JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

After departing Morro Bay, I continued north along Highway 1, now bearing the name "Cabrillo Highway". Based on an ad I had seen on the local tourism cable channel, I made a sidetrip out of Cambria to check out some local fruit preserves. i was greeted by a noisy peacock, who I think was trying to say "pick the cherry!" If this day of the trip had been an episode of The Polka Dot Door , I would have been told to "get ready, get set for animal day." North of Cambria I pulled off at a lookout, partly to snap shots of the ocean, partly to finish a delicious pork torta sandwich I picked up at a bakery in town. As soon as I hopped out of the car, a torrent of these critters dashed over. I tossed them the bits that had fallen out of the sandwich, which caused their sad eyes to quickly vanish. Now I had to make sure I didn't run over any while leaving the lot (no chipmunks/squirrels/whatever they are were harmed in the making of this post). Nort...

Leaving Los Angeles was a breeze, as I ventured up Sepulveda one last time to hook up with Highway 1 and make my way to the coast. The drive along Pacific Coast Highway up to Oxnard was relaxing, except for the joyous experience of filling up the car. The first station I stopped at in Malibu had six out of eight pumps out of service, and the only unoccupied one was in no mood to put gas into the Grand Marquis. For my second attempt at a Shell up the highway, I tried using a credit card at the pump. No dice - the pump asked for a zip code and refused to skip that step. Cue walk to the cashier. Back at the pump, it took some time and effort to position the nozzle into the tank, thanks to the cumbersome anti-fume covers mandated by state law. Cue a moment or two of muttered obscenities. This is Point Mugu, one of the scenic spots on the Pacific Coast Highway. As you can see, the skies were grey. The sun decided it wanted to stay further inland. At Oxnard, I pulled into a tourist i...

A few days before setting off, I picked a movie-lover's guide to Los Angeles at BMV. I had hoped that it would help narrow down sites to check out, but wound up with a case of information overload. My approach for my full day in the City of Angels was to wander semi-aimlessly and see whatever crossed my path...the easy, tension-free method of travel! My film-related adventures began in Culver City, one time home of MGM. The lot may be gone (the site where the lion roared is now home to Sony Pictures), but the lion remains in a sculpture in Town Plaza next to the Culver Hotel. Oh Lucy...actually this art honours the Culver Studios around the corner, which was operated by Desilu for a time. Another nearby street is named after the first filmmaker to work out of the facility, Thomas Ince. After his death under mysterious circumstances in 1924, Pathe, RKO and Selznick International filmed at the site. Speaking of RKO , I stopped by the studio's main facility at Gowe...

Sorry I can't stop and talk now I'm in kind of a hurry but anyhow But I'll send you a tape from California - Phil Ochs, Tape From California , 1968 Greetings from the west coast! I've dreamed of driving along the Pacific for years and now I'm here. There. That's enough of an intro...besides, I don't want to spend all my time out here behind a computer. *** The adventure began in Detroit with my first taste of an American airport since 9/11. Security checks went smoothly, though there were two guards trying to explain aloud what passengers were supposed to do when they reached the conveyor belt. The mingling of their voices sounded something like this... The flight itself was uneventful, other than teaching me that I should have bought a neck pillow. The sky was clear most of the way, leaving to spectacular views of the land below, even I was unable to pinpoint exactly where we were once we crossed the Mississippi. I landed on time at LAX and...

Before reading this post, check out the related Vintage Toronto Ad on Torontoist . The ad that Dr. Risk ran in the Toronto Star from May 1899 to January 1900—this sample was taken from the May 20, 1899 edition. In January 1900, Dr. Risk left the firm (death? buyout? wanderlust?) and Dr. A. Rose took over. From the sound of this ad (taken from the January 20, 1900 edition of the Star ) it appears there a few changes were made to the office—maybe Dr. Rose didn't like Dr. Risk's taste in furniture or equipment. Note how Dr. Rose holds the line on teeth prices in the face of the Great Teeth Price Surge of 1900. From the November 16, 1901 edition of the Star , the latest ad I could find for the office. It had moved north around April 1901 to Yonge and Shuter, roughly where the entrance to the Eaton Centre parking garage is. McKendry's was a clothing store at Yonge and Albert streets that advertised "mourning millinery" among their wares. The lady is sti...