Vintage San Antonio

I recently acquired a few 1950s slides featuring San Antonio, Texas. This first one shows the Alamo Cenotaph Monument. Naturally, a detailed view is in order:



A contemporary shot from my one visit there in 2016. I'm not really a fan of the state of Texas, but I sure did have a good time here and wouldn't mind venturing back one day.



The legendary Alamo Mission, which apparently DOES have a basement.



Either way, your bike ain’t there, Mister!



Still looks about the same. If only I aged as well as this 18th century building has!



A vintage shot of the wall in front of the Alamo mission with the Emily Morgan hotel in the background:



Ol’ Emily is still alive and kickin’!



Last vintage shot for today is the San Jose Mission, which I made sure to see as it was one of the key locations used in the movie “Still Breathing.”



A shot of actress Joanna Going at the San Jose Mission for “Still Breathing,” 1997. Yes, it’s a somewhat sappy movie, but I don’t care. Still love it.



How the wall looked in 2016:



Hope you enjoyed a little Daveland before and after!

See more San Antonio photos at my main website.

The Rose Window

Founded in 1720, The Mission San Jose in San Antonio, Texas, is known as the "Queen of Missions."



During a recent trip for the UCDA Conference, I took a detour so that I could see this amazing property in person.



One of my favorite movies, "Still Breathing," features a key scene shot at this Mission. The two main characters of this romantic piece, Fletcher (Brendan Fraser) and Roz (Joanna Goings), stroll through the grounds and stop at The Rose Window.



Fletcher proceeds to tell Roz the legend of this ornately detailed portal:

"A long time ago there was a craftsman who worked with stone, and he was commissioned by the church to build a window. And he fell in love with a girl who sang in the choir; her name was Rosa. But, before they could get married she became ill and she died. And all he was left with was this window, and he must have spent every waking hour...for years...carving it...for her. And that's why it's called The Rose Window."



When this scene was shot, it was over 100 degrees outside. The story Fletcher tells is identical to the "real legend" told for centuries about this window.



I highly recommend you see this movie, and even more...that you see this Mission in person.

More photos of San Antonio, Texas on my main website.

The Formosa Gets Revamped

The Formosa Cafe is an historic Hollywood hangout that has been around since 1925. In Hollywood, that's the equivalent of 200 years or more on the East Coast. Sinatra, Monroe, Bogie, Gable…they all had a few libations here whenever they were finished filming at the studios. There's a lot of history in this place; or at least there was.

One of my favorite quirky films, "Still Breathing," had a few key scenes shot at the Formosa:



Here's a vintage shot of me hanging at the Formosa.



This place used to be dark. Even the glow of this light didn't brighten the place much. No complaints here; it's called atmosphere.



I LOVED this mural that was in one of the back rooms.



On my most recent trip to Hollywood, I had to stop by.



No longer dark, no longer atmospheric.



With a little snooping around the net, I found out that the place had been gutted. An uproar from the regulars caused the owners to decide to restore it to its former glory. I'd say it still has a long way to go. How do you restore atmosphere?!?

For more Formosa, head on over to my main website.