Cruising with MONA, Pt. 3

On our last MONA (Museum of Neon Art) Neon Cruise post, I left you at the Chapman Market near Koreatown. Disneyland fans might find this building a bit familiar, especially if they compare it to Off the Page in Disney California Adventure:



The drive-in Chapman Park Market opened in 1929 and was one of the first markets in the western U.S. designed for the automobile. Today it thrives with chic Korean shops, restaurants, coffeehouses, and clubs.







OK readers...let's bring it on home! A few more shots as the double decker bus made its way through Saturday night traffic to show us what's left of the glorious vintage neon that once burned brightly throughout Los Angeles. The Gaylord Building (I'm not touching that one).





The Bryson, made famous by author Raymond Chandler:



Park Wilshire:



What's left of the Westlake Theatre sign. Please fix!!



Those beautiful light standards of Wilshire Boulevard:



And what better place to stop after your Neon Cruise than Clifton's Cafeteria, which looks even more splendid at night!



I HIGHLY recommend you check out the MONA (Museum of Neon Art) Neon Cruise for yourself!

See more MONA Neon Cruise photos at my main website.

Cruising with MONA, Pt. 2

Hop back on the bus with me after our Chinatown interlude to continue the MONA (Museum of Neon Art) Neon Cruise. How about this evening view of the Los Angeles City Hall? No neon, but it's still a great view one gets from the top level of our double-decker cruise bus!

Here we see the historic KRKD radio tower, which has been around since 1932 atop the Spring Arcade (R-KD; get it?) Building near Broadway and 5th. A 2014 demolition application to remove the towers was rejected since they are a historic landmark. Another win for preservation!



There are lots of vintage movie house signs in LA, such as the Los Angeles Theatre:



The Palace:





and the Pantages:



I don't remember what this Aztec façade is from, but boy is it cool!



Jesus has lost his “s,” which points out how important it is to keep neon working properly. As Eric pointed out, would you buy your gas from a SHELL Station if the “h” was burned out?



Your typical no-tell motels:





The legendary Tommy's, where you get unparalleled chili burgers:



Our bus has pulled up in front of the Chapman Park Market near Koreatown for another interlude, where I will leave you until we continue.



More vintage neon wonders in my next post!

See more MONA Neon Cruise photos at my main website.