Rusted Car, Glendora

This 1930s era automobile has a completely rusted body and a ripped-up interior visible through the broken rear window. It sits in the salvage lot of Andy's Auto Center in Glendora, on Historic Route 66, with a glimmer of hope for restoration to its glory days.

Little India, Artesia

A woman wearing the traditional East Indian salwar kameez crosses Pioneer Blvd. in the Little India area of Artesia. There are a large number of Indian owned shops and restaurants along Pioneer Blvd. south of the 91 Freeway.

Judson Studios, Garvanza

An artist carefully cuts the stencils in preparation for a new stained glass project at Judson Studios in Garvanza. The business was established in Los Angeles in 1897, and is still family run, by 4th and 5th generation Judsons. In 1997, the Highland Park Heritage Trust officially recognized part of the area as Garvanza, which was its original designation at the end of the 19th century.

Wildflowers, Gorman

This image is from my archives, circa 1991. Gorman is at the northwestern-most tip of L.A. County and is known for the annual springtime blanket of California poppies and other wildflowers covering its hills. But, because of the dry winter, flowers are not blooming as abundantly.

Snack Bar, Los Angeles

It was difficult to tell if this eerie old snack bar is permanently closed or not because there were no signs. It's on N. Alameda St., just east of Chinatown, in Los Angeles.

Bulldog, Sierra Madre

This happy bulldog enjoys the attention during the street fair at the annual Wystaria Festival in Sierra Madre.

Hawthorne, Blvd., Lawndale

Hawthorne Blvd. is a major north-south artery of the southern section of L.A. County. This is the view north from just above Redondo Beach Blvd. in Lawndale.

Red Truck, El Sereno

This old Chevy truck greets customers at the entrance to Newland's Hardware on Huntington Dr. in El Sereno. The red truck is also featured in murals on the exterior of the building.

Power Lines, North Hollywood

L.A. Department of Water & Power, the nation's largest municipal utility company, runs electricity through these power lines 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This view is looking north from Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood.

Sacred Heart Church, Lincoln Heights

A young man prays by himself in the cavernous sanctuary of Sacred Heart Church, which was established in 1887. Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Los Angeles, dating back to the 1880s, and was once home to a large population of Italian immigrants.

Pony League Baseball, Arcadia

Despite a light rainfall this evening, an Arcadia Pony Baseball game is played between the Dodgers and A's at Bonita Park in Arcadia on the first day of Spring.

Cinema 21, Pasadena

Cinema 21 in Pasadena, formerly Washington Theatre, was built in 1924 and is currently boarded up. But it is apparently scheduled for restoration as part of a new project that will include additional retail space and offices.

LAC-USC Medical Center, Los Angeles

Founded in 1878, the L.A. County-USC Medical Center is the largest single healthcare provider in Los Angeles County. It also provides training for about 1500 medical professionals each day, many of them from the USC School of Medicine.

Wedding Chairs, Topanga

Empty chairs await the arrival of guests for a small wedding at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon.

Closed Auto Dealer, City of Industry

The banner on the left at this shut-down auto dealer in the City of Industry proclaims "Your No Problem Dealership".
No cars, no customers, no problems.

Ornamental Ironwork, Valinda

I don't know if there's any statistics kept on a subject like this, but driving through the small residential community of Valinda, it might be a safe bet that there is more ornamental iron gates and fences per capita here than anywhere else in L.A. County.

Horses, Avocado Heights

Avocado Heights is an unincorporated area of equestrian property in the San Gabriel Valley. The shaggy little horse in the foreground was not camera-shy, and friendly enough to come over to the fence and let me pet him.

Descanso Gardens, La Canada Flintridge

A lone bench is surrounded by trees in a peaceful area of Descanso Gardens. Located in La Canada Flintridge, the site covers 160 acres in the San Rafael hills north of downtown Los Angeles.

Apartments, Cudahy

In contrast to the expensive homes from yesterday's post to L.A. Snapshot, the homes and apartments of Cudahy are very modest and relatively inexpensive. The cities and demographics are completely different. They are both part of Los Angeles County, but separated by racial and financial boundaries.

Suburb, Porter Ranch

For roughly a million dollars, you can own one of the cookie-cutter homes with no yard or driveway, in a tract like this one along Corbin Ave. in Porter Ranch.

Bob's Big Boy, Burbank

The city of Burbank is home to the oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy Restaurant in America. Built in 1949 and designated as a State Point of Historical Interest in 1993, they still offer car hop service on Saturday and Sunday nights.

Hospital Mural, Los Angeles

"Los Angeles", a tile mural based upon original artwork by Jose Ramirez, is located at the entrance to the White Memorial Medical Center in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. The location is significant for me today because it is my birthplace.

Stoney Point, Chatsworth

Stoney Point, near the northern end of Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Chatsworth, is a popular hiking and rock climbing area. There are great views from the top of the surrounding San Fernando Valley.

Old Chevys, Athens

A beat-up collection of old Chevrolets, circa 1938, sit at the entrance of an auto repair shop on El Segundo Blvd. in Athens, an unincorporated district of South Los Angeles.

Beach Boys Landmark, Hawthorne

The city of Hawthorne dedicated a landmark to The Beach Boys in 2005 at the site of the childhood home of brothers & bandmates Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson. The home on 119th Street had been demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the construction of the Century Freeway. The image above is of the center section of the monument.

Madrona Marsh, Torrance

Torrance was once known more for its business and industry, but it's also a city that strives for balance. So it shouldn't be much of a surprise to find the Madrona Marsh Preserve in the middle of an urban landscape, surrounded by major boulevards. The marsh is a natural habitat for varieties of birds, insects, plants and small mammals.

L.A. Marathon, Universal City

Runners begin to gather in Universal City near the start of the 22nd Los Angeles Marathon. A new flatter course was expected to bring in faster times for the 25,000 competitors.

Sports Center, Bell Gardens

Well, guess what? Right next door to the city of Bell is Bell Gardens! And they have a really nice Sports Center, with baseball & softball fields, 4 soccer fields, spectator seating, a concession stand, picnic tables and many other renovations within the Ford Park area adjacent to Municipal Golf Course.

Mobile Home Park, Bell

The scene here may have the look and feel of a lazy summer afternoon from the 1970s, but it's actually the Bell Mobile Home Park today in the city of Bell.

Huntington Library, San Marino

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino was founded by railroad and real estate tycoon Henry E. Huntington in 1919. The Library Exhibition Hall, pictured here, houses an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts, including some of the early editions of Shakespeare's works and a Gutenberg Bible.

Weingart Stadium, Monterey Park

Weingart Stadium, on the campus of East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, hosted the 1984 Olympic Games field hockey competition. But the big annual event is the Garfield-Roosevelt high school football game, known as the East Los Angeles Classic.

View of L.A. Skyline, City Terrace

It was one of those beautiful, clear days after last night's rain. This view of the downtown L.A. skyline is from Rowan Ave. in City Terrace, looking west.

Three Oaks Project, Walnut

An irrigation system is being installed along the hillside of the Three Oaks Project in Walnut. There will be 268 new single family homes built, but over 70% of the 550 acre site above Amar Road will be preserved as open space or natural habitat.

Calvary Chapel, Diamond Bar

It doesn't look like a place of worship from the outside, but Calvary Chapel Golden Springs is a non-denominational Christian church in Diamond Bar. Led by Pastor Raul Ries, 12,000 to 14,000 faithful attend services every week.

Billiards, Maywood

This pool hall on Atlantic Blvd. in Maywood is called Eight Ball Billiards, and recently hosted the $20,000 USBA National Championship Tournament.

Morris Reservoir, Angeles National Forest

The Morris Reservoir was used as a naval weapons testing site for decades, beginning during World War II. Located in the San Gabriel Canyon area of the Angeles National Forest, it's only a few miles north of Azusa.

Monterey Pass, Hermon

The Monterey Pass walls were constructed in 1930, completing a connecting road between Hermon and El Sereno. Hermon, named after Mount Hermon of the Bible, was established in 1903 and has recently been in the news for the preservation of its historic trailer park (see info under Special Notes at this link).

Drive-In Theatre, Bassett

The Vineland Drive-In and Swap Meet is a dying breed in the movie industry. Owned by Pacific Theatres, it has 4 screens, room for 1500 vehicles and is the only drive-in theatre operating in Los Angeles County. The swap meet is open every day. Bassett is a small unincorporated area within the City of Industry.

Fishing Pier, Venice

This is an archived image from 1994 of the Venice Fishing Pier, located at the end of Washington Blvd. in Venice. The pier was closed at that time due to severe storm damage from El Nino in 1983. It was later rebuilt and opened in the mid-1990s, then part of it was washed away by strong waves from a 2005 winter storm. It has since reopened.

Ferguson Music, La Crescenta

Ferguson Music specializes in custom brass instrument sales. Located on Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta, the shop is staffed with a friendly and knowledgable crew to help musicians select the best instrument for their needs. I've always admired small, independent businesses like this that manage to carve out a niche in highly specialized fields.

Soccer, Los Feliz

I'm not really a soccer fan, but the fact is that you can't pass a park or athletic field in Southern California without seeing someone playing or practicing soccer. The field at the Griffith Park Recreation Center in the Los Feliz district of L.A. is well-maintained and always kicking with action.

Law Library, Los Angeles

The Leigh H. Taylor Law Library at Southwestern Law School is nearly empty on a Saturday night. Located in the Bullocks Wilshire Building, an Art Deco structure that operated as a high-end department store for over 60 years before its conversion, the library is a major resource to the legal community of Los Angeles.

Di Pilla's, Rosemead

Di Pilla's Italian Restaurant has been serving delicious Italian meals in Rosemead since 1967. This family owned and operated business has maintained an Old World charm and hospitality that keeps customers devoted for generations. My wife and I love the Angel Hair Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes. Buon appetito!

Mural, Culver City

This colorful mural is painted along the side of a building on Washington Blvd. at Hughes Ave., just above the storefronts. Culver City is an important hub of the entertainment industry, producing major motion pictures and television shows in the area's studios.

Valentine's Day, Long Beach

A couple walks with their bulldog along Bluff Park in Long Beach on Valentine's Day.

See's Candies, Pasadena

See's Famous Old Time Candies has been a tradition for chocolate lovers since 1921. Courteous employees dressed in their signature clean black & white uniforms will pack your candy selections into gift boxes, and set aside a sample for you to taste while you wait.

Old House, Claremont

The city of Claremont is known for its colleges and tree-lined streets with beautiful old homes. The historic downtown area, known as The Village, is filled with shops and restaurants and has ongoing events throughout the year.

L.A. State Historic Park, Los Angeles

The Los Angeles State Historic Park is a 32-acre cultural landmark just north of downtown L.A. A strong community effort has saved this plot of land from industrial development and it will be preserved as a public park. It was once a railroad yard for Southern Pacific, and more recently has been known as The Cornfield.

Ports O' Call Village, San Pedro

The shops at Ports O' Call Village in San Pedro were patterned after the Cape Cod style homes of the New England seaboard. Though many of the shops here are vacant, the seafood restaurants and fish markets appeared to be pretty busy.

City Hall & Library, Westlake Village

The city hall and library complex in Westlake Village was designed by David L. Goodale, AIA of Gonzalez Goodale Architects.