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Local Flavor | Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
How Baxter Became One of L.A.’s Steepest Streets
With its 32 percent grade, how did Baxter Street ever get built?
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
How Sepulveda Canyon Became the 405
L.A.'s most hated stretch of freeway began as a bucolic country road through the Santa Monica Mountains.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
California’s wildflower ‘super bloom’ is so massive you can see it from space - The Washington Post
The change since last year is remarkable.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Where to Find the Lost Cities of L.A.
California may be famous for its ghost towns, but you don’t have to travel as far north as Gold Country, Death Valley, or even the Mojave to see one. Here are five great lost cities within arm’s reach from L.A., and what to look for when you visit.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
A Guide to Art Deco Los Angeles | KCET
If you’d like nothing more than to kick up your heels to the Charleston or the Foxtrot in some “Roaring Twenties” garb, celebrating the magic of the Jazz Age, then it’s time to immerse yourself in all the Art Deco that Los Angeles has to offer.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Angeles Crest: The Creation of L.A.’s Highway Into the Heavens
Built between 1929 and 1956, the Angeles Crest Highway forever changed the once-remote mountain backcountry it traverses.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Two Amazing Spots to See Tens of Thousands of Monarch Butterflies
Each year hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies flock to several small groves up and down the state's beachside communities. In turn, locals and tourists come out in droves to witness this wintering spectacle.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
5 Best Haunted Hiking Trails
Here are the five best haunted hikes in Southern California – for ghost hunters and skeptics alike. Take only photos, and leave only footprints, so the spirits stay wherever they may dwell.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
How Did L.A. Become a City of Palms? And Other Questions About California's Trees
Q&A with historian Jared Farmer, author of "Trees in Paradise: A California History."
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Six Great Stair Treks to Help Work Off Thanksgiving Dinner
If you forgot to train for your local Turkey Trot this year, here are six great places to take the stairs after your Thanksgiving dinner.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
When Oil Derricks Ruled the L.A. Landscape | KCET
Vintage photos reveal a time when Southern California was a forest of oil derricks.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Video: A Train Ride Down PCH in 1898 | KCET
The train tunnel in this 1898 film is now where Interstate 10 turns into Pacific Coast Highway.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Transforming the Taco: The Origins of Taco Bell | KCET
For the innovative, restless Glen Bell, the opening of the first Taco Bell was simply the idea that finally caught fire, after a decade of working to bring a Mexican-inspired menu to the masses.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Laws That Shaped L.A.: How Bunker Hill Lost its Victorians
How did all the grand mansions of Bunker Hill get demolished? Blame a 1949 law that pushed forward the agenda of "redevelopment."
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Six Great LA “Lakes”
Natural lakes are a rarity in Southern California but maybe it doesn’t matter if a lake in LA is “real” or not. Whether it’s fishing, boating, birding, or picnicking, here are six great bodies of water we call “lakes” of greater LA.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
You can now hike 67 miles through the Santa Monica Mountains uninterrupted
For more than 50 years, Southern Californians have dreamed of following an uninterrupted trail among the sycamore canyons and sandstone peaks of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
5 Species You Might Have Mistakenly Thought Were California Natives | KCET
Did you know that all of these animals are exotics that were introduced to California? Some of the entries on this list may surprise you.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
When the Hippodrome Was Hip: The Looff Carousel and the Era of Seaside Amusement
Over 90 years of exposure to sea salt and smog seems to have settled a permanent coat of sticky dust over the Santa Monica Hippodromes walls.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
6 Grand Estates of a Bygone Era | KCET
Explore the opulence of yesteryear and experience the grandeur of a bygone era—from the mountains and valley to the beach.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
What Happened in the Elysian Hills Before the Dodgers? | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET
Before Scully, Koufax, or Lasorda, other legends emerged from L.A.'s Elysian Hills: man-eating lions on the prowl; an incredible "moving mountain" and an Edenic garden of exotic trees.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Watch 'Lost Wetlands' | Lost L.A. | Shows | KCET
Los Angeles is no desert -- just ask the researchers who discovered a matrix of wetlands surrounding Ballona Creek that were paved over long ago.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Prisoners of Fame: Falcon Lair, Rudolph Valentino, Doris Duke, and the Cult of Celebrity Death | Lost Landmarks | Departures
In the 1920s, Hollywood heartthrob Rudolph Valentino retreated behind the walls of his estate, Falcon Lair, until his flame was snuffed out by his own self-destruction. Falcon Lair is proof that all that glitters is not gold.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Griffith Park's Lesser-Known Wonders | Excursions | Travel | KCET
Beat the crowds by visiting these unexpected landmarks, where secrets and mysteries abound.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
The 5, the 101, the 405: Why Southern Californians Love Saying 'the' Before Freeway Numbers
How did Southern Californians come to treat their highway route numbers as if they were proper names?
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
The Most Haunted Places in Los Angeles | Excursions | Travel | KCET
For a little taste of paranormal activity, visit one of these historic L.A. landmarks and be reminded that you are not alone -- even when you're by yourself.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Marion's Playground: The Story of the Annenberg Community Beach House | Lost Landmarks | Departures Columns | KCET
Pictures of Marion Davies were everywhere at the lavish beach retreat built by her longtime love William Randolph Hearst.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Holy Cross Cemetery: A Catholic Oasis with a Macabre Twist
From the first Korean saint to the first dracula (aka Bela Lugosi), diverse tales of people from many different continents are all united by a single religion at this Culver City cemetery.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
'The Suicide': The Hotel Cecil and the Mean Streets of L.A.'s Notorious Skid Row | Lost Landmarks | Departures Columns |
If you ever want to experience loneliness in the midst of a metropolis, take a trip to the Hotel Cecil in downtown.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Clifford Clinton: The Man and His Cafeteria Shaped Food and Politics in L.A. | Departures | KCET
Clifford Clinton, best known as the founder of Clifton's Cafeteria, was not only a colorful restaurateur, but also a political reformer, mayoral candidate, and the founder of Meals for Millions.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
No Further West: The Design of Los Angeles Union Station | Los Angeles | Artbound | KCET
A new exhibition at L.A.'s Central Library features the architectural drawings, sketches and blueprints that expressed the calculated vision of Union Station.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
When San Bernardino Was a Mormon Colony
In 1851, 437 Latter-day Saints set out from the Great Salt Lake City to establish a Mormon foothold in Southern California.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Marina del Rey: Southern California's Comeback Kid: [CITY] Features Article by 10Best.com
Marina del Rey sits among some of the most sought-after communities in southern California: Santa Monica, Venice and Playa del Rey, to name a few. Despite turning 50 this year, this spot is turning even more heads and attracting even more visitor
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Photos: How Oil Wells Once Dominated Southern California's Landscape | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET
Ever since oil was discovered near downtown L.A. in 1892, extracting petroleum from the land beneath has been a major part of the Southern California economy.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Walking East of West L.A.: The Photography of Kevin McCollister | Los Angeles | Artbound | KCET
Photographer Kevin McCollister captures the beauty of L.A.'s lonelier, hidden contours.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
$1.3 Billion L.A. River Habitat Restoration Plan Unanimously Approved in D.C.
The $1.3 billion river habitat restoration plan was unanimously approved this morning by the Civil Works Review Board of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington D.C.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Off the Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Knickerbocker Hotel's Haunted History | Lost Landmarks | Departures Columns | KC
The building itself appears tired and worn out, and its history has been as jammed packed and traumatic as any melodrama made by the city that it calls home.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Last House Standing on Bunker Hill | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET
By 1969, bulldozers had cleared Bunker Hill of its Victorian mansions. Steam shovels had shaved 30 feet off its summit. Only one stubborn house remained.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Great Hikes: The Murphy Ranch Trail | Hiking | SoCal Wanderer | KCET
Explore the ruins of the Pacific Palisades ranch that was meant to be a Nazi encampment.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
The Music Stops for the Original Disneyland Band
The Disneyland Band has been playing since opening day of the amusement park on July 17, 1955. Recently, Disneyland announced the last performance of the original assemble will be on July 16, a day before the 60th anniversary of the park.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
The Lost Canals of Venice of America [Expanded] | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET
The seven original canals of Venice, California, are lost to history -- long ago filled in, paved over, and converted into residential streets.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
L.A.'s Historic Hiking Destinations | Hiking | SoCal Wanderer | KCET
There are plenty of Los Angeles hikes for those that enjoy a bit of beautiful decay.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Top 5 Beach Camping Sites in California | Camping | SoCal Wanderer | KCET
Pitch a tent and watch the sunset from any of these glorious beach camping sites.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
6 Cool Animals That Live Only in California
Our state has a lot of what ecologists call
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
How L.A. Celebrated Sunset Boulevard's Opening in 1904
Sunset may have been its name, but the boulevard's grand opening on May 14, 1904, marked the dawning of a new age in Los Angeles.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
L.A. ON LP: The Search for Locations on Classic Album Covers
Oliver Wang explores the different locations and time eras that are captured in the LP art of L.A.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
A Whimpering Roar: The Old Griffith Park Zoo, Then and Now | Lost Landmarks | Departures Columns | KCET
Parts of the old zoo at Griffith Park still stand, and they are moving reminders that sometimes humans just don't know best when it comes to animals.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Top 5 Old California Lighthouses | Outdoors | SoCal Wanderer | KCET
Take a coastal tour through California's history at any one of these old lighthouses.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
When L.A. Was Empty: Wide-Open SoCal Landscapes
Early photographs of Los Angeles surprise for many reasons, but often what's most striking is how empty the city looks.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Photos: Aliso Street, Before It Became the 101 Freeway | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET
Long before it became the downtown portion of the 101 freeway, Aliso Street was a major transportation corridor for early Los Angeles.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
8 of the Best Places to See the Night Sky in L.A. County
There are a few places closer at hand in L.A. County where the night skies are dark enough to make tilting your head upward worthwhile.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
The 10 Best Chinese Dumplings in Los Angeles
Without a doubt, the Chinese are the champions of dumplings. We've rounded up ten different types of Chinese dumplings in Los Angeles.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Public Swimming Pools in Los Angeles
History buff, aspiring athlete, or desert rat? There's a public swimming pool out there that will suit your preferences.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Tours Now Available at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Excursions | Travel | KCET
There's a lot of L.A. history to be learned from this new program.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Highland Park Preservation | 6 Rise of the Inner City | Departures | KCET
The transformation of Highland Park's landscape from single family homes to high density apartments spurred some local residents and preservationists to act to protect the heritage of this historical Arroyo Seco community.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
11 Places You Have To See In The California Desert | Guides | SoCal Wanderer | KCET
The California desert offers millions of acres of amazing things to see and do. With so much to choose from, where does a person start?
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Lower Arroyo | Nature | Highland Park Field Guide | KCET
The Lower Arroyo Seco presents a beautiful terrain for relaxation. Head up the street to the Gamble House, one of the premiere Craftsman homes in the area. Also, the Nature Park includes a fly casting pond and archery range.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Why Isn't There a Freeway to Beverly Hills?
It's the missing link of L.A.'s freeway network -- the 2, a direct connection between the Westside's 405 and Hollywood's 101.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
California Strawberry Day: Strawberries for Every Course
California harvests the most strawberries in the country, so it's only fitting that the state has its very own Strawberry Day on March 21.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
L.A.'s Famous Four-Level Freeway Interchange, 'The Stack,' Turns 58
Fifty-eight years ago today, the Four Level interchange first opened to traffic. This iconic concrete ribbon that binds the 101 and 110 freeways is an almost inescapable feature of many Southern Californians' commute.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
The Catalina Casino: The Magic Isle's Art Deco Pleasure Palace
There's a feeling that the party has passed its grandeur at the landmark structure built by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, as the centerpiece of his dream resort on Avalon Bay.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Murals at El Monte Station: Eloy Torrez | East of East | Departures Columns | KCET
Artist Eloy Torrez invites viewers at the El Monte Bus Station to venture out of their ordinary daily life into unexpected territories as he also pushed himself to explore new aspects of his arts practice and identity.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Monomania L.A.: Ernest Marquez and Rancho Boca de Santa Monica | Los Angeles | Artbound | KCET
Ernest Marquez' family arrived in California in 1771. What began as a quest to illustrate a family history turned into a collection of 4,600 rare photos of historical Southern California.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Home on the California Range: Ranch Housing in Postwar America | Intersections | Departures Columns | KCET
The bohemian aesthetic of the "bungalow boom" gave way to the ranch house, as popularized by architect Cliff May, the "Father of American Ranch Houses."
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Regional Chinese Food Guide To Los Angeles
To mark the Chinese New Year, we've compiled a list of all the regions of China represented in the greater Los Angeles area.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
We Shall Never Know: Murder, Money and the Enduring Mystery of Greystone Mansion
Now a public park, the stone-faced Tudor mansion is a palace of dreams and illusions that was once the site of a double murder, involving one of the city's most prominent families.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Before the 110 Freeway, Figueroa Street Ran Through These Tunnels
Until 1943, the Art Deco tunnels carried Figueroa Street's two-way traffic through the Elysian Hills.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Dick Clark's unbelievable Flintstones-style house finally sells at half off, after nearly 3 years
Despite its 360-degree vistas in Malibu, the undeniably eccentric property goes for only $1,777,777 -- about half the initial asking price.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
Cracking the mystery of L.A.'s 'Nazi' ranch - Yahoo Homes
From Yahoo Homes: The urban ruins are the stuff of legend. A trove of blueprints reveals plans for a self-sustaining compound with a mansion fit for a world leader -- perhaps even Hitler himself.
Miscellaneous | Local Flavor
History of Development in L.A., O.C. Counties Tied to Sugar Beets | Where We Are | SoCal Focus | KCET
The homely sugar beet begat development in both Los Angeles and Orange counties at the turn of the 20th century. The city of Los Alamitos began with sugar, but celebrating the beet isn't entirely sweet.
