When I was a kid in grade school during the late 1940s and early '50s (remember I was an only child), I can remember my mom taking me on the old Red Car line from Van Nuys to Downtown several times a year. She was a pretty good seamstress, and made all her, my, and my dad's clothing, and she always looked forward to those excursions to visit the old May Company, Bullock's, and Broadway looking for bargains in material. Often we would have lunch at Clifton's, and I thought it was the neatest place in the world, with all those different levels, phony rocks and trees, and nooks and crannies, the nifty waterfall, and that really mysterious prayer chapel. I recall that we would come home with bags and bags full of fabric, the total of which cost about $2.00. She used to say how much she would love to be able to have a whole $5.00 to spend there!
Ah, yes. The Pacific Electric Red Cars! I always awaited with eager anticipation the tunnel leading to the Subway Terminal.
I'm not really a serious historian about old Los Angeles, but certainly have a nostalgic streak. If you do too, you might be interested in these two sites:
Update on 2/6: Another memory from today's LA Times: See's Candies. I have fond memories of the store on Van Nuys Blvd. in the 1950s, and the picture of Mary See always reminded me of my own grandmother. I also enjoy periodically driving through See Canyon, named for the same family, which is between Avila Beach and San Luis Obispo -- really rustic and little known.
I noticed the mural of the tunnel of the Red Car in the Times today as well. There are plenty of sites around Los Angeles and Orange County that still commemorate the Red Car.
ReplyDeleteIf you've never seen it, the movie, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" offers a hilarious alternative to the Red Car's demise.
Electronic Breadcrumbs
Paul Myers
We look forward to seeing you back soon, Fr. Tom. Since I, too, was a Van Nuys kid (at least between the ages of 2 and 5), my earliest memories are of being there in the days of Red Car trips downtown, which I also made with my mom. I remember going to see movies at the Van Nuys Drive-In and the Reseda Drive-In, trips to the duck pond in Reseda Park and dinner at the Encino Inn, with a "Shirley Temple" for me. There was a small place we called Frosty Freeze on Sherman Way which had wonderful chocolate malts! I can also recall a J.C. Penney store in "downtown" Van Nuys (I think)with a mezzanine floor where I always wanted to go for the sheer joy of climbing the staircase, and with those intriguing little metal tubes that traveled back and forth on cords above the shoppers' heads. Birmingham Army Hospital (now the site of Birmingham High, of course) was within walking distance of our house and my mom volunteered there while I played in a childcare area on the front perimeter along Van Owen. And, of course, the year it snowed in Van Nuys! I was a little young to remember that, but have photos of the snow and me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can recall stopping to buy fresh tomatoes
at a roadside stand next to a field not far from home. On my infrequent trips to the Valley in the years since, I'm amazed at how much it's changed!
Kathryn Kirui
Funny how life is -isn't it? My Mother too was a seamsters. She made most of our clothes and even our school uniforms. I remember going with her and my sister to J.J. Newberry, The May Company or The Broadway to buy her Milward #10 sewing needles, that she used home and at work. Working in the garment district, is how she kept bread on the table. I too remember Clifton's Cafeteria and the excitement at the prize that was handed to us, when our parents were paying the bill. For most of my childhood and some of my adult life, I lived in the L.A. area. Oh the memories of it all!
ReplyDelete~KD