When I moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s, I was amazed when I first drove Laurel Canyon Blvd from West Hollywood into the San Fernando Valley. Here I was in the middle 10 million people, and yet I felt like I was in the middle of bucolic and verdant hills, way out in the countryside. In this photo, we’re looking south down the island that separates Laurel Canyon Rd (a side street) from Laurel Canyon Blvd at Kirkwood Dr. It was taken in 1928, a year before a devastating fire burned through five acres. Behind the photographer would have been the former lodging place for hunters that later became the Canyon Country Store, where many 60s-era folk music stars often shopped as they lived in the nearby rustic hills.

This is how that view looked in August 2022 – a lot more greenery!