LA Explained

Who’s coming to our Walking Tours on @thesunsetstrip ?! 🌴🌅🎸🍸 Join me for an in-depth exploration of the iconic Sunset Strip in West Hollywood - complete with a curated snack by @melsdrivein and sunset-hour cocktail by @barnextdoor_ along one of LA’s most iconic streets. Once a rule-free edge of the city, the Strip became the birthplace of nightlife, rock ’n’ roll, counterculture, and celebrity - shaping Los Angeles’ identity for nearly a century. This immersive stroll traces the Strip’s evolution from 1930s nightlife corridor to global epicenter of music, fame, and reinvention - through legendary venues, storied hotels, and overlooked architectural landmarks. Along the way, experience the neon, billboards, and cinematic streetscape of the Strip, plus a taste of the local flavor from our partners. 🎟️ Tickets + details at the link in bio! 👆 Stops along the tour include: 📍 Chateau Marmont 📍 Sunset Tower 📍 The Comedy Store 📍 The Mondrian 📍 Carney’s 📍 Mel’s Diner SNACK INCLUDED! 🍽️ 📍 Sunset Plaza 📍 Bar Next Door COCKTAIL INCLUDED! (21+ Only) 🍸 📍 The Viper Room 📍 The Whisky 📍 The Roxy 📍 The Rainbow AND the former locations of: 📍 The Garden of Allah 📍 Flipper’s 📍 The Standard 📍 The Source restaurant 📍 Spago (@shamrocksocialclub ) 📍 Tower Records and MORE! 🎥: Features Clips from @thethomvest , Epic America, and @kinolibrary #sunsetstrip #walkingaround #losangeles #rockandroll

🌴👟 The next installment of LA Explained Walking Tours has arrived - the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood! Come walk Sunset at sunset with me 🌇 (we’ll be stopping at various establishments along the way for drinks & nibbles!) 🍸🍺🍔 Here are just some of the sites along the way… 1. Our tour will start outside of the one, the only, the @chateaumarmont ! 1991 pic by Santi Visalli. 2. Imperial Gardens - seen here in 1966. This building, originally a private bungalow, has had quite a few famous hospitality incarnations, namely: the Player’s Club, Imperial Gardens, Miyagi’s, the Roxbury & lastly Pink Taco. 📸: Ed Ruscha. 3. One of the places that symbolizes the Strip’s looser past is the @bodyshopweho - open since the 1960s! This is another pic from the same 1966 series by Ed Ruscha. 4: Heading further west we’ll pass what was for decades The Source (seen here ca. 1969). 📸: Source Family. 5: Sunset Strip icon @carneytrain 🌭 with the @sunset_tower in the background - 1984. 📸: Terry Guy. 6: The @sunset_tower making another appearance in this classic 1975 pic of Robert Plant on his balcony at the Riot House (now the @andazweho ). 📸: Peter Simon. 7: Robin Williams at @thecomedystore - 1978. Before it became the Comedy Store in 1972, this structure was home to Club Seville followed by the very famous Ciro’s. 📸: Wynn Miller. 8: @melsdrivein - a Sunset Strip institution just like its predecessor Ben Frank’s. We’ll be stopping here for some 🍔🍟. 1988 pic of Jessie Hahn by George Rose w/ Ben Frank’s in the background. 9: I’ve always loved Sunset Plaza - here’s a 1959 pic by Ralph Crane of Pupi’s (8710 Sunset). 10: Dining at the original Spago with Tower Records in the background. 1988 📸 by Alan Light. 11: Tower Records - 1981. 📸 courtesy of Billy Vera. 12. Never a bad time to post this classic 1975 pic of @thewhiskyagogo by Robert Landau. 13. two classics - @theroxy and the @rainbowbarandgrill - with 2 more classics: John Lennon & Ringo Starr. 1976 📸 by @bradelterman . 14: The westernmost point on our tour will feature a stop at @barnextdoor_ for a drink… here it is back in 1950 when the space was legendary producer Irwin Allen’s talent agency. 📸: LAPL.

🏛️ Frank Lloyd Wright’s most haunting Los Angeles masterpiece? ✨ Perched high above Los Feliz, the Ennis House doesn’t feel like a normal home — it feels like an ancient temple hidden in the hills of Los Angeles. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1924 using his iconic textile-block style, the Ennis House has become one of the most recognizable pieces of architecture in America — appearing in everything from Blade Runner and House on Haunted Hill to Twin Peaks, music videos, fashion shoots, and countless Hollywood productions. But beyond the movies, the house represents a fascinating chapter in LA history: a moment when Wright was experimenting with geometry, atmosphere, ritual, and the idea that architecture could completely shape human emotion. Nearly 100 years later, it still feels futuristic. 🌴📍👟 Want to explore Los Angeles like this in real life? Join us on one of our viral Los Angeles walking tours exploring hidden neighborhoods, old Hollywood landmarks, architecture, and forgotten stories across the city — including experiences inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, John Lautner, Frank Gehry and many more in neighborhoods like Hollywoodland, Hancock Park, Silver Lake, Venice, Echo Park, Angelino Heights and more! 🎟️ New Tickets & Tour Dates at the link in bio! #FrankLloydWright #EnnisHouse #LosAngelesHistory #ArchitectureTok #Historic

Join me on our first LA Explained walking tours of Venice next Saturday, May 23rd! Tix in bio. Pic 1: looking west on Windward Ave. with Pacific Ave. crossing in the foreground - 1914. None of the buildings in this pic are still with us today - except for one (which is at the NE corner of Windward & Speedway). 📸: Huntington Archives. Pic 2: just some of the amusements and sundries available alongside the lagoon at Venice of America during its first years. 📸: Huntington Archives. Pic 3: ca. 1911 photo taken from the top of the Race Thru the Clouds roller coaster that sat next to the Venice Lagoon (now Windward Circle). The canals you see here (except for the one in the foreground) are the ones that survive today with the Ballona Wetlands in the distance. The bridges across the canals are today’s Dell Ave. 📸: Huntington Archives. Pic 4: @schwarzenegger at Muscle Beach back in 1977. 📸: Michael Childers. Pic 5: Venice has tons of great murals and this is just one of them that we’ll see! “Venice Reconstituted” by Cronk seen here the year after it was painted - 1990. 📸: Claremont Archives. Pic 6: we’ll walk right through this photo on the tour! Just a couple of things have changed since this ca. 1924 pic. Most notably of course - the canals are now roads! On the left is today’s Altair Pl. while the canal on the right is now Cabrillo Ave. and YES that bungalow is still with us! 📸: LAPL. Pic 7: looking north on Pacific from Windward - 1927. 📸: Fantasy by the Sea: A Visual History of the American Venice by Tom Moran & Tom Sewell. Pic 8: we’ll walk by this very bridge! It was built in 1903 as part of Pacific Electric’s Venice Short Line to connect Abbot Kinney’s Venice of America to the rest of LA. The line shut down at the end of 1950 and it’s now used as a vehicular bridge to connect two parking lots. 📸 from 1956 & from the UCLA Archives. Pic 9: the Venice Pavilion back in 1994. Today the only remaining portion of this is known as the Venice Art Walls. 📸: Rob Pearson. Pic 10: the Boardwalk is always great for people watching - and probably no one’s more famous there than @harryperryband ! Here he is back in 1980. 📸: Claremont Archives.

LA in the 80s was the place to be. “I Love LA” by Randy Newman pretty much sums it up: “From the South Bay to the Valley From the West Side to the East Side Everybody’s very happy ‘Cause the sun is shining all the time Looks like another perfect day” 🎶🎤🎸🔊 From the music, the fashion, Hollywood, the Lakers, the ’84 Olympics, Angelyne: it was a full vibe. Now, we’re bringing a little of that magic back with the ultimate ’80s-inspired LA weekend prize pack worth over $900 thanks to our friends at @thecinevita and @stfoodcinema !!! Swipe to see the full prize pack, which includes: ❌ (4) VIP tickets + private table to see TEEN BEAT LIVE: 80s Movie Mixtape at @thecinevita this Friday ❌ (4) VIP tickets to a special 40th anniversary screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off under the stars at Los Angeles State Historic Park with @stfoodcinema this Saturday ❌ PLUS — a customized edition of @laexplained ‘s viral walking tours for up to (4) guests, exploring some of the city’s most iconic 80s filming locations and hidden Hollywood history! TO ENTER: ⚡ Follow @thecinevita , @stfoodcinema , and @laexplained ⚡ Like this post, and tag a friend in the comments that you’d bring along for the joyride! EVERY staged comment is a new entry - and there’s no limit on entries! ⚡️Share to your story for bonus entries!!! If you can’t wait - use code “TOTALLYLA20” for 20% tickets to any and all of these experiences! 📸 1: Angelyne on Vine in front of one of her billboards - 1987. Photo by John Barr. 📸 2: the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games at the @lacoliseum . Photo from the LA Times. 📸 3: Harry Perry on the Venice Boardwalk - 1988. Photo from FB. 📸 4: the iconic Marlboro Man on Sunset with a pretty iconic billboard for Robinson’s too - 1984. Photo from the Claremont Archives. 📸 5: the Jacksons at Leo Carrillo in Malibu - 1984. Photo by Harrison Funk. 📸 6: a 1989 ad for LA Gear featuring LA native Belinda Carlisle. 📸 7: the original @johnnyrockets on Melrose - 1986. Photo by Roy Hankey. 📸 8: @slash outside of the @sunsetgrill - 1988 photo by Mark Weiss. 📸 9: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the 1987 Lakers Parade. Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein. Visit T&C

Guess what!? We have new LA Explained walking tours! This coming weekend will be our inaugural Silverlake (or Silver Lake - the age-old debate haha) tours which will feature many of the architectural gems that make the neighborhood one of my favorites. Link in bio. Pic 1: no tour of Silver Lake would be complete without a stop at Neutra VDL Studio & Residences. Originally built in 1932 with a loan from one of Neutra’s patrons, Neutra and his wife raised their children here and also ran his architecture studio out of the house until he opened his office around the corner. The original house burned down in 1963 but was rebuilt by Neutra’s son Dion with his father’s oversight. 📸: 1967 by Julius Shulman. Pic 2: the Daniel House by Gregory Ain (1939). Built for Los Angeles Newspaper Guild Director Ursel Daniel, the compact home (2 bed/1 bath) cost just $4,950 to build in 1939. 1939 📸 by Julius Shulman.  Pic 3: I’ve posted this photo before but how could I not post it again! Today this view would be looking NW across the Silver Lake Reservoir. The hills in the way back are part of today’s Griffith Park while the hill in the foreground is the one with today’s Micheltorena running along its crest. 📸: CA State Library. Pic 4: the house that John Lautner built for his wife and himself in 1940. This was also Lautner’s first solo project. Undated 📸 from the Lautner Foundation.  Pic 5: we’ll pass by one of only 12 extant homes by Raphael Soriano - the Austrian Spencer House from 1937. 📸: 1939 by Julius Shulman.  Pic 6: our tour will start & end in front of the famed Paramour Estate aka the Canfield-Moreno Estate aka Crestmount. The 22,000-sq-ft mansion was built in 1923 for heiress Daisy Canfield and designed by Robert D. Farquhar. This LAPL aerial shows the estate sometime during its first years. Pic 7: a gorgeous aerial of the southern end of the reservoir taken in 1974. 📸: Flickr. Pic 8: high up on one of the hills that surrounds the reservoir is the Garbutt House from 1923. Built totally from reinforced concrete - this hulking mansion can be seen from multiple vantage points on our tour. Undated 📸 from the LAPL.

Another hotel that I so wish I’d gotten to experience is the Garden of Allah. Located on the corner of Crescent Heights & Sunset, the stories of debauchery that took place here aren’t unlike those of its neighbor across the street - the Chateau Marmont. Originally a 2.5 acre estate called Hayvenhurst, it was built in 1913 for real estate developer William H. Hay. Hay and his wife only lived at Hayvenhurst for a short time before moving into a new house a little bit further east. Another fun fact: he’s the man responsible for Encino. Six years later actress Alla Nazimova leased the property, then bought it outright, & converted it into a hotel in 1926 by adding a number of additional villas on the property. After discovering that her partners in the hotel had almost bankrupted her, Nazimova sold her remaining interest & went to NYC to go back on stage. That didn’t last long, however, and she was back & renting Villa 24 at the Garden of Allah until she died in 1945. Some of the famous people who spent time at the Garden of Allah? Everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald (who lived there in 1937-1938) to Humphrey Bogart, to Stravinsky, Greta Garbo & Frank Sinatra. In 1959 Lytton Savings & Loan bought the property with the intention of demolishing it. A final party was held by Bart Lytton (president of the bank) on August 22nd, 1959. Just 9 years later, the bank was in bankruptcy & part of the property became the strip mall that was there for decades afterwards. The whole lot was demolished in 2021 for a Frank Gehry-designed project that never came to pass. Today - the lot is empty. Pic 1: such a gorgeous sign - the hotel in 1932. 📸: Martin Turnbull’s blog Pic 2: actor Henry Wilcoxon at the hotel - 1934. 📸: Martin Turnbull’s blog. Pic 3: Humphrey Bogart at the Garden of Allah ca. 1937. 📸: Vintage Everyday. Pic 4: Alla Nazimova (with Arch Abler) - 1940. 📸: @davelandweb blog Pic 5: the corner of Sunset & Havenhurst - 1951. 📸: Earl Leaf. Pic 6: the pool scene sometime during the hotel’s final year - 1959. 📸: the Bison Archives. Pics 7-9: photos from the Garden of Allah’s final rager on 8/22/1959. 📸 by Allan Grant for LIFE Magazine.

I wish I’d been able to stay at the Tropicana Motel in West Hollywood back in the day. Originally opened in 1947 on Santa Monica Boulevard, Dodgers’ star pitcher Sandy Koufax bought the place in 1962 so he could make some money in the off-season. A few years later, Duke’s coffee shop opened as the motel’s eatery (and would remain so for the next 20 years). By the 1970s the motel had become increasingly popular with rock bands and their record labels. The place was cheap, centrally located, and had a real vibe. The property was bought by a partnership headed by developer Yehuda Naftali in the 80s. They were granted permission to tear the motel down for a new $20 million hotel with shops. Duke’s coffee shop moved up to Sunset (and stayed there until 2012) and the motel was demolished in late 1987. The Ramada Inn that is still with us today was built in its place. Pic 1: the Tropicana (and Duke’s) in 1985. Photo by Terry Guy. Pic 2: Sandy Koufax standing outside of his motel in the early 60s Photo from FB. Pic 3: Tom Waits (who lived at the Tropicana at the time) with Tommy Ramone - 1977. Photo by @bradelterman . Pic 4: the Ramones - 1976. Photo from the Ochs Archives. Pic 5: the Cramps - 1978. Photo by Melanie Nissen. Pic 6: the New York Dolls by the pool - 1974 Photo by Art Kane. Pic 7: Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds - 1979. The music video for Lowe’s “Cruel to Be Kind” was filmed at the motel (with clips of his actual wedding - the reception took place at the Tropicana). Photo by George Rose. Pic 8: Richard Hell by the pool - 1977. Photo by Blondie’s Chris Stein. Pic 9: Joan Jett and Debbie Harry - 1977. Photo also by Chris Stein.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! May 5th can feel like a holiday here in LA but many people don’t seem to know the historical context of the day. Back in 1861 Mexican President Benito Juarez suspended foreign debt payments to help mitigate the financial situation of the country. The Mexican-American War, as well as the Reform War - a civil war that took place in Mexico between 1858-1861 - had virtually bankrupted the Mexican Treasury. European powers were upset by this and France went so far as to try and install an emperor of European birth as head of state - which they eventually succeeded in doing in 1864. A French fleet attacked Veracruz in late 1861 with the end goal of establishing a new monarchy. As the army made its way inward towards Mexico City, the French encountered heavy resistance near the town of Puebla and were decisively defeated by the Mexican army which was about half its size. This victory spurred national unity and patriotism and is why Cinco de Mayo was declared a holiday shortly thereafter. In the US, particularly here in California, Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican culture, history, and pride. Pic 1: dancing outside of the Casa del Mexicano in Boyle Heights - 1951. Photo from the USC Archives. Pic 2: outside of LA City Hall during Cinco de Mayo festivities - 1943. Photo from the UCLA Archives. Pic 3: Cinco de Mayo - 1954. Photo from the UCLA Archives. Pic 4: crowds outside of City Hall during Cinco de Mayo celebrations in 1945. Photo from the UCLA Archives. Pic 5: a reenactment of the Battle of Puebla during Cinco de Mayo celebrations - 1960s. Photo from the LAPL. Pic 6: Cinco de Mayo at La Golondrina on Olvera Street - 1951. Photo from the LAPL. Pic 7: placing flowers around a portrait of General Ignacio Zaragoza (who lead the Mexican Army to victory at the Battle of Puebla) at the Avila Adobe on Cinco de Mayo - 1953. Photo from the LAPL. Pic 8: Selena at Fiesta Broadway in DTLA - 1992. Photo from X. Pic 9: looking down Broadway during Fiesta Broadway festivities in the 90s. Photo from Fiesta Broadway’s website. Pic 10: Luis & Amalia Romanos at LA City Hall - 1943. Photo from the UCLA Archives.

More Star Wars-related pics to celebrate May the 4th… Pic 1: fans at the @egyptianla for the first showing of “Empire Strikes Back” - 5/22/1980. Photo by Boris Yaro. Pic 2: lines in Westwood at the Avco Center Cinema to see Star Wars - 1977. Photo from the LA Theatres Blog. Pic 3: another photo from outside the Avco Center Cinema in Westwood - 1977. Photo from the UCLA Archives. Pic 4: street view of the @egyptianla - 1980. Photo from Pinterest Pic 5: the daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher grew up in Beverly Hills so there are plentiful photos of her to post here on LA Explained. Here she is with her mother and brother Todd walking in Beverly Hills - 1957. Photo by Earl Leaf. Pic 6: Harrison Ford at home in 1981. Before his acting career really took off, Ford made a living as a self-taught carpenter. Clients included Joan Didion and Francis Ford Coppola. Photo by Nancy Moran. Pic 7: a moviegoer dressed as Chewbacca at a theatre in North Hollywood where people dressed in costume were admitted for free - 1979. Photo by Boris Yaro. Pic 8: crowds outside of the @chinesetheatres during the opening of Star Wars in 1977. Photo from the LA Times.

May the Fourth be with you. Star Wars at the @chinesetheatres back in 1977. Photo from Flickr.

ROUND TWO of our Mother’s Day giveaway series has arrived… and this one is here to help mom live her full Material Girl fantasy. 💋✨📼👰🏼‍♀️⚡️ Inspired by the music, fashion, and larger-than-life energy behind @thecinevita ’s TEEN BEAT LIVE: 80s Movie Mixtape, today’s giveaway brings together a few of our favorite distinctly Los Angeles experiences - from one of the city’s oldest and most iconic hotels, to a bold local fashion label serving serious main character energy. ⚡️🌴🛍️ TODAY’S PRIZE PACKAGE INCLUDES: ✨💿 The SHIBORI STRIPE TUBE DRESS from celebrity stylist and designer Jeannine Braden’s LA-based women’s fashion label @lesuperbecalifornia ($395 value) ✨🫖 High Tea for Two at the historic @culverhotel , featuring your choice of seven premium teas, tea sandwiches, fresh scones, berries & cream, savory bites, and fine confections served inside - or on the garden terrace of - one of LA’s most beautiful and historic hotels ✨🎟️ 2 VIP tickets to experience TEEN BEAT LIVE: 80s Movie Mixtape at @thecinevita BONUS GIVEAWAY: 🚨 Because there’s no excess like 80s excess, an additional winner will ALSO receive @lesuperbecalifornia ‘s SHINES AT NIGHT sequin sweatshirt - the ultimate cool-girl essential for when the California sun finally sets 🌅✨ ($185 value) HOW TO ENTER: ✅ Follow @lesuperbecalifornia , @culverhotel , @thecinevita , and @laexplained ✅ Like this post ✅ Tag a mom (or your favorite Material Girl) in the comments ⚡️ Every tagged comment counts as an entry — and there’s NO LIMIT on entries!! 👉 Stay tuned for our final giveaway drop featuring even more unforgettable LA spots, experiences, and surprises — and don’t miss TEEN BEAT LIVE: 80s Movie Mixtape, now extended through May 31st, only at @thecinevita