Tag Archives: Beaches
In 1926, a stretch of Oxnard’s beach was transformed into Hollywood-by-the-Sea – fifty miles west of Tinseltown
In 1926, some bright spark—a real estate developer, I imagine—got the inspired idea to develop a deserted stretch of the beach at Oxnard and rename it something more appealing: Hollywood-by-the-Sea. These days, the drive from Hollywood to Oxnard takes about … Continue reading
The Pacific Coast Highway, possibly Santa Monica beach, California, circa 1930s
I could find no information about the date or exactly location of this photo of the Pacific Coast Highway section of Highway 1 that stretches from Santa Monica through Malibu to Oxnard. What it does look like are the palisades … Continue reading
Santa Monica Beach, California, 1887
This photo is one of the earliest shots of Los Angeles I’ve come across. This is Santa Monica beach in 1887. I’m pretty sure these dozen or so people had their entire beach to themselves, which for this modern-day Angeleno … Continue reading
Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café, 17575 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades, California, circa early 1930s
Constructed in 1928 as a shopping center and seafood restaurant, in the early 1930s, this building house Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café, a fun place owned by screen actress Thelma Todd who unfortunately met an early death in 1935. But until … Continue reading
Saint Mark’s Hotel on Windward Ave, Venice Beach, California, circa 1906
In 1905, a tobacco heir opened what he called “Venice of America” but came to be known as “Coney Island of the Pacific,” which we now refer to as Venice. The development never quite reached the lofty plans that Abbott … Continue reading
A gondolier glides across the lagoon at the end of the Grand Canal in Venice of America, Los Angeles, 1912
When I look at this photo, I can almost hear the gondolier singing “La Donna È Mobile.” I doubt any of the gondoliers who plied their trade along the Grand Canal in what was then “Venice of America” but we … Continue reading
Hotel St. Mark, Windward Avenue, Venice, California, circa 1912
Most photos of Venice Beach taken early in its life (the development opened in 1905) are kind of grainy, so a crisp shot like this one is a rare find. We can see Hotel St. Mark where Windward Avenue terminates … Continue reading
View of Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica crowded with bathers, circa 1920
In this shot we can see Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica crowded with bathers, circa 1920s. Given the fashions of the time and the weather of Los Angeles, I’m sure all these people were very glad to be at … Continue reading
Ocean Aquarium, Hermosa Beach, California, circa late 1940s/early 1950s
This photo of the Ocean Aquarium in Hermosa Beach, California has me worried. They felt the need to add a sign that says “ALL ALIVE!” Are we supposed to deduce that other aquariums features animals that are dead? Or fake? … Continue reading
The California Incline, Santa Monica beach, California, 1916
The steep road that ramps from Ocean Avenue to the Pacific Coast Highway at the bottom of the cliffs along Santa Monica beach is known at the California Incline. It opened in 1896 and has been a boon to Angelean … Continue reading