Monday at The Pearl

Today’s post takes us to a little midcentury gem in the Point Loma area of San Diego, The Pearl Hotel. This retro beauty made the list of St. Louis Style for being one of nine “Unforgettable Retro Hotels in the USA.” From The Pearl's website:

Originally designed by local architect Robert Platt in 1959 and operated as a Sportsman’s Lodge throughout the 1960s by resident husband and wife duo, Charles and Dinorah.



Fast forward to The Pearl Hotel as you know it today. The mid-century modern motel and gem of San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood was thoughtfully renovated with hospitality brand Casetta Group at the helm. The interiors are outfitted in a contemporary aesthetic and unique vintage decor, while maintaining the integrity of its original architectural features. The 23 unique guest rooms surround the art moderne oyster-shaped pool, which flows into the onsite cocktail bar and restaurant Ponyboy. ‍



As a nod to the hotel’s name, the in-room artwork pays homage to the remarkable female Japanese pearl divers, called Ama, known to hold their breath underwater for extended periods of time while harvesting oysters.



I would classify it as a retro gem that is competitively priced in a decent location…if you are wanting to explore the Point Loma area. It’s far enough down Rosecrans Drive that you would find it difficult to navigate the stop-start-bottleneck traffic if you wanted to head downtown or explore the other beaches of San Diego. On the flip-side, Point Loma does have enough fare on its own to keep a tourist semi-busy and well-fed. If the lobby area looks unattended, it kind of was on the day I visited. The lone person on staff seemed very disinterested…when he could be found. It felt like a one-person show and I am sure he was stretched thin doing his duties (and his face showed it).



The lobby seating area with a gorgeous (!) view of Rosecrans:



The bar/restaurant area:



The pool, which is cute in a retro way but if this place approached anything near full-occupancy would be a very tight situation:



The room itself was clean and spacious, and very well appointed:



Large bathroom that was pretty, but definitely avoided any of the retro homage touches:



The “vintage touches” were reserved for the reading materials and other decor touches:



The view from the shared balcony won’t take your breath away, but I’ve definitely seen worse:



Would I recommend this place? Sure, but I can’t say it’s one that draws me in like the Lafayette in North Park. Both places are a bit out of the way for the typical San Diego tourist, but the Lafayette at least has a “wow” factor that is much higher than The Pearl.
 
See more photos of The Pearl in Point Loma at my main website.

A Whole New World, 2015

Thanks to the miracle of Adobe Lightroom, I have been able to go back to some of my earlier photos and reprocess them, bringing out more details and enhancing the lighting. In so doing, I discovered I had an entire stash of unprocessed shots from the December 13, 2015 performance of “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” at the Hyperion Theatre in Disney California Adventure. Over 250 images to be exact! This condensed 45 minute version of the 1992 animated Disney classic was included in the price of admission for the Park. This was back in the day when value-added at the Disney Parks went above and beyond. Truly worthy of a Broadway stage, this musical delighted audiences daily for almost thirteen years. It never failed to impress guests with its musical talent, innovative set design, and breathtaking special effects.



Ushers assisted guests into their seats (which was pretty much a free-for-all; none were assigned) before the purple curtain rose.



This was one of my favorite sets; truly impressive. The show began with the narrator in front of yet another poor soul who lost his life in an attempt to get the evil Jafar the magic lamp.



We first meet Aladdin on a cart in the market. The one negative I could say about this show is the wigs. They were awful; we know the budget didn’t cover those! A small quibble, especially when to most eyes in the audience they went unnoticed.



Aladdin returns to the Cave of Wonders, with Iago the parrot at left. The show used puppeteers to work the animals in the show. Very effective!



The Genie was the true star of the show. Ad libs were part of the attraction to guests returning, as the jokes stayed topical and were rarely the same.



The musical numbers were expertly staged and wow…the sets and lighting!



Other than during mechanical mishaps, the magic carpet actually flew over the audience!



A gigantic serpent scared the kiddies:



Naturally, a large production number with the entire cast was part of the happy ending/grand finale.



If you never got a chance to see it, this YouTube video does a good job of showing what you missed:



See more “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” photos at my main website.

These Boots Were Made For Moonwalking

I always get a bit excited when I acquire a “new” image of the Disneyland Tomorrowland Space Couple; this July 1967 shot is no exception. My favorite part is the little boy looking at the Spaceman’s silver painted work shoes. Even he knows something ain’t right here! The boy in the red cap is guarding his Disneyland Popcorn box with his life. If he knew how much that might fetch him in 2026, he would be holding it even closer.



Any idea what the window in the background is showing? I’m in too much of a hurry this morning to check!
 
See more Disneyland Space Couple photos at my main website.