Tag Archives: Beaches
Eager motorists line up to be among the first to drive the Roosevelt Highway (now Pacific Coast Highway), Malibu, California, June 29, 1929
Until I came across this photo, I wasn’t aware that the Roosevelt Highway (now Pacific Coast Highway) had an specific opening day. Turns out it was June 29, 1929 and the event attracted 1500 automobiles because the Malibu stretch of … Continue reading
A lone motorist drives along the Santa Monica coastline, Santa Monica, California, circa 1915
The caption on this photo read “Twenty-Five Mile Ocean Drive, Santa Monica” but Ocean Dr is only a few miles long and it doesn’t hug the Santa Monica coastline like the road in this photo does. So I’m guessing it … Continue reading
Santa Monica Air Line, a Pacific Electric streetcar that shuttled people between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, circa 1909
This natty group of Angelenos was photographed beside a Pacific Electric streetcar on what was known as the Santa Monica Air Line, which was took people from the Pacific Electric Building at Sixth and Main Streets in downtown Los Angeles, … Continue reading
Santa Monica celebrates “Pier Day” when the US Navy’s Atlantic fleet arrives, September 9, 1909
Santa Monica pier, which looks nothing like this today, celebrated “Pier Day” when the US Navy’s Atlantic fleet parked itself off the Los Angeles coast on September 9, 1909. They certainly got a decent turn-out. And it would have been … Continue reading
Passengers board the “Balloon Route” tourist streetcar at Hermosa Beach, California, 1906
The Los Angeles Pacific Company’s “Balloon Route” was a streetcar ride that started in downtown Los Angeles and took passengers on a scenic trip around L.A. It was marketed as being for tourists, but in reality was an extended advertisement … Continue reading
Aerial shot of the Los Angeles river reaching the Long Beach foreshore with the Rainbow Pier jutting out into the Pacific, California, December 2, 1955
It’s amazing how being 12,000 feet in the air can change your perspective. This shot looks north across Long Beach, California on December 2, 1955. That wide channel on the left is the Los Angeles river. And that huge arc … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Beaches, California, Long Beach, Theaters
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Fraser’s Million Dollar Pier on fire at Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica, California, September 3, 1912
Building piers along the Pacific shore was a very popular thing, which is a little surprising because nearly all of them caught fire and burned to the ground (or to the water, as the case may be) at one time … Continue reading
A huge crowd gathers in front of Venice Pier, Venice Beach, California, circa 1920s
This photo is undated, but I’d say it’s from the 1920s—mostly because everybody is dressed up in hats and coats and suits while at the beach. Something big was happening that day on those bleachers rigged up in front of … Continue reading
A large crowd gathers in front of the Ship Café on the Venice pier, California, 1905
The idea of a café built in the shape of a Spanish galleon (a reproduction of the one helmed by explorer, Juan Cabrillo, when he discovered California) proved to be a very popular idea when Abbott Kinney’s “Venice of America” … Continue reading
Angelenos dot the beach in front of the Moorish-style Ocean Park Bath House at Ocean Park, Santa Monica, circa 1910
Los Angeles is a city of eclectic architecture, but this one sure takes the prize. It’s the bath house at Ocean Park, which is the beach sandwiched between Santa Monica and Venice. I don’t know who chose to build it … Continue reading