The intersection of Fountain Ave. and Vine Street in Hollywood once had a corner of madness. Its southeast quadrant was occupied by an institution called The Hollywood Ranch Market. A grimy sign atop the sprawling complex claimed: WE NEVER CLOSE. The clock hands always ran backwards at high speed. For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Ranch …

When my mother took this photo of me in BH during the ’70s, we still had JJ Newberry, Jurgensen’s, and a local Home Silk Shop. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly would say hello to you waiting in line at the post office. You’d pass by Edward G Robinson walking his dogs, and Doris Day riding her bike. Freight Trains were …

Burbank’s landmark hotel is a piece of the past and the pop-culture present. The Safari Inn is one of Burbank’s most famous historical landmarks, and still open to the public. This Googie-style oasis has maintained its original retro décor, the recently restored neon sign has been shining its kitschy lights on Olive Avenue since 1955, and the shield-and-spears motif repeats …

It’s been 24 years since the Viper Room—a place famous for great drinks, legendary music performances, and being where actor River Phoenix tragically overdosed—opened its doors on August 14, 1993. To celebrate the anniversary, let’s look further back in time. The square-shaped marquee that graces the Viper Room today once listed the names of three previous establishments, all equally as …

Unpublished photos of the Beatles are increasingly hard to come by, but I found a few to twist and shout about! My friend Laura Fleming and I were teenagers when we first pored over images of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in her family’s photo albums back in the ‘80s. I remember fixating on a snap …