Back to the Hob Nob

I’ve lost a few San Diego restaurants to the pandemic, including a favorite Mexican restaurant down the street (Willis loved their chips, too). Fortunately, one of my favorite eateries is back and completely remodeled. The interior looks completely different now and includes a giant “Wizard of Oz” mural. Huh?

The recently hired waiter I had wasn’t sure of the connection, but thought it might have to do with the original owner’s name being Dorothy. Works for me.

The first owners, Harold and Dorothy Hoersch, opened the place in 1944 and called it Juniper Café. Moving to its present location in 1946 (Juniper and First Avenue), the name changed to Melody Grill, then Dorothy’s Oven, and finally Hob Nob Hill.

The menu has changed somewhat, but the high quality and excellent service have not. For a delicious Sunday brunch, how about the Bananas Foster pancakes?

Or the Strawberry Cheesecake pancakes?

The thing I was most excited about was the addition of Cincinnati Chili to the menu, which tastes EXACTLY like the famous Skyline Chili I used to eat back in college days in Indiana.

Check out Hob Nob Hill for yourself next time you’re in San Diego.

See more San Diego photos at my main website.

“Get Your Kicks…

…on Route 66!” So go the lyrics of the 1946 song by Bobby Troup, recorded by Nat King Cole. Celebrating the road that went from Chicago to Santa Monica, it became a huge chart-topper. When I moved from Indiana to California in 1999, one of my goals was to explore the remnants of old Route 66. Once I got in my piece-of-s$%t vehicle, all I wanted to do was get to my destination and the original plan went down the toilet.

Driving back from Vegas, I saw a sign for the historic Harvey House in Barstow (coming soon!) and pulled off the freeway to explore. I discovered that part of Route 66 was nearby so of course I sniffed around there as well! I can’t say that I'd get any kicks in Barstow…the place looks more like it’s been kicked. However, there were still a number of interesting things for my camera to document, like the murals that adorn the main street of town (once known as Route 66).



I love the rusted remains of this old neon sign that once touted the Village Cafe and Motel:



Like the old Route 66 itself, the main drag just looks forgotten and neglected:



In even worse shape is the El Rancho Motel:





The Yelp reviews are not encouraging:

DO NOT COME IN HERE — A DRUG AND PROSTITUTION DEN.

One of the worst hotels I've ever seen makes the tenderloin in San Francisco look like Disneyland or the Ritz-Carlton.







The ghosts of a once thriving town do remain, like this tile entryway advertising what was once a drug store:



Good thing Bobby and Nat aren't here to see this place.

See more Barstow, California photos at my main website.

Calico Cemetery

\ I crossed another one off the bucket list by finally making the trek to Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, California. Today’s post focuses solely on the town’s cemetery, shown in this July 1961 image, followed by the contemporary shot that I captured one morning at sunrise.



Sunrise at Calico…sounds like a tasty beverage or maybe a Lifetime TV movie.



Sometimes called Boot Hill Cemetery, this burial ground is about as rustic as they come, with very few decorative flourishes.



The cross on the hill offered little protection, as over the years, the original headstones were pilfered.



In the 1960’s, the great mystery of how many people were actually buried here began to be discovered.



Some of the headstones that remained were discovered to be fakes, such as the one claiming Wyatt Earp to have been buried here. All in the name of tourism.



Thanks to the research that was done, it appears that approximately 160 people were buried here, with only about 49 of those able to be identified.



One day I hope to return again to be able to walk around this historic graveyard when the gate is actually open.

See more Calico Ghost Town photos at my main website.