Art & Inspiration A cool roadside attraction!

Los Angeles: Sampson Tyre and Rubber Co., 1929-1930. Morgan, Walls & Clements. City of Commerce; 1990-1991 The Citadel Outlet Center. Photo '91. (SD architecture)

Hey Ron,

Uniroyal gets around. They were also a big company out West in Los Angeles. (actually, just south of, but attached to) When we used to drive up the 5 Freeway to Hollywood for the latest movies and sights, we had to drive past this huge complex. It stood out for miles with that old architecture. It looked like it was the backdrop for the movie, Ben Hur.

We saw the changes over the years when on our road trips up past LA. Recently, in November, that was the fastest way to get across Northern Orange County and through Los Angeles to Malibu and beyond. We have been to that outdoor mall a few times since it opened. The odd thing about outlet malls is that not all big name shops are located at every outlet complex. So, you know how women’s shopping styles and choices affect where you shop…well, this place had tons of stuff for both of us.

Jnaki

It is one of the oldest outlets and it is only 1.5 hours west from the big dinosaurs at Cabazon. (located near another huge outlet complex, but more modern in style)

“It's hard to believe that L.A. has only one outlet mall. But the Citadel Outlets in Commerce (borders southern Los Angeles) offers all the name brands at discounts, plus a unique storefront that you'll not see anywhere else in the world. The mall was built as a tire factory back in 1929 and was constructed as an Assyrian Castle in grand style to commemorate ancient Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian cultures. At the time it was built in 1929, it was called Samson Tire Company and was the largest tire factory west of the Mississippi.

Part of the wall that fronts the building features winged guardian genii, figures protecting individuals from evil. There are also winged bulls with human heads and many intricate and ornate designs in entrance to a shopping mall that's not so ordinary.

The reason that you can still enjoy the architecture and history that Commerce so proudly claims is because of the City of Commerce citizens and leaders. In 1982 when the building could have been demolished, the city leaders took the bold step of declaring it an historic landmark. Not an easy task for any developer to take an old tire factory and transform it into an appealing outlet mall, the job was actually accomplished with the tire factory frontage acting as a grand entrance to a "back lot" shopping mall space, originally the grounds of tire factories.”

 

Cool thread! I wasn't expecting to see so many pictures from Minnesota. I will be sure to get some more this summer to post up. Keep em' coming!

 

Jnaki, that's a beautiful building. I'm so glad places like that survived. Here's a couple places I've passed along the roadside. I don't have any history. But I think it's just cool they still exist. I wander what stories they could tell.

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We spotted this old REO dump truck. It was just sitting in a field alongside the road. My kind of roadside attraction.

 

HISTORIC GREETER’S CORNER LOCATED IN LAGUNA BEACH,CA
1960s 2017
Coast Highway 1 and Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA (red star indicates location)
(in the background, the Hotel Laguna neon sign was taken down in 1996)

Hello,

Laguna Beach, CA has gone through many changes since the 1960s. It was/is part of one of the most beautiful coastal drives in all of So Cal. The city is built all along cliffs, shoreline rock outcroppings, and down to the sandy Main Beach. We have gone by this intersection a zillion times from the late 1950s up to last week. Don’t even think about it during the summer months!!! At other times during the year, this coastal drive is worth the views and its atmosphere.

During the time our granddaughter was little, her favorite beach was the Main Beach boardwalk area. The play structure, white sandy beach, shade, unusual shaped streets, long boardwalk all were inviting items at the Main Beach. We spent many hours and days lounging around the beach and boardwalk.

The Greeter’s Corner is located near the historic Lifeguard Tower just steps away on the Main Beach.
Wasserman photo
The sad thing is this corner is one of the busiest intersections in all of South Orange County. (When we lived here for 4.5 years, we were locals that knew of the back roads to get around from South to North Laguna and back.)

In the early 1960s, there was this grizzly, old, long silver hair, guy standing on this corner of Coast Highway 1, waving at all motorists. (probably more famous, Standing On The Corner than the one in Winslow, Arizona.) He was known as “The Greeter” and up close, rather an odd guy. He was very friendly. But, the locals were worried about the image this guy portrayed at the time. (homeless would be today’s label.) He turned out to be an image that everyone who has ever driven through Laguna Beach, remembers, as well as the great shoreline.

So, today, this particular corner is labeled/called, “The Greeters Corner.” So much for community worries… there are two statues of The Greeter. One is located in front of the Greeter’s Corner shops and the other more colorful one was located in front of the famous Pottery Shack, a mile or so south, down Coast Highway.
at the Pottery Shack Laguna Beach, CA
at the shops located at the Greeter’s Corner, Laguna Beach, CA

Jnaki

There are plenty of memories and stories about The Greeter, from people driving by and yelling at him, to throwing stuff at him in the early days. That whole corner has gone through revision after revision until the present day set up. Several weeks ago, the short section of street called Park Ave. (just off of this corner,) was turned into a neighborhood park with trees, benches and tables for community use. The cars are no longer allowed here.
2017

 

Jnaki,
Could you expand the article above about the greeter? I'd love to read it but I can't. If I try to expand it on my end it blurs.
Thanks. You're a wealth of knowledge.

 

Hey S52,
Thanks for the nice comment. I try to add in some information on all of my posts, rather than just posting a million pics without any information. The Laguna Beach Greeter was a character. We saw him as teenagers and later, when we moved to Laguna Beach, he was still hanging out on the corner waving to everyone almost daily.
This is as large and as clear as I could get the article to fit on this HAMB page. size restrictions...

Jnaki
If this article is still hard to read, I have included some webposts written by the same author and a couple of others. Just copy and paste the http...for the whole webpage to read.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jan/06/local/me-then6
http://www.latimes.com/socal/coastl...-0219-greeter-documentary-20160219-story.html
http://www.thegoodlifelaguna.com/2012/07/eiler-larsen-the-laguna-beach-greeter/

 

Thank you. What a wonderful story.

 

Save the bales !

 

Just got back from Detroit Autorama. I have to add Henry Ford's home as a rode side attraction.

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I kind of like his home in Richmond Hill, Georgia ]

 

I don't know if this qualifies as a roadside attraction but it is popular here in the Northwest. This is not a photoshop. Google it and see for yourself

 

I love the looks of that 29! I'd put the T bucket on the roof. And drive, build, the A. lol

 

A few vintage roadside attractions , What have you seen along the road?

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The north east is having a snow storm. We dodged a bullet this time, an (old photo). But just a little bump to see if anyone has any Sunny photos to keep this thread alive until spring. LOL Ron.....

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I want to thank each and every person that has posted in this thread. I most likely will never see 99% of these places, so I've been "driving" to them in Google Earth to view them. Sometimes Google Earth doesn't let me see them but most show up.

Please keep posting.

 

This is from way back when, for me any ways, it was a BBQ place called Peters soon to be famous.

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Yep, Big Dick's Halfway Inn, in Gravois Mills, MO, has been around for quite awhile. The entertainment is really the customers and their minnow shots.

 

My grand daughter with an old covered wagon. It's at an market alongside the road on Va. route 7 near Round Hill. VIRGINIA. She likes HAMB'en it up! Lol Ron...

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The USS Slater Albany N.Y,
The Slater is the last WW II Destroyer escort.

During the War


1997


On the Hudson in Albany

 

South Laguna Beach,CA
Hey Ron,

There is a TV show called, "It’s always sunny in ....it should be So Cal. After all, we do live in a desert climate only supplied by imported water since the early days. Between the slight rainfall days, this year, it has been sunny as per my photo on "What did you see today"...last Wednesday? So, you guys stay warm, safe and inside to do more hot rod stuff, models and scrounge around your family photo albums for classic old photos.

To keep the idea of the original thread going, here is a great ROADSIDE place in So Cal that constantly draws travelers zipping up and down Coast Highway in South Laguna Beach, CA. Tourists and locals frequent this place because it can be seen from the road quite well. It is on the land side of the highway and the white color sticks out. Then there are the 50s-60s cars and trucks parked out in front. This is the only Ruby’s restaurant in the USA that has these cars as part of the restaurant attraction.

The Whizzer bike, the pop up paper models, and the scale model railroad trains all are part of any Ruby’s, but no one has real life size cars. Some of the Rubys in So Cal have outside view dining. This location has a rooftop dining area open during the great weather and there is a sneak peak of the Pacific Ocean just steps across the highway.

If the association across the street would trim their huge trees, then there would be more of an ocean view. But, the preservationists are adamant against tree cutters in this city. Views are important, but natural growth is more important. Yes, those cars are rotated at different times. They are also locked down with video cameras and extreme, security measures.

We have been there many times, zipped by it a zillion times and it always seems to call for more visits. (food? or location?) It portrays a time past that was low key, fun and those turbulent teenage years of carefree living...(off of your parents.) This location was once called Duke’s Restaurant (a local dentist’s family owned it) and drew travelers/locals because of the huge portions of food served daily. The charbroiled hamburgers were the largest ones we have ever seen in a restaurant. They were very popular with the surf crowd, as well as the huge order of homemade, thick cut fries.

Our 40 Ford Sedan Delivery stopped here in the 60s and 70s quite often, as we would see our friend’s cars here and then it became a gathering of sorts. (Plus the food was fabulous.) If you park your hot rod on the street side parking lot areas, it is/was seen by every car going South to Dana Point/San Clemente or North to Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

Jnaki
Today, it is the same thing. Park and be seen by everyone!

Photo: On Coast Highway: Dana Point to the left and Laguna/Newport Beach to the right

Today, this location is in a prime beach area just steps away from the old Treasure Island Complex (the neatest mass of trailers located right on the oceanfront property, back in the early days…) Those trailers all came down and out, then to be replaced by the huge, Montage Resort and cottage rental places all along this stretch of the coast.

 

Ron,
I'll toss in my part here. Two summers ago my wife and I took of the month of May and drove from Connecticut to California and home. 24 states, 27 days, 8500 miles, it was a "we'll do that when we retire" trip but since we both had jobs with a bunch of time off and kids are moved out, we went.

Let me say this, we are planning the next trip when we do retire and it's going to be 3 months next time. It was the greatest time we have had and saw such great things, this is a GREAT country!

Cliff Ramsdell

 

Thanks guys for all your cool post. Sorry, that I hadn't checked back here in awhile. { CLIFF } THANKS for sharing your road trip with us.What a cool fun trip! {JNAKI } I always love your stories and pictures of the west coast,past and present. { ROBERT } That's some great photos of the USS Slater also. So keep them coming. Ron.... A Photo, of the Shenandoah valley in Virginia. Thanks Ron.....

 

Dont see that everyday! Bones

 

Roy's in Amboy, CA.

This thread makes me smile and sad at the same time. I grew up visiting some of these places and it brings back some great memories of traveling around the country as a kid and then later in my own car. It's a shame that they are all disappearing now because kids want to watch movies in the car or play with their phone or video games instead of looking out the window and seeing the world.

 

I liked this one we saw a while back. Bones