Tag Archives: Beaches
Looking down Manhattan Beach Blvd to the pier, Los Angeles, circa early 1950s
Here’s a very California scene for you. This photographer was standing in the middle of Manhattan Beach Boulevard looking down the hill and along the pier. It’s odd not seeing the palm trees that are there now—I assumed they’d been … Continue reading
Windward Ave, Venice, California, circa 1915
This photo of Angelenos out for a stroll along Windward Ave at Venice Beach circa 1915 kind of makes me wish they had Kodachrome back then. Abbot Kinney’s “Venice of America” project was only 10 years old at that point … Continue reading
The North Beach Bath House salt water plunge, Santa Monica beach, California, July 1901
Back around the turn of the century, going to the beach meant more than throwing your towel down onto the sand and cracking open a paperback. You also had the option of going to a public bath house. This photo … Continue reading
Hotel Arcadia, the first upscale hotel on Santa Monica beach, circa late 1800s
California’s plentiful sun and fresh sea air has long been a draw for ailing and half-frozen Easterners. So finally landing on California soil must have been a relief—especially if this is where they dug in their toes. This is the … Continue reading
Angelenos strolling the boardwalk between Venice and Ocean Park, California, circa 1910s
These days, the boardwalk from Venice Beach and Ocean Park (the beach directly south of Santa Monica) is a tumultuous carnival of barking street performers, hipster tarot card readers, henna tattooists, angry bible thumpers, dubious marijuana dispensaries, and barely-clad roller-bladers. … Continue reading
Redondo Beach Bath House, Casino and Auditorium, California
I came along too late to experience any of the huge bath houses that dotted the Californian coastline, which is a shame because I’d love to have seen at least one of them. This was the bath house at Redondo … Continue reading
Police about to be repelled by water canons from the SS Rex gambling boat off the Santa Monica coast in 1939
The SS Rex was a gambling ship that sat off the Santa Monica coast during the late 1930s. At the time, gambling was illegal in California but technically, the Rex was operating within the law because it sat more than three … Continue reading
Venice Miniature Railway train crossing over a canal bridge en route to Windward Ave, Venice Beach, California, circa 1905
Evidently, Abbot Kinney thought of everything when he created “Venice of America” (which we know today simply as Venice Beach.) Not only did he build a system of canals, but he also thought to install a miniature railway so that … Continue reading
Girl in 1955 Thunderbird drives the streets of Surfridge, California
Nothing can beat Kodachrome photography for clarity and vibrancy of color. In this photo, we can see some lucky girl drive her 1955 Thunderbird (look at that gorgeous blue!) along Ney Street in the beachside development known as Surfridge. Just … Continue reading
A crowded Venice Beach, California, 1917
People dressed for the beach a whole lot differently today than they did in 1917, when this photo was taken on Venice Beach. The place is crowded so I’m assuming it’s not the dead of winter. But look at how … Continue reading