Category Archives: History

San Francisco, city of myths – are any true? – SFGate

Some urban stories turn out to be true. Here’s one you hear all the time: San Francisco has more dogs than children. That’s no myth. The census estimates that 20 percent of the city’s population – or about 161,975 people – are younger than 18. The SPCA estimates that the city has approximately 178,000 dogs.Continue reading “San Francisco, city of myths – are any true? – SFGate”

Mao’s Kitchen Wasn’t Funny in 1946

I’ve seen this photo numerous times, but I just realized (I’m pretty sure) that the Western Union storefront in the photograph is where Mao’s Kitchen is now located. I had lunch there yesterday, and I guess it just clicked. Pretty cool to see how the infrastructure was once built around the Pacific Electric cars.

“Realty Deals at Ocean Park”

For a while now I’ve been interested in learning more about the Venice Short Line section of the Venice-Inglewood freight railroad line that used to travel behind the shops on the east side of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. I searched the web for any old property records on the building housing Intelligentsia Cafe. Its address isContinue reading ““Realty Deals at Ocean Park””

Westminster Avenue and Abbot Kinney Boulevard

From the USC Digital Archives: Photograph of Westminster Avenue and Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, CA,, [s.d.]. Abbot Kinney Boulevard runs from the foreground to the background at center and intersects Westminster at center. Both roads are paved, and several early-model automobiles can be seen parked along the sides of the road. Single-story buildings lineContinue reading “Westminster Avenue and Abbot Kinney Boulevard”