Although we cannot get into the minds of the people waiting in a queue on a cold day in Chukotka, Soviet Union back in 1985 to get wine, or what the daredevil sky boys who built the Empire State Building in 1930-31 were thinking when balancing unsecured on the 88th floor, we can get a fairly good glimpse into the wonders of history.
The photo above shows The End Cafe at the end of the Huntington Beach Pier in February 1983. (This photo was taken by lifeguard Kai Weiss...
A modo suo geniale, perchè per raccontare l'America degli anni Sessanta e Settanta, bisogna saper interpretare. Se poi il racconto si snoda sulle ta…
On the way up to LA last weekend, we stopped at Don the Beachcomber's in Huntington Beach for some classic Tiki cocktails and pupus. The cocktails were excellent and even we were even pleasantly surprised by the food, which was good.
From its inception on Dec. 4, 1881, the Los Angeles Times has been an integral part of this great city. Our metropolis has changed dramatically over the past 130 years, but one thing has remained c…
The history of Hamboards, revolves around a family of seven surfers from Huntington Beach, California. The project took eight years to be completed, and the result, is feeling like you’re out in the water on your surfboard... Surfers and skate boar
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Huntington Beach is a destination for surfers, beach lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.
White sand, black gold: When oil derricks loomed over California beaches
There are no known copyright restrictions on this image. All future uses of this photo should include the courtesy line, "Photo courtesy Orange County Archives." Comments are welcome after reading our Comment Policy.
“I wish it was still there.” Those words are often uttered by music lovers who experienced the legendary Golden Bear – and also by those who missed the iconic era in Surf CityR…
The heart of Huntington Beach State Park is Anna and Archer’s Huntington’s former winter home, studios, and stables – Atalaya. The name is Spanish for watchtower, the dominant architectural feature of the castle-like structure that Archer designed based on memories of his travels to the Mediterranean Coast. The watchtower may not have served as a...Read More
WOLFpak lands on Monopoly! Pass Go And Collect Your Limited Edition Collab Gameboard! 🎩🎒 Monopoly x WolfPak Collaboration: Huntington Beach is a dream location for outdoor enthusiasts, families, and visitors alike! Ride your bicycle or rollerblade down to the pier, for an essential sunset viewing. Take a surf lesson, get a tan, or play beach volleyball with your friends. Bring your RV for camping or make s'mores by the bonfire. Head over to Main Street and check out the many fantastic local cafes and upscale eateries. Pick up an açai bowl from Banzai Bowls and walk over to the International Surfing Museum for a surf history lesson. There is so much beauty, surf, and sun to soak in and you can enjoy it all in one place — the Huntington Beach edition of MONOPOLY. Travel around the board and buy up iconic locations like Main Street, Pacific City and the Pacific Coast Highway. Pick up Chance and Community Chest cards for unexpected prizes and penalties: will you wipe out while surfing, or end up in Jail for polluting the Great Barrier Reef? There's only one way to find out: roll the dice and build your Californian empire in Huntington Beach MONOPOLY! Key Features PERFECT FOR SURFERS, SWIMMERS AND SNORKELERS: this new Huntington Beach edition of Hasbro's classic board game Monopoly is perfect for 2–6 players and makes a great gift for fans aged 8 and up INCLUDES 8 CLASSIC METAL TOKENS and new, recognizable spaces, like the Skate Park, the Pier and the Bolsa Chica Wetlands UNIQUE GAME BOARD featuring a stunning sunset montage of Huntington Beach BUILD YOUR HUNTINGTON EMPIRE: buy up color sets and use custom Monopoly money to expand your empire by building houses and hotels WILL YOU OUTSMART YOUR OPPONENTS? Watch out for custom Chance and Community Chest cards, which could help or hinder your chances of success! Additional Information: Barcode Number: 885996006171 Product Item Code: WM03996-EN2-6 Product Dimensions: 270mm x400mm x52mm Product Dimensions: 10.6in x 15.7in inch x 2.04in *Suitable Age: 8+ Not suitable for children under the age of 8 years due to small parts which could cause a choking hazard Number of Players: 2+
Need a getaway for some Vitamin D or Vitamin Sea? SoCal's best beach town has it all –here's how to spend a weekend in Huntington Beach, California.
Get a lesson on the history of surfing at this Huntington Beach museum dedicated to the sport. You'll also find surf films, music, boards, and memorabilia.
It looks like a scene out of a dystopian horror movie foreshadowing our planet's bleak future. But not very long ago, this was California, the (black) golden state. I guess I never really understood exactly what it meant when they said Los Angeles and much of Southern California was "built on oil".
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UPDATED NOVEMBER 3, 2023 There is so much to be thankful for in Huntington Beach, from the beaches, to the beautiful oceanfront resorts, from Huntington Harbour, to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, and more! Here are the top 7 things we're thankful for in Huntington Beach. You can stroll it or you
Blue Angels and Snowbirds, hoverboards and vintage aircraft, and even the Air Force fifth-generation F-35A fighter plane will be in the skies this weekend for the second Breitling Huntington Beach …
Originally built in 1929, the Golden Bear on Pacific Coast Highway began as an elegant Greek restaurant patronized by many Hollywood stars in the 1930’s. There were two Golden Bears people remember in Huntington Beach. The first began at 226 Main St. as a cafe in 1922 run by chef Harry Bakre. He called his little cafe the Golden Lion, after one in San Diego that he had worked as a chef. But because there was another cafe by that name in Orange County, he changed the name to the Golden Bear. Around 1925 Bakre and his wife Elsie moved the restaurant to a small building at 310 Pacific Coast Highway. Bakre enlarged the building to include 306 PCH in 1929 to the size most remember. Harry and Elsie contemplated adding a second story for a hotel and they planned to call it the Golden Bear Hotel. But it never materialized, although the cafe served to house the homeless just after the earthquake of 1933. The second Golden Bear began life as a nightclub in 1974 by Charles and Rick Babiracki. 1930 Golden Bear The Golden Bear was on Pacific Coast Highway across the street from the pier and about a half a block south. 1935 Chamber of Commerce luncheon in front of the Golden Bear. Owners through the years: Harry Bakre-1922 Del Kauffman (owner 1963 to 1966) George Nikas (owner 1966 to 1974), Chuck and Carole Babiracki (owners with Rick 1974 to 1986). The arch can be seen, as well as the train depot to the far left and an oil derrick peeking in at the upper right. Today, the Golden Bear is gone, as is the arch, train depot and the oil derrick. Where the entrance would have been — a hot dog place is today. In the basement of the Golden Bear there were wooden crates of hand painted tiles from Greece - like the colorful tiles by the outside door. The tiles showed types of foods served in the Golden Bear's early years. I always liked the cow's head tile and the baskets of fruit. The tiles were thoughtlessly destroyed in 1986 - even after the Orange County Historical Commission asked to preserve them. The Golden Bear didn't have the best acoustics or sight lines, but it had a vibe that only places like the Whisky a Go Go or the Troubador have. The only difference was that, when you left after a show with your ears still ringing, you got a face full of ocean breeze. The Rolling Stones once secretly crept in to hear Gram Parsons play in 1969. Artwork by Paul Gavin, 1986 An old multi-story Spanish red brick building with a white stuccoed front, it had very Spanish appearing facades on the upper floors. The ticket window was extremely small, barely big enough to get your head through. There was a large marquee that advertised who was appearing currently and for the next two weeks. Inside it was wooden floored with about 30-50 tables scattered around a fairly small stage (the stage side tables were the most choice and you had to get there early to get one). For the biggies, there were usually two shows and the place was cleared after the first show unless you had purchased tickets for the second. The menu was not very extensive. The upstairs was mostly closed in private rooms with a couple of viewing balconies. The owner, George Nikos, (Greek George)was in his mid or late thirties (maybe early forties) and was a very nifty guy to get along with. He did an awful lot for younger artists in the area. (Les Blank) Last show was Robin Trower. The club was nearly half a century old when the Babiracki brothers took it over from George Nikis, the restaurateur who had made it an important part of Southern California's booming folk and rock music scenes in the 1960s by booking such acts as the Doors, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and dozens of others on their way to pop music stardom. Richard Babiracki, was a onetime investment counselor who parlayed a fan's love of music into ownership of the fabled Golden Bear nightclub in Huntington Beach. Babiracki, who operated the celebrated rock, folk, blues, country and comedy venue with his younger brother, Charles, from 1974 until it closed in 1986, had been in declining health for the last year, and was hospitalized in January. He died Saturday in Orange. Under the Babirackis, the club presented hundreds of performances by a wide swath of entertainers, including Jimmy Buffett, Jerry Garcia, B.B. King, Steve Martin, Dave Mason, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Waits, Robin Williams, Neil Young and the band Van Halen. "I always felt the Bear never got the credit it deserved for keeping people alive, for the role it played in performers' lives and in the music business, and the number of songwriters that went through there," said John McEuen, a member of the country-rock group the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He became part of the band during a 1966 show at the Huntington Beach club. The Babirackis, who grew up in Minnesota and came west after college seeking the sun and fun of Southern California, originally wanted to open a patio restaurant when they found that the Golden Bear, which Nikis was then operating as a Greek restaurant without live music, was for sale. "I was just someone who liked music," Richard Babiracki told The Times a few months after he and his brother took over the club. "I didn't know anything about the nightclub business. I had to acquaint myself with the people who were coming up in the entertainment industry because those are the ones we are trying to book." In the 1970s and '80s, the Golden Bear was a familiar stopping place for many veteran acts on their way down and a new generation hoping to be headed up. As trends in music shifted, the Babirackis tried to shift with them, booking such new wave and alternative music acts as Men at Work, the Motels, Oingo Boingo, the Plimsouls and the Ramones. The Golden Bear's steady diet of old folkies, rockers and blues greats mixed with those of a younger generation to help establish Orange County's identity in the Los Angeles-based music industry. It contributed to a burgeoning underground scene that exploded in the 1990s with the commercial breakthrough of such Orange County-bred bands as No Doubt, the Offspring and Sugar Ray. The Babirackis ran into financial problems when they tried to open a second club, called Panache, in Long Beach in 1983. The venture lasted less than two years, at which point the Babirackis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to keep the Golden Bear operating. By that time, the Babirackis' primary focus on veteran acts gave the Golden Bear a reputation as a backward-looking club in a forward-looking time, and such cutting-edge clubs as the punk-centered Cuckoo's Nest in Costa Mesa and the alternative-minded Safari Sam's less than a mile away from the Bear in Huntington Beach took over as the hip places for young music fans. In January 1986, the Bear lost its lease. The Golden Bear was bulldozed by city officials who said it did not meet earthquake safety standards and would have to make way for new development. Faithful fans, on May 18, 1986, were on site as the wrecking ball demolished the aged building and grabbed bricks as souvenirs of this rock ‘n’roll historical landmark. One of the owners, Dick Schwartz, had some of the bricks and wood beams transported to his home in Thousand Oaks for a deck.(1) In August 1990, the Pierside Pavilion opened on its original site and the Bear was brought back by Peppers. Inc. Numerous classic rock actsthat played the club in the ‘70s and ‘80s returned to play at the new venue. Opening night was headlined by Eric Burdon of The Animals and Robby Krieger of The Doors. However, the new Bear’s reincarnation was short-lived when the club was forced to go out of business after a theater complex opened above it. Noise issues arose over decibel levels and by spring 1991, the Bear was closed down again. Jerry performed here on 12/28/72 Merl Saunders 10/23/74 Merl Saunders 10/24/74 Merl Saunders 10/25/74 Merl Saunders Jeffrey Comanor opened.[8] 10/26/74 Merl Saunders Jeffrey Comanor opened.[8] 10/27/74 early and late shows Merl Saunders Jeffrey Comanor opened.[8] 12/28/74 Merl Saunders With DS? and Maria Muldaur[7] "A trumpet player stepped up mid-set and asked Jerry if he could sit in and Jerry said "Sure!" During the punches at the end of Freedom Jazz Dance, he launched into an excruciating off-key squealing solo and wouldn't stop! Jerry was shaking his head in disbelief and dismay but graciously didn't cut him off and let him finish his butchering, but did step forward right away to say "Thanks, man" when the song ended. The guy was sweating like a pig and appeared to be pretty drunk and I imagine that was the end of his collaborations with Jerry and Co."[1] 12/29/74 early and late shows Merl Saunders With DS? and Maria Muldaur[7] Golden Bear, Huntington Beach, CA 1.)^RD, comments, 2010-01-28, Garcia's unidentified guests, 2009-12-31, http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2009/12/garcias-unidentified-guests.html 2.)^Lewis, Randy, Obituaries, Los Angeles Times, http://www.stockteam.com/hbpix18.html 3.)^Blank, Les, Folk Beat, http://www.hungryi.net/id62.htm 4.)^Pearson, Jerry, A Look Back, 2001-08-02, Huntington Beach Independent. 5.)^http://www.mikebloomfieldamericanmusic.com/1966-1967.htm 6.)^Fritz, comments, 2014-03-23, Golden Bear, 2011-12-16, http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/12/golden-bear-306-ocean-avenue-huntington.html 7.)^MS 332 Ser. 3, Box 1:2, GDR: Show Files: GD Concert Dates-Tour Schedule, Grateful Dead Archives, Special Collections, McHenry Library, UC Santa Cruz, CA. 8.)^Los Angeles Free Press, 1974-10-25, pg. 10, Joseph Jupille Archives.
Today's photo shows Buena Park Center in 1976. The architectural style clearly harkens back at least a decade earlier. . Chris Epting 's ...
Sea Breeze Auto Camp, circa 1935. (Photo, Pomona Public Library) Visitors to Huntington Beach always comment on the pit fires dotting the beach at night. It's routine for locals to celebrate birthdays, reunions or ordinary get togethers with a circle of friends at a beach fire. It's also a long tradition, dating back a hundred years to when beach living was a necessity. One of the tent cities of early Huntington Beach. Tent cities were constructed for early residents and oil workers, until housing construction caught up. Other tent cities were constructed for the annual Grand Army of the Republic reunions, the Methodist tent city, and revival groups. The Methodist Auditorium and campground at Huntington Beach, circa 1910. (Photo, City of Huntington Beach archives) The Grand Army of the Republic annual reunion in 1913, with a tent city stretching from Acacia to Orange streets in Huntington Beach. (Photo, City of Huntington Beach archives) "In the early years, before and after 1920, there was a lot of camping on the beach," writes former City Historian Alicia Wentworth in a collection of "miscellaneous historical data" updated in 2005. "During the oil boom days, there were hundreds of oil workers who couldn't get a place to stay and they had to rent rooms by the shift. As many as three people would sleep in the same bed because of the shortage of rooms in Huntington Beach." By 1940, there was a forest of oil derricks on the coastline of Huntington Beach. Homes, resorts, restaurants and shops now occupy the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway, while miles of open beach remain. (Photo, Los Angeles Times) Wentworth describes the beach as "covered with cardboard shacks" and World War I army tents. Around this same time, Bungalet Court--a collection of batten board cottages--constructed in the present-day Main Street Branch Library - Triangle Park site, provided additional housing for early residents. The temporary nature of the housing prompted locals to call it "Cardboard Alley." An early 1900s advertisement cheered the new "coast boulevard" which gave travelers an easy route between Los Angeles county and Huntington Beach. The demand for beach camping continued into the 1930s, transitioning from needed work-force housing to Americans' new-found love of road travel. Charles Henry Davis, President of the National Highways Association, wrote about our new love affair with the open road in the May 1915 edition of Travel Magazine, "People, like water, must move or stagnate. They must run and play like the brook itself or become sluggish and dull—to themselves as well as to others. Of the seven modes of intercommunication—water, roads, postal, railroad, telegraph, telephone and wireless—only one, roads, is free to all the people of the earth." A custom motorhome, early 1900s. Before the mass manufacturing of motorhomes and camping vehicles, Americans jerry-rigged their own road travel contraptions. (Photo, Motor Magazine) The City of Huntington Beach leased property from the Huntington Beach Company for a campground, adding facilities and picnic tables. The Sea Breeze Auto Camp was located south of Lake Street, along Ocean Avenue (present-day Pacific Coast Highway) and the railroad tracks to present-day Beach Boulevard. Later, the Huntington Beach Company property was deeded to William S. Ebert after he bought out the City's interest. Ebert added an oil and gas station at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and First Street in 1928, to accommodate travelers. At the same time the City was adding "ornamental lights" and traffic control signals at the intersection of Main Street and Ocean Avenue. Life in Huntington Beach was getting busier. Pacific Electric Railway "red car" bringing beach-goers to Huntington Beach, circa 1907. (Photo, City of Huntington Beach archives) By 1938, Ebert reported to the city council a total of 57,000 registrations representing a total of 140,000 people stayed at Sea Breeze, at an average stay of 16 days per person. The total number of beach goers that year was 630,000, a ninety percent increase over 1937. Only three percent of the people reported at the beach were from Huntington Beach. Girls walking on the Huntington Beach pier, circa 1939, #2 on the Historic Downtown walking guide. (Photo, Pomona Public Library) Ebert constructed beach cottages at Sea Breeze and later gained city council approval to install a neon sign at the entrance, still a novelty at the time. Sea Breeze Auto Camp with beach cabins and palm leaf awnings, circa 1935. (Photo, Pomona Public Library) In an effort to manage camping at the beach, the City constructed a municipal trailer park at the beach in 1933, with a first night fee of 75 cents. By 1949, the City was charging a whopping $35.00 a month or $10.00 weekly for a trailer beach side spot, $25.00 a month for tents. Camp sites were equipped with electricity, with a 50-cent charge for a blown fuse. Beach goers near the saltwater "plunge" next to the Huntington Beach pier, circa 1935. Note the oil derricks in the background. (Photo, Pomona Public Library) In addition to the beach, campers enjoyed amusements at the Pavalon next to the Huntington Beach pier which featured live music and dancing, and--as of 1919, an amusement "new to the coast," a dartboard.* Life at the beach was good. "Down at the beach," circa 1895, just the beginning of our fascination with Huntington Beach. (Photo, Santa Ana Public Library) *In April 1919, the Huntington Beach Board of Trustees (predecessor to the city council) listened to a proposal by a Mr. Jacobs regarding installation of a small pavilion with amusements next to the pier, including a dart board--a brand new amusement--for which he would provide the City with "50% of receipts." All rights reserved. No part of the Historic Huntington Beach blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.
Need a getaway for some Vitamin D or Vitamin Sea? SoCal's best beach town has it all –here's how to spend a weekend in Huntington Beach, California.
