It wasn’t until I came across this photo looking east along Wilshire Blvd from Ridgeley Dr that I knew they decorated Wilshire for the holidays. These Christmas trees along the median strip aren’t a patch on the electric trees that used to line Hollywood Blvd in December, but it’s still a festive touch. I love seeing the sign for the Ontra Cafeteria on the left. Cafeterias used to dot the L.A. cityscape quite a lot back then. The Volkswagen Bug arrived in the US in 1949, so judging by that one in the foreground and some other cars we can see here, I’m guessing this photo was taken some time in the late 1950s.
Roughly the same view in April 2019:
The Karmann Ghia at left was introduced in 1955, and there’s a 1955 Chevy in the background and what appears to be a 1958 Pontiac going the other way, so I make it late 50s. 😀
Thanks, MMM!
The VW bug is also a 1955, and I bought one new in 1955. There were not that many in LA at the time and to see a ’55 bug and ’55 Ghia-Karman Coupe in the same street shot is really unique. Mine was strato-blue with a sun roof just like this one. That could very well be me driving along Wilshire Blvd. I can’t read the license plate, and not sure I can recall my plate number.
Wouldn’t it be funny if it did turn out to be you!
I avoid driving on Wilshire, so I wasn’t aware that the El Rey was gone. *sigh*
I’m not sure where you got that info, Bill, but the El Rey is still around: https://www.theelrey.com/