Strength and Beauty, Met Together (Part Two)

If you missed Part One of this travelogue, check it out here.

Although Samantha and I had a restful night at the Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino on Sunday, November 9th, our Central Time Brains woke us up rather early. That’s not a complaint, though, because that’s more time to explore…and take advantage of unexpected opportunities!

While we were getting up and around on Monday morning, I received a message from my friend Scott Piotrowski of the California Historic Route 66 Association asking if I was going to a mural ribbon cutting in Pasadena that morning. I hadn’t planned on it – but when I looked it up and saw it was a mural that had been supported with a grant from the Preserve Route 66 program I manage, how could I not go? It was kismet!

The turnout at the mural unveiling was great – and I got to meet the owner of Villain Custom Cycles as well as the mural artist. I’d interacted with them via email during the grant process and they were both pleasantly surprised when I walked up and introduced myself. It was clear that everyone was really excited to have the mural in place along Route 66 and I learned a little about the plans that Pasadena as a whole has to celebrate the road’s 100 year anniversary. It’s going to be a hoppin’ place in 2026!

As we made our way towards the Santa Monica Pier we made a few stops. We took a walk in Beverly Hills and took Flat Will with us. After all, Will Rogers was the honorary mayor of Beverly Hills from 1926-1928! I was pleased to see several customized Historic Route 66 signs in a few communities and also noted something else: robots. There are a ton of Waymo self-driving cars zipping about the greater Los Angeles area and I saw more than a dozen automated food-delivery bots. It’s not quite the future I was promised when I was a kid, but, it’s something I guess.

For lunch, we stopped at Mel’s Drive-In at the technical end of the route (where I also followed up on a grant project that the National Trust funded earlier this year, it’s hard for me not to when I’m in these places) and then drove to the spiritual end of Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier. Our friend Ian was at the 66 to Cali booth, a stalwart celebrator of Route 66’s endpoint. Samantha obtained her official Certificate of Completion and posed for a photo at the famous End of the Trail sign. Hooray!

Once Ian was off work, we took a little stroll through Palisades Park and then drove (in heavy traffic, the LA way) to West Hollywood for an INCREDIBLE dinner at The Formosa! Holy smokes, y’all. This historic eatery first opened its doors in the mid-1920s as the Red Post Cafe and took the name The Formosa in 1939. It’s right across the street from the former United Artists studio lot and has had its share of celebrity customers over the years. It has also survived multiple threats to its existence from development in the area. The interior was stunningly gutted in 2015 to “modernize” the look but local outcry was so severe that it was reverted back in short order. The restaurant closed abruptly in 2016 but it reopened the following year under new ownership and has had steady success ever since. I had a cocktail called John Wayne’s Hat and we all enjoyed a wonderful evening together at this true West Hollywood icon. Funnily enough, I later learned that the Formosa received a sizeable grant from the National Trust to restore the original trolley car that has long been integrated into the interior…which is where we dined!

Our home for the next two nights would be the Saga Motor Hotel, a midcentury gem and a Route 66 site that had been on my ‘To Visit’ list for some time. It was an excellent place to stay with comfortable rooms and a quiet environment. Highly recommended!

On Tuesday, which was Veteran’s Day as well as Route 66’s 99th birthday, we ventured into downtown Los Angeles and the area around the road’s original terminus. We checked out Union Station and the Theatre District before making our way over to Angel’s Flight, the famous funicular railway. I was sad to find out that it was down due to some kind of computer issue, but I still wanted to see it from the top so we walked up (“The Devil’s Stairs” as Sam christened them) and were rewarded with a nice view of downtown.

Across Hill Street from the hillside railway was our lunch destination: Grand Central Market. This food hall had a longer history than I realized: it opened as the “Wonder Market” in 1917! Today this collection of culinary entrepreneurs represents a cross-section of Los Angeles culture. We had great food here…when Samantha had the first bite of her chicken parm sandwich, she literally started laughing from joy. I had some incredible coffee ice cream from McConnell’s, which has been around since 1949.

Before leaving downtown L.A., we made a stop in Little Tokyo to visit Bunkado. This Japanese-American owned gift shop opened its doors in 1945 shortly after owners Tokio and Suya Ueyama were released from a World War II internment camp. The neighborhood staple is now operated by the third generation of the same family and it’s a treasure trove of cultural items.

The next stop on our culturally-significant day in L.A.: the Three Stooges Stairs! I admit that I’m not the biggest Stooges fan, but my friend Tom is and he alerted me to the fact that a staircase that is featured in An Ache in Every Stake, a 1941 Three Stooges short where the comedy trio portrays a set of ice men trying to make a delivery, still exists. I couldn’t resist a stop to snap a photo.

As we made our way back to Pasadena, I diverted to show Samantha the Colorado Street Bridge from below – a truly remarkable feat of engineering. When Sam expressed an interest in the Gamble House, it was only too easy to drive a few blocks over and take a tour of the Arts and Crafts masterpiece. I had toured the house back in 2010 with my friend Doug – hard to believe it was that long ago! You weren’t allowed to take pictures inside back then and I myself was a bit less cultured – so I not only learned more this time around, but I’ll have some pictures to remind me of it all.

Our last stop on Route 66’s birthday was Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena, part of the earliest alignment of Route 66 in the area. The soda shop and apothecary has been operating there for 110 years and the inside decor is delightful. I was sad that we arrived too close to closing time to enjoy a phosphate, but I did get the chance to visit with them about the National Trust’s Preserve Route 66 program and they told me how excited they were about the pending Centennial. They’re preparing a special menu for 2026 to celebrate!

It was another good day – a long day – in southern California. The next day would begin our journey east, towards home – but it would still be almost a week before we made it back to Tulsa. Check out Part III here.