In 1934, a strange publication started making the rounds in esoteric circles, casting beams of hope across Great Depression-era California where there had only been shadow. It was called (deep breath) Mankind United: A Challenge to “Mad Ambition” and “The Money-Changers” Accompanied by an Invitation to the World’s “Sane” Men and Women. Try fitting that […]
Featured image credit: Living in Monrovia In the moments when you first lay eyes on the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, you’ll find it hard to believe that this was a compromised version of architect Robert Stacy-Judd’s original design. He had envisioned what he called a “pre-Columbian cliff dwelling”; a hotel that seemed to be chiseled […]
As a city steeped in occult history, Los Angeles isn’t unique. Yet, LA’s occult history seems much more a part of its character than New York’s, Chicago’s, or San Francisco’s. Maybe it’s the Hollywood dream machine, holding up a magnifying lens to anything that even remotely interests us. Maybe it’s California’s reputation as a harbor […]
By most accounts, Los Angeles is a pretty liberal city. We’re just not the most progressive city when it comes to nudity. Don’t want tan lines? Then you’ll need a private pool, a tanning salon membership, or a lot of boldness and luck. Because it’s been decades since there was a nude beach Los Angeles […]
Featured image credit: Matsujima At first glance, most people would agree that LA has nothing on San Francisco’s hilly streets. In parts of San Francisco, the streets can feel a half-step removed from a roller coaster. While you may think you’re plunging down the steepest street in the world as you hurtle down Frisco’s 22nd […]
Cult leadership tends to be a male-dominated field. But in the 1920s, one woman turned that expectation on its head… not that that’s necessarily a point of pride. May Otis Blackburn and, as history remembers them, the Blackburn Cult believed in a post-apocalyptic future ruled by 11 queens. And this cult, run by Blackburn and […]
If you didn’t grow up in Los Angeles (or did so, but after 1989), then you likely missed out on a region-specific cultural phenomenon that found teenagers, industry insiders, and film buffs glued to their TV screens. For 15 glorious years, a signal beamed out of Santa Monica broke down barriers and expanded minds with […]
The sound of the sigalert LA motorists instantly recognize is like the heralding trumpets of apocalyptic angels. Equal parts curse and blessing, a Los Angeles sigalert could warn of any number of traffic disruptions: accidents, flooding, rockslides, wildfires. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear it in time to replan your route. Other times, it’s simply confirmation […]
Los Angeles can be weird. Often it’s an endearing quality. Other times, not so much. It’s no wonder this city has conjured its own collection of crazy conspiracy theories specific to our locale. Sometimes, they even pop up in this blog, like the time we discussed the legend of Devil’s Gate Dam being a portal […]
Featured image credit: MetroLink Los Angeles is fortunate to be home to one of only three Japan-towns in the U.S. And with Japan an ocean away, many Angelenos will likely only experience a taste of Japanese culture through our city’s Little Tokyo district. Little Tokyo Los Angeles is a protected National Historic Landmark. In its […]
