bird commercials. In the ads, the animated spokes-bird for Western Airlines reclined on pillows on a company plane’s fuselage while drinking champagne, a reference to the airline’s popular in-flight champagne service. His signature slogan: “WesternContinue reading “Remembering when Western Airlines was “the only way to fly””
The 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Hill put aviation in the spotlight
What if I were to tell you that a French pilot had flown an airplane from a dusty hillside on the outskirts of Carson to the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia and back, safely? I’m guessing you’d be underwhelmed by the 45-mile trip, but tens of thousands of spectators gathered on Dominguez Hill just eastContinue reading “The 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Hill put aviation in the spotlight”
Torrance’s Old Towne Mall developers wanted to add a lot more to the mix
Those who remember the enclosed Old Towne Mall in Torrance often remark on the quaintness of its old-time nostalgia vibe. The mall was built by developer Robert Brindle through his El Segundo-based Lincoln Realty Old Towne arrangement with Mik Brindle, Clifford Hemmerling and the Southern California Financial Corporation. Brindle’s firm wasn’t attempting to compete withContinue reading “Torrance’s Old Towne Mall developers wanted to add a lot more to the mix”
The Palos Verdes Peninsula’s recreational options lured society’s upper crust in its early days
Horseback riding, golf, polo matches, faux fox hunts – all of them were popular pursuits among the high society set during the early development of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The taming of the Peninsula began with the sale of lots for Palos Verdes Estates in early 1923. At the time, there was little sign ofContinue reading “The Palos Verdes Peninsula’s recreational options lured society’s upper crust in its early days”
