Matrimonial Monday in San Diego

These first two images show the San Diego City and County Administration Building, circa 1950s. Completed in 1938, it was part of the federal Works Progress Administration project under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.



I love the “Mario Lanza: music with muscles” ad for Look magazine on the side of the van.



The building still stands today, looking even better with my friends Patrick and Mona posed in front.



The two had been married in France, but needed to have a legal wedding in the states. Keeping it simple after their romantic ceremony in the land of “Ooh la la,” they chose to do it at the Admin Building downtown.



How do you make a ceremony in a government building special? You wear Manolo Blahniks!



The two said their emotional vows proving that yes, you can find romance even in a government setting!



Afterwards, we headed over to Balboa Park for a better backdrop:





The two still wanted to celebrate with local friends and family who couldn’t make it to France, so a San Diego venue was needed. The classic Bali Hai restaurant on Shelter Island was the perfect choice. We scouted it out at dinner and it checked all the requirements: beautiful views, fun setting, and delicious food.



A vintage 1950s shot of the restaurant from my collection:



“The Goof” sits atop the building:





Today, the Bali Hai looks very much the same:



And “The Goof” is still on top of the roof!



The inside has decor to reflect the Polynesian theme:







Where Mona and Patrick had their reception; just try and top that view, will ya?



The happy couple:



I had to get at least one shot with the bride; we have been through a lot together!



Lots of friends…





family…





Dancing…





…and tasty food made it a memorable occasion befitting Mona and Patrick. Congratulations! When’s the next celebration?

See more San Diego photos at my main website.

Bali Hai

The Bali Hai Restaurant located on Shelter Island in San Diego has been a favorite local hangout since it opened in 1955 by San Diego restaurateur Tom Ham. The name came from the popular song in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific." This 1950s image shows the landmark shortly after it opened.

How it looks today:



Zooming in on the vintage image you can see the Tiki icon on the roof called The Goof, which according to the Bali Hai website is "a playful and mysterious remnant that has stood guard over the restaurant for over five decades.



"In 1935, the movie “The Bounty” was filmed on Catalina Island starring none other than Clark Gable himself. An entire Tahitian village was built on Catalina for the film, and in order to support the cast and crew, a bar was located just below Gable’s sleeping quarters and became known as Christian’s Hut, named after the character Gable played, Fletcher Christian. When the shooting finished the bar was moved to Newport Beach, and was a major power spot for locals and celebrities alike. It spawned other franchises, but none of them survived, including Newport Beach (burned down in 1963), except for San Diego, which was renamed some years later. Early matchbook covers revealed that the “Goof” head, was prominent on the earlier franchises in Balboa and Corona del Mar, and was subsequently transposed to the San Diego restaurant. However, the actual meaning of the head, i.e. “the Goof”, still remains a mystery. On two of the early matchbook covers from the Balboa and Corona del Mar franchises, the cover reads next to the big fat guy, “Watch out for the Big Opu at….” In Hawaiian, Opu means stomach. Perhaps, the original character idea was that he was fat from eating such good food at the restaurant and his goofy face just evolved, or devolved, whichever you like, over the years into what’s on top of the Bali Hai restaurant today."

Here's how "The Goof" looks today:



At the front entrance is Mr. Bali Hai, a large Tiki wood sculpture, modeled after early Headhunters of the South Pacific.



More background from the website:

About the Bone through his Nose! The original Mr. Bali Hai Tiki had a bone through his nose, but due to wood rot and weathering and time the bone fell off (or was removed). There is talk of replacing the bone and bringing Mr. Bali Hai to his full original look! We will keep you posted!!

Mr. Bali Hai today:



Ham’s daughter Susie Baumann and her husband Larry, and sons Grant, Andy and Tommy run the restaurant today, carrying on the family tradition.

Find more San Diego vintage & current photos at my main website.

Gaggle of Gals go to Humphrey's

On Tuseday night, I finally had an outing with the infamous Gaggle of Gals (you might recall them from earlier posts). Our busy schedules finally aligned and we met at Humphrey's Concert Venue on Shelter Island for a night of Bluegrass music from Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers.



I've seen them in concert before (the music group, not the Gaggle), but this time, Edie Brickell was part of the show as well. My camera was not allowed in during the show (security held onto the battery for reassurance until the show was over), so the next few photos are from Mar-Mar's cell phone (thanks Mar-Mar!).



Each time I have seen them play, I have enjoyed hearing my favorite songs from past shows as well as (gasp!) the new ones. Martin remarked how much the announcement of "We're going to play a new song for you" can be the kiss of death to an audience. "How about you wait until it's a hit and THEN you can play it for us?" In this case, the new song (and the ones that followed) were just as enjoyable. Martin's commentary between numbers is always timely, always on target, and never fails to make the audience laugh.



Brickell was a wonderful addition to the group. I love her low-key yet self-assured styling, and especially the songs she sang that were inspired by her upbringing. Bluegrass requires a performance that is 100% genuine; there is nothing fake about Brickell's performance. My favorite song of the evening was the second to last encore song (the name of which escapes me).



After the show, we were all aglow from the performance, raving about how much we enjoyed it.



Steve graciously posed with the Gaggle, giving them a thrill that will not easily be replaced. Only a pretzel at the concession stand would have brought Mar-Mar more joy that evening. Steve had left his autograph book on the tour bus; I could see he was crestfallen that he would not get a chance to get the signatures of the Gaggle for posterity before they had to flit off for their next engagement.



Nicky Sanders, the talented fiddler from the band, also posed with the Gaggle. I am sure he is still reeling from this opportunity.



As you can see here, Mar-Mar had a great time.



Next stop on the group's tour is The Hollywood Bowl. In Hollywood. Funny how that works.



If you have the opportunity to be at the Bowl on the 4th for their Fireworks Spectacular, you'll be in for a treat.



To get tickets to see the band AND the fireworks, visit Steve Martin's website: stevemartin.com/

See more Daveland photography at my main website.