About Me
Hello! I’m Melanie, a SoCal native with a passion for adventure. I’ve called the greater Los Angeles area home for most of my life and I can’t think of a better place to live. There’s so much to see and do! Since I first learned to drive I’ve been traveling the area exploring everything it has to offer and few years ago I decided to start this blog and share my finds with you. Seriously, I love it all. From historic homes to state parks from tourist traps to hidden gems from up and coming watering holes to the hottest restaurants I’ll be there ready to check it out and report back to you.
In recent years I’ve expanded my explorations beyond California’s borders and you’ll find some of my favorite finds in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and more. The travel bug has bitten me hard and I’m ready to share all my favorite spots, whether home or abroad, with you. Who knows where you’ll find me next?
Of course, I’m not always on the go and in my leisure time you’ll find me delving deep into my love of Classic Hollywood. Turner Classic Movies is my channel of choice and I’ll watch anything from silents to recent classics. I’m enamored with the Golden Age of Hollywood and, as I live near its epicenter, I’m often reporting on my favorite film finds.
On that note, I welcome any and all suggestions on things to see and do. I’m open to almost anything – if it’s ripe for discovery I’m there. Feel free to email me with suggestions. Or tweet me. Or hit me up on Facebook or Instagram.
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Greetings!
I’m contacting you out of the blue to see if you might be interested in participating in a cook-along I’m organizing in February next year.
I’m writing a “Cooking With Columbo” cookbook which will contain the favourite recipes of Peter Falk and many of his co-stars. Lots of the great and good appeared opposite Falk in this classic TV series – Janet Leigh, Vincent Price, William Shatner, Myrna Loy, Celeste Holm – the list goes on and on!
If you fancy participating in the book’s virtual reality launch party by cooking a Columbo related dish, I’ll add you to the mailing list. More details will be going out mid-January. If it’s not for you – no worries!
Jenny – http://www.silverscreensuppers.com
Hi Mel,
I am contacting you to invite you to attend a free public tour of the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County (The Music Center). I am a member of the Symphonians, the volunteer Docents of the Center., We give free 90 minute tours of the 4 theaters, the garden and the plaza at 11:00 am Tuesday through Friday, and 10:15 on Saturday and Sunday.
Many visitors to Los Angeles and also residents are unaware of this historic and beautiful location in downtown Los Angeles. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States.
Many blogs talk about Walt Disney Hall but we would like to have you include our tours in you blog on things to do in Los Angeles. If you have not done so, please come for a tour given by one of our volunteers and help us make visitors and residents aware of what we do and where we do it. It’s as simple as coming to the lobby of the Walt Disney Concert hall and signing up for a Symphonian Tour.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Many thanks,
Annika Dahlen
annikadahlen@att.net
Thank you so much for the offer but I have previously taken the Symphonian tour of the Music Center and wrote about it here: https://la-explorer.com/taking-los-angeles-music-center/. It has been some time so if there are any new updates I’d be interested in checking it out again. Thanks!
Hi Melanie.
I’m slowly uploading the photos of an Australian woman, Wanda Edwards, who visited California in 1921. She seems to have visited what look like Chinese gardens near LA. Some of the temples seem to be miniature. I can’t find a anything about such a place despite an extensive search. Ever heard of them?
Here’s the travel album. The pictures I’m talking about are at the bottom of the page.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/76580860@N02/albums/72157629699749251/
Hello, I think I have an answer for you. I’m pretty sure it’s Yamashiro in Hollywood. It’s currently a restaurant but was originally a private home built in 1914. If you look at the photos here, the pagoda looks like the same one in Ms. Edward’s picture: https://yamashirohollywood.com/historical
Thanks for sharing!
hello Melanie!
Thanks to you, my husband and I found the Rindge Mansion in West Adams! and thanks to you…we just finished reading last night, The King and Queen of Malibu…AND thanks to you…..even though we have passed the Adamson House dozens and dozens of times (not knowing WHAT it was!)….we took the tour and plan to go back on my upcoming birthday. The story of the Rindge/Adamson family and Malibu is just amazing….and in all my years of homeschooling (22 years) and my husband being from Oxnard….we never heard anything about this incredibly amazing and important part of our history…..
I WISH the story could be made into a movie and Randall’s book could be required reading for highschool kids!!!
Thank you thank you for bringing this to light! I just stumbled onto your blog and found all this amazing info!! We plan to visit the Rosedale Cemetery soon! Many many MANY thanks!
Hi Melanie
I was hoping you received my input from yesterday about the Rindge family….your help in directing my husband and I?
Hi Melanie!
I wrote about how much my husband and I enjoyed your sharing about the Rindge family of Malibu, and the book about them, The king and Queen of Malibu! Also, we recently visited the Adamson House off of PCH, May Rindge’s daughter and husband’s home. Along with the Malibu Potterie tiles, we were in awe of the amazing beauty inside the home….with the paintings on the doors/walls, etc from the 2 Danish men! It was such a treat to be able to go inside and see the original furniture and clothes from the Rindge’s family!
We would LOVE to see inside the Rindge Mansion in West Adams….I know an attorney lives there now….were you able to get a tour inside? If so, any comments on the best way to go about that? Also, were you able to get a tour of the Serra Retreat center on the site where May began construction on a mansion and where May’s Malibu Pottery tiles apparently are displayed?
Fascinating story….I only wish more people would know of this family and their most interesting past with Malibu’s beginnings and the PCH!
Share when you can! Thank you!
Just discovered your wide-ranging and informative blog. I am a LA native, born DTLA in the fifties, raised in the SF Valley, and lived in Santa Monica since graduating from UC Berkeley in the 70s. I am an inveterate traveler and seeker of eccentric, normal, touristic, and mundane sites around the world and right here in SoCal. I have found a couple new sites here and intend to visit—Lotusland in Santa Barbara and the backyard of Chez Jay in my own ‘hood. Thanks.