Date Night in Kensington

When I first moved back to San Diego in 1999, the Kensington, Hillcrest, and University Heights neighborhoods of San Diego were my go-to choices for restaurants and fun. Over the years, Kensington dropped off my radar, mainly because it was the furthest out. When pressed for time, an extra five to ten minutes can make a huge difference; also, I am the type of person that easily gets caught in the rut of visiting my favorite haunts. Recently, I decided to rectify that and of course took my camera along. The Kensington sign calls to my inner vintage neon nut. Unknown to me, my photography was being captured behind-the-scenes by my date While I wasn't necessarily happy with how I looked or my posture, I was VERY relieved to see that I still have avoided the dreaded baldspot in back!



Club Kensington’s sign is even cooler than the main Kensington one:



This vintage car was appropriately parked in front of the retro-looking club:



The things I do to get the right angle; I sure hope my knees hold out!



The destination was Trattoria da Sofia, an Italian restaurant that had been on my radar for awhile. They follow me on social media, so naturally I had to check them out!



Capturing the required establishing shot:



The interior decor was interesting; I would call it eclectic. One would expect to see this type of fountain in the lobby of an Italian restaurant:



…but probably not the laundry hanging overhead. It was a very fun touch!



I was obsessed with this fish-shaped water bottle on the table:



Moving onto the food, the arancine appetizer was fantastic and generously portioned:



The crispy burrata was beyond yum!



One of my typical choices when I dine in an Italian restaurant is pollo parmigiana (aka chicken parmesan):



It was also delish. My sweet tooth was a bit disappointed that Spumoni ice cream was not on the menu, but the limocello cake was out of this world!



Sofia’s definitely rated a return visit!

See more Kensington neighborhood in San Diego photos at my main website.

Paramount Set Stills: Now and Forever, Pt. 1

Paramount’s 1934 production, “Now and Forever” (originally titled “Honor Bright” and then “You Belong to Me”) starred Carole Lombard, Shirley Temple, and Gary Cooper. Lombard and Cooper were already big stars; Temple had just exploded onto the scene with her captivating performance in “Little Miss Marker,” also a Paramount production. I am always amazed at the care and detail that went into creating the sets for these films from the golden age of Hollywood. The first production still shows the Sino Manor Hotel lobby located in Shanghai:



As you can see by the board, the film was still being referred to as “You Belong to Me”:



This screenshot reveals that the black area was used for a rear projection effect, thus eliminating having to build the rest of the set. Smart!



Another view of the lobby desk:



Look at all the branded materials on the desk, created just for this brief scene:



The hallway of the hotel, which does not appear in the final film:




This detailed exterior shows the shop where Cooper prints some bogus business cards:



This publicity still shows way more of the set than we see in the final film:



In this office, Cooper sets up shop to milk hotel customers for their outstanding hotel bills so that he can use the money to fund his extravagant trips with Lombard.



How it looked in the film:





The Stateroom occupied by Cooper and Lombard:



This area is barely seen in the final film:



…and yet someone had to go to the trouble of putting together Lombard’s luggage. Note her hat on the couch:



In a 1930s movie to get by with the recently created production code, separate beds were a necessity!



This is all we get to see of the room where “the magic” happens! The status of the relationship between Lombard and Cooper had to be solidified as a marriage, rather than just lovers, in order to appease the censors.



In France, Lombard returns to her hotel and receives a wire from Cooper: 



The corresponding production still:



A detail of the signs on the wall, that probably not a single movie-goer would notice back in 1934:



This little cafe is not in the final film:



It was used for an ultimately deleted scene between Jameson Thomas and Carole Lombard, who were in a relationship before she met Cooper.



More set stills from “Now and Forever” to come!

See more photos at my main website.

Chateau Marmont, 1938

This July 1938 image of the Chateau Marmont was taken from the residence across the street. Below is a contemporary view of the hotel for comparison’s sake, shot from the street.



On the left, you can see the residence with two garages where the photo was taken. Because of the contemporary look of the home from the exterior, I always “assumed” the original had been torn down and replaced. We all know what happens when you “assume.”



How the home looks at street level:



I decided to go on Zillow and see if there were any photos posted that might match my 1938 image. I was surprised to see that the original 1923 home still exists; what is visible from the street was a later addition.



A Google street view from May 2009 shows what the property looked like before the expansion:



This MLS Listing image taken from farther back on the property shows the Chateau in the background as well as the original portion of the home:



I am guessing that the 1938 photographer was standing on the lawn towards the left of this detailed MLS listing image, facing the Chateau when he took the picture, where I artistically added the red stick figure! 



In November 2018, I snapped this overhead shot from Room 71 of the Chateau. You can clearly see the original structure and the addition:



Back to the original photo, I am guessing that the gent in the photo was either visiting or one of the people living at 8222 Marmont Lane in 1938.



The penthouse balcony was very lush in 1938 with lots of potted plants:



How it looks today:



See more vintage and contemporary Chateau Marmont photos at my main website.