My Top Ten Historic Places to Visit in California: Non-Natural Locations

Hello Lovelies, 

Today I would like to share my favorite places to explore within the area/region in which I live in. So today I am sharing my top ten physical historically significant locations to visit in the state of California. 

My Top Ten (in no particular order): 

1. Bodie State Historic Park - Bodie, California (Near Bridgeport, California)- Mono County

2. Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park - Yuma, California (Prison is located across the river in Arizona)   

3. Fort Tejon - Lebec, California - Kern County

4. Amargosa Opera House - Death Valley Junction, California - Inyo County

5. The John Steinbeck House - Salinas, California - Monterey County 

6. Manzanar War Relocation Center - Manzanar, California (Between Independence & Lone Pine, CA) - Inyo County

7. Vikingsholm Castle, South Lake Tahoe, California - El Dorado County

8. The Parsons Memorial Lodge in Tuolumne Meadows with in Yosemite National Park, California - Tuolumne County

9. The Hellman-Ehrman Mansion - Tahoma, California -  El Dorado County

10. California State Mining and Mineral Museum - Mariposa, California - Mariposa County



Pictures to come, stay tuned!!...........


My second installment will be the Top Ten Natural Locations to visit in California.


-A

Lost Cities: Monument City, Indiana

I recently saw an interesting article on the current drought in the Midwest.

 It was an NBC news story on how reseeding water levels have unearth some buried ghost towns. 

This story gave me a new look at what our dams and made made lakes have subsequently buried all over the country....

One of the most interesting cases was of Monument City Indiana. It was relocated after the  Salamonie   river was dammed up  in early 1960s.

The Indiana state department of recreation created a guided tour found here. and the Wikipedia entry gives some background info, found here.

     Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

XOXO

-A

Vintage Architecture in Los Angeles

Hello Lovelies,

So to quell my boredom  last night,  I took to Looking at old books on Architecture. Then I went online, only to discover how many beautiful theaters and buildings the Los Angeles  area has. Many of which were right in my own backyard and I didn't even know it.  

Below is one of those such places:

 The Million Dollar Theater in the heart of  Downtown LA's Broadway district:

 

Million Dollar Theatre, a photo by Floyd B. Bariscale on Flickr.

Another wonderful hidden gem is the Los Angeles Theater. 

According to their website: 

 “The Historic Los Angeles Theater, the last and most extravagant of the ornate movie palaces built on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles between 1911 and 1931. Designed by S. Charles Lee with a French Baroque-inspired décor and a majestic six-story main lobby. It also has a 2,000 seat auditorium made of carved plaster ornamentation, mirrors, and cove-lit murals recall the glamorous days of 1930s Hollywood.”

The Exterior and Marquee

The Interior of its Main Lobby

One of the most amazing aspects of the theater from a girl's perspective is the extravagant power room and lounge.  Apparently the designer referenced the hall of mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.  

Take a look for your self:

The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles

The Powder Room in the Los Angeles Theater

There's something so magical about the grand elegance that was the golden era. Nearly every building, park, store, theater, and home was built with such eye for the detail.  A good example of this is the details within the ceiling of the Palace Theater:

L.A.'s Third Orpheum Theatre, a photo by Floyd B. Bariscale on Flickr.

Historic places have such a rich history, many have stood the passage of time, standing in their shells as time has moved on. Buildings, homes, parks and even theaters are no long built as symbols of elegance but as places of commonality. Nothing in the world today is commissioned to be built in same elegance of the golden era. 

This is such a sad realty, even most of clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and furniture come from half way around the world. Are stores are full of easy-made-disposable everything yet what we as consumers fail to understand is that during the 1900-1960s everything was made to last, it had integrity, and most importantly it was beautiful. 

If you have visited any of these places or have a recommendation on something/place I should review please leave me a comment! 

I love comments!!!!

XO

- A