Today marks the 162nd birthday of the modern city of L.A., although it was known for 70 year before as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of the river of Porziuncola).
Los Angeles & I have history. My father grew up in the Silverlake neighborhood, which at the time was quite nice, yet very bohemian. When I lived in the city in the early 1970s, the neighborhood had deteriorated, but then the gays moved in & fixed things up as they do in most metropoltan areas & now it is inhabited by an eclectic community of hipsters, the creative class & of course... lots of gays.
I went to college in L.A. at Loyola Marymount University. I lived in Playa del Rey on the strand. My apartment had sliders that opened on to white sand & the Pacific Ocean, with a view of Catalina on a clear day. My Los Angeles life, hardly ever involved L.A.. My universe was very beach & stretching from Redono Beach to Malibu. I frequented spots in Venice & Santa Monica. My friends & I would go into Westwood or Hollywood for movies & plays, but for the most part it was beach.
Loyola Marymount University... my alma mater.
Your Host, the Post Apocalyptic Bohemian circa 1974 with one of my dearest friends- Carolyn. The Afro was real, but tamed down in the 2nd photo when I was appearing in Private Lives. Noel Coward & Afros just did not work.
Recent archaeological studies show there was a culture in Los Angeles in 8,000 B.C. Mostly acting hopefuls trying to be seen by casting directors for the prehistoric version of pilot season. There was much disappointment & a certain amount of violence when it was revealed that film was 27 centuries away.
By 3,000 B.C. Los Angeles was occupied by the Hokan-speaking people of the Milling Stone Period who could sing, dance, act & gather wild seeds. By the time of the arrival of the Europeans in the 18th century, there were 250,000 to 300,000 people in LA., all trying to get their SAG cards.
Los Angeles is the 2nd largest city in the USA & has an area of more that 600 square miles. The urban area of Los Angeles extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of over 18 million. It is the 14th largest urban area in the world. I love the city & I have watched the renaissance of areas that have turned around that I would never have dreamed possible: Hollywood, Downtown, & Silverlake, Glendale, & Venice.
When you visit, & you simply must, be sure to engage in my friend Felix's tour of Hollywood. Felix is the smartest person I know in regards to Hollywood History (plus he is cute.)
Happy Birthday to the City of Angels! I will always love you: Tommy's Burgers, Hollywood, The Capitol Record Building, Santa Monica, Laurel Canyon, Griffith Park, Hollywood, Randy's Donuts, Rodeo Drive, Nate N' Als, Canter's, La Brea Tar Pits, The Getty, Venice Beach Boardwalk, Malibu, Union Station, Watts Towers, The Chateau Marmont, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, El Portal Theatre, Palos Verdes, Swimming Pools, Movie Stars.
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