Tam O' Shanter Inn, Los Angeles

The original member of Lawry's Restaurants, the Tam O'Shanter Inn on Los Feliz Blvd. has the distinction of being L.A.'s oldest restaurant operated by the same family at the same location. Established in 1922, it's celebrating 85 years in business this year.

Parking Lot Booth, Vernon

This old dilapidated booth is in the parking lot of Reliable Tape Products on 50th Street in the City of Vernon, which was founded in 1905 as "the first industrial city in the Southwestern United States".

Ad on Water Tank, Huntington Park

The large advertisement to "Shop in Huntington Park" was placed on the water tank by the Chamber of Commerce in the 1960s. It's at the corner of Slauson Ave. and Miles Ave. Huntington Park celebrated its 100th year as a city in 2006.

Abandoned Train Depot, Azusa

The old Santa Fe train depot in Azusa has been abandoned for quite awhile, but it appears slated for renovation as part of the Gold Line light rail service planned for the community. It was originally built in 1888, then torn down and rebuilt to its current structure in 1946.

Hearse, Verdugo City

A Cadillac hearse built by Miller-Meteor (circa 1970s) sits quietly in a small parking lot in Verdugo City. This is one of those L.A. areas that falls into another city's zip code (Glendale 91208), and has businesses with street addresses listed in La Crescenta (91214), but is part of the Montrose Chamber of Commerce (91020). The hearse belongs to Crippen Mortuary.

Idols, South San Gabriel

This mound of ceramic idols is on the grounds of residential property in South San Gabriel, but there was a sign in what appears to be Vietnamese characters indicating it may be a Buddhist home study center.

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

The view from Loge 151 at Dodger Stadium as Luis Gonzalez rounds third base after blasting a solo home run off of San Diego Padres' pitcher David Wells in the 2nd inning. The Dodgers went on to win, 9-1. Dodger Stadium has been a cherished landmark of Los Angeles since 1962.

Zoo, Los Angeles

The L.A. Zoo opened in 1966 and nearly 1.5 million visitors pass through the grounds each year to view over 1200 animals from all over the world. It's nestled in the northeast corner of Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
I had trouble choosing one image today, so 4 separate shots were combined into this small collage. Clockwise from upper left are the main entrance; a jaguar; an American alligator; and a hippo being fed papaya by a lucky family chosen by zookeepers to help out with the afternoon snack.

New Homes, Montecito Heights

Montecito Heights is a rugged hillside district with great views of the L.A. area. It's an interesting mix of old homes and new ones like these at Montecito Terrace.

Big CATS, Whittier

The Quinn Company sells heavy equipment and construction machinery, like these Caterpillar hydraulic excavators on the lot in Whittier.

Costco, Norwalk

The food court at Costco stores is usually a pretty busy area, mainly because of the great prices they have on a quick meal. For example, a plump beef hot dog on a fresh bun with a soda is only $1.50. The Norwalk store is between Imperial Hwy. and Firestone Blvd., just east of the 605 Fwy.

Easter, Monrovia

This simple flyer placed on our front door this week by Calvary Solid Ground in Monrovia sums up what Easter means to Christians around the world. It says, "Rejoice! 2000 years ago, Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of all men. Three days later, He triumphed over death by coming back to life." The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.

Laundromat, Lynwood

A not-so-inviting coin laundry sits at the back of property facing Atlantic Ave. in the city of Lynwood.

Mural, Los Angeles

A 3-panel mural for Clippers and Lakers basketball at Staples Center hovers above Olympic Blvd. on the Figueroa Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The players highlighted are Elton Brand and Kobe Bryant.

Local, Leimert Park

This cool dude is a Leimert Park local, and was completely comfortable with being photographed while reading his book on a public bench. The neighborhood is a focal point of the L.A. African-American arts scene, and also infamous for the unsolved Black Dahlia murder in 1947.

Store, E. Rancho Dominguez

Pools are the featured items of the day at a "STORE" on Atlantic Ave. in East Rancho Dominguez, which shares the same zip code as Compton. There were no other visible signs that this generic shop was called anything other than "STORE".

Refinery, Paramount

The Paramount Petroleum Corporation produces asphalt at this 54,000-barrel-per-day refinery in the city of Paramount. This view is looking north from Compton Blvd.

Airstream Trailers, Bellflower

Airstream Travel Trailers appear to be waiting in line just outside C & G Trailer Service, an authorized service center in Bellflower.

Classic Service Station, Altadena

Ronnie's Automotive Service on N. Lake Ave. in Altadena has maintained the classic architecture and gas pumps of a service station from another era. It appears that the pumps are no longer working, but the location is used for films and commercials that need a vintage appearance.

Dennis Hopper, Hollywood

This image of actor/photographer Dennis Hopper was shot last night in what can be described as an "only in L.A." moment. I was invited to an event of the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. There was a screening of the 1961 Beat film "Night Tide", starring Hopper and Linda Lawson (inset, from the movie). After the film, host and author Domenic Priore introduced special guest Dennis Hopper and invited him to come up and discuss the movie and his career, which includes "Easy Rider", "Apocalypse Now" and "Blue Velvet". He even answered questions from the audience. There were also a couple of independent film shorts and a slideshow presentation about the Beat Generation in L.A. from 1956-1966.

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.