More unpublished 1950 LIFE photos of Marilyn Monroe at Fern Dell in Griffith Park, uncovered in 2009. I know she's only reading screenplays here, but with reading for pleasure dropping 40% in the last 20 years, tell me these couldn't make for a revamped "Reading is Sexy" PSA.

In 1950, Ed Clark shot a photo spread of Marilyn Monroe for LIFE. The location: Fern Dell in Griffith Park. She was still a relative unknown at 24, so LIFE scrapped the pix from that day of shooting. The negatives were rediscovered in 2009 and only then were they published.

The entry to Bel-Air at Bellagio/Sunset is the same since it opened in the 1920s, though owner Alphonzo Bell included gates & guards for years. Homes had "whites only" deeds, common to that era. Bell had another decree: "Not one acre of my land is to be sold to actors or Jews."

The Signal Hill Speed Run, which lasted from 1975 to 1978, was the world's first downhill skateboard contest and an influence on the later X Games. SI covered it by its last year, when 5,000 lined the streets. Many came to see gnarly crashes. (Pix by filmmakers Horelick/Carnoy.)

In 1905 Abbot Kinney created the 3,000-seat Venice Auditorium, the centerpiece of a pleasure pier. It hosted plays, operas, vaudeville. When performancers & their crews set up, they would enter backstage thru this short private railway over the sea. The venue burned down in 1920.

Krishna Venta was a self-dubbed messiah of the cult Fountain of the World, whose base was in Chatsworth's badlands. In 1958, 2 members, pissed he slept with their wives, set off a bomb, killing him and 9 others. Manson tried to become their new messiah in 1968 but was rejected.

Stoked by '70s urban myths & TV shows, I grew up fearing my demise by quicksand. At Griffith Park I can revisit those paranoid days at this sludgy pit in Mineral Wells, which my brother & I once tested for quicksand. I sank to my shins... then stopped. He pulled me out with a stick.

UNREMARKABLE POSTCARD SERIES, No. 105. Bell Gardens, Calif. 1960s.

Several older homes in the Santa Monica Mountains used to have funiculars. This one at 8522 Oak Court in Laurel Canyon is still intact. The house is known as the John Lennon Tree House, where the former Beatle lived with May Pang during his "Lost Weekend" years in the mid-'70s.

I still think about how amazing it was to walk/bike on the Arroyo Seco (110) Freeway in 2023. It was early in the morning on a weekend. Should there be future CicLAvia-type freeway events? Caltrans would have to bless, but imagine this for the Marina Fwy, Glendale Fwy, others.

Hope to update soon on Fossil Ridge Trail by Beverly Glen (closed since '90s) but I did hike another Fossil Ridge Trail near Topanga at Stunt & Saddle Peak Rds. Mostly bivalve imprints on rocks & shells, millions of years old from when the SM Mtns were under the ocean. Very cool!

Since Chevy Chase's doc is trending, I'm reminded of the Late Night wars of 1993, when Fox renamed the old Earl Carroll Theatre in Hollywood the "Chevy Chase Theatre" for his TV show. It was canned after 6 weeks. The theater then had a 20-year run as the Nickelodeon on Sunset.

Superstar Limo at Calif. Adventure was one of the biggest busts in Disney history. You were whisked around in a limo past cheapo celebrity figures who, along with a stereotypical bald, sleazy agent uttered lame gags. After horrible reviews, it closed in less than a year in 2002.

I've run the numbers, and it's official... Most of my 20s (1980s/90s) were spent at Aron's Records, the bygone used record beacon on Highland, and before that, Melrose.

One small step for an animal... one giant step for the animal kingdom... This western fence lizard was the first vertebrate spotted on the in-progress Annenberg/Liberty Cyn Wildlife Crossing, due to open later this year, and will connect the Santa Monica Mtns. with points north.

It's been a tough year, LA. But the energy & resilience of Angelenos never ceases to amaze. As Harry Chandler once said, "It's no more possible to stop Los Angeles than to push back the rising sun." Feel free to share an inspiring SoCal pic to usher in the New Year. #PointFermin

The Valley Ice Skating Center was a modern architectural gem by Carl Maston and Richard Bradshaw (LAX Theme Bldg. engineer) at 18361 Ventura in Tarzana. It had a unique, award-winning clamshell exterior and rippled ceiling. Alas, it lasted only 12 years (1960-1972).

Within years after it opened in 1924, Harry Oliver's whimsically designed Tom O'Shanter Inn, still going strong at 2980 Los Feliz Blvd., was one of the few LA restaurants with both drive-in car-hop service and an outdoor counter for on-premises or takeout eating.

I may be in the minority here, but nothing excited more as a young Dork than seeing "Begin Freeway" signs--like this one in La Canada-Flintridge--whenever my dad would take us all on road trips.

Yo, Adele! In ultra-chic Beverly Park, the diva purchased Sylvester Stallone's mansion in 2022 and was enamored by the "Rocky" statue from "Rocky III" overlooking the pool. Sly wanted to keep it; she said "no deal." Adele bought the house for $58 million and the statue remains.

Christmas Day makes me think of Eartha Kitt, who died on this day. More than that, she schooled me as a young writer and producer, imprinting important lifelong lessons I still take with me. My essay for @laobserved.bsky.social from their archives... www.laobserved.com/intell-test/...

That time when the Barham overpass used to have a stairway leading to a passenger queue for the Pacific Red Car line along the median of the Hollywood Freeway. Photo is from 1949 vs. now, looking south. The tracks were torn up in the '50s.

Most slogans on lawyer billboards are trying to be overly clever by half, but I have to admit this one's a winner, right down to its font. (On the other hand, he's the last lawyer I'd want handling my case. 😏)

For $15 million, you just might have a shot at owning David Lynch's former Lloyd Wright-designed compound in Outpost Canyon. Sotheby's posted photos inside the home, and they're every bit of weird and wonderful as you might expect.

Kelbo's was a portmanteau of owners Thomas Kelley and Jack Bouck (first letters of last names). All 5 locations featured the artwork of Bob Hale, a TV weatherman who put his "Sammy the Seagull" in all his cartoons... though I doubt folks were paying much attention to the bird here!

Kelbo's on Pico was a once-popular tiki restaurant whose signage entranced me whenever I passed it on the bus as a young dork. The dude in shorts, guffawing with a top hat, the promise of a Kelbo's Island inside, the trashy chaos. It closed in the '90s. Did anyone ever eat here?

'Tis the season for visitors to L.A. who want to see the Hollywood Sign. 😎 This map from my book "10,000 Steps a Day in L.A." is the best way to legally hike beneath -- and to the back of -- the sign and get your steps. Park on Innsdale or Canyon Lake by the Innsdale trailhead.

UNREMARKABLE POSTCARD SERIES, No. 104. Grand & Main. El Segundo, Calif. 1950s.

One of the forgotten ranches in the Valley where movies were shot was John Show Ranch in Woodland Hills, whose 500-acre footprint was near today's Mulholland Dr. and 101 Fwy. It was the site of the muddy prison camp in 1953's "Stalag 17" -- its muddy state thanks to lotsa rain.

Chasen's (1936-1995) at Doheny & Beverly Blvd. was THE premier restaurant among LA's glitterati... Elizabeth Taylor loved their chili so much, she had it shipped to Rome during "Cleopatra" in the '60s. Now Bristol Farms, the store kept a corner furnished with old booths & photos.

Will Rogers Park used to be the "front door" to the Beverly Hills Hotel. It also had a tunnel to the hotel that went under Sunset Blvd. It was locked up by the '70s behind a green door but I could see into the corridor thru a crack, itching to get in! The entry is now paved over.

As a counter to the previous post -- many of you eyed the Greyhound station on Cahuenga -- who remembers the sad Greyhound station that was on Vine Street at DeLongpre? The daily parade of downtrodden characters who staggered in & out of there was like a Charles Bukowski novel.

Hollywood & Cahuenga, looking north on a crisp December day in 1953. Bring back metallic Xmas trees, semaphore signals, and trolley tracks.

Before there was Union Station, there was La Grande Station, LA's main railway hub from 1893 to 1939. Located at 2nd and Santa Fe on the LA River, it was smaller but equally ornate, with a mashup of Spanish Colonial, Art Deco, Moorish and Mission Revival styles.

In the 1970s, Mulholland Dr. between Laurel Cyn. & Coldwater Cyn. was the peak of illegal racing. Racers handed out this cheeky business card to lure Van Nuys cruisers up the hill to challenge them. The Valleyites, unversed in the road's nuances, often plunged over its cliffs.

Think about it. Have you ever been to a restaurant whose clam chowder wasn't "Famous"?

Obsessed with this sign in the parking lot of Albertson's in Los Feliz. Guys... you haven't been Lucky Market since 1999, when all Lucky's became Albertson's. I kinda like the sign and hope it makes it another 25+ years before they notice.

Dorksters, "14 Shopping Days" till Xmas, as they say. If you're thinking of purchasing any of my books for the LA fan in your life (or yourself) and want a personalized signed copy, DM me. More info on all of them on my author site.

Before there was the El Capitan on Hollywood Boulevard, there was an El Capitan on Vine Street. The top pic shows a variety show there in 1948. The venue opened in 1927 as the Hollywood Playhouse, changing names over the years, eventually becoming The Palace and now Avalon.

And of couse, if you had one of these bumper stickers, you weren't cool unless it was upside down...

A once ubiquitous bumper sticker in Los Angeles...

UNREMARKABLE POSTCARD SERIES, No. 103. Lynwood, Calif. 1950s.

This Townsend's warbler is making himself right at home in my bougainvillea. Do you think birds named after 19th century naturalists are like, 'you don't own me!'? It would be like me pulling up the first rainbow trout anyone had laid eyes on and declaring it Haddad's trout.

Universal Amphitheatre was demo'd for the Harry Potter section in 2013. But who remembers when the amphitheater was an OUTDOOR venue before they converted it to an arena? Never caught a show outside, but heard it was great. Screen shot is from a "Columbo" episode with Johnny Cash!

House of Lee in Pacific Palisades was famouly the only establishment in the village with a full liquor license, a residue of PP's Methodist origins. Pearl Dragon took over the space (along with the license) but its lease recently ended as PP recovers from the Jan. fires.

Fossil Ridge Park update: My kids & I found a way into the park at the end of Coy Dr. Just as inaccessible as the official entry inside the gates of Mulholland Estates. Droves of pampas grass, dense brush, no trails, lotsa cuts, but rewarded with an oak grove near Buckley School.

LA River, Glendale Narrows, egrets, horses, sunlight, clear day... The serenity I need before the holiday. 😎

The Adler Hotel on Franklin near Argyle is a real gem... going back to previous owners, it leans into Hollywood's golden age... its lobby, parking lot, restaurant (now Clark St.) & rooms (not sure if movie scenes still on walls?). Classy/fun, good for film-loving visitors to LA.

Thomas Ince's estate at 1051 Benedict Canyon Dr. is long gone but pix from his mission-style "Dias Dorados" are stunning. All materials were weathered to look ancient; it included a trout stream, aviary, fruit groves... he barely got to enjoy it, though, dying at 44 in 1924.

Mulholland Estates reneged on an agreed visitor center & EZ public access to Fossil Ridge. Security asks for your ID even though I brought a letter from SM Mtns' lawyers that it's not required. SM Mtns also has blown it. Circled part is ALL inaccessible due to blocked trailheads. #FreeFossilRidge!