Monday at The Pearl

Today’s post takes us to a little midcentury gem in the Point Loma area of San Diego, The Pearl Hotel. This retro beauty made the list of St. Louis Style for being one of nine “Unforgettable Retro Hotels in the USA.” From The Pearl's website:

Originally designed by local architect Robert Platt in 1959 and operated as a Sportsman’s Lodge throughout the 1960s by resident husband and wife duo, Charles and Dinorah.



Fast forward to The Pearl Hotel as you know it today. The mid-century modern motel and gem of San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood was thoughtfully renovated with hospitality brand Casetta Group at the helm. The interiors are outfitted in a contemporary aesthetic and unique vintage decor, while maintaining the integrity of its original architectural features. The 23 unique guest rooms surround the art moderne oyster-shaped pool, which flows into the onsite cocktail bar and restaurant Ponyboy. ‍



As a nod to the hotel’s name, the in-room artwork pays homage to the remarkable female Japanese pearl divers, called Ama, known to hold their breath underwater for extended periods of time while harvesting oysters.



I would classify it as a retro gem that is competitively priced in a decent location…if you are wanting to explore the Point Loma area. It’s far enough down Rosecrans Drive that you would find it difficult to navigate the stop-start-bottleneck traffic if you wanted to head downtown or explore the other beaches of San Diego. On the flip-side, Point Loma does have enough fare on its own to keep a tourist semi-busy and well-fed. If the lobby area looks unattended, it kind of was on the day I visited. The lone person on staff seemed very disinterested…when he could be found. It felt like a one-person show and I am sure he was stretched thin doing his duties (and his face showed it).



The lobby seating area with a gorgeous (!) view of Rosecrans:



The bar/restaurant area:



The pool, which is cute in a retro way but if this place approached anything near full-occupancy would be a very tight situation:



The room itself was clean and spacious, and very well appointed:



Large bathroom that was pretty, but definitely avoided any of the retro homage touches:



The “vintage touches” were reserved for the reading materials and other decor touches:



The view from the shared balcony won’t take your breath away, but I’ve definitely seen worse:



Would I recommend this place? Sure, but I can’t say it’s one that draws me in like the Lafayette in North Park. Both places are a bit out of the way for the typical San Diego tourist, but the Lafayette at least has a “wow” factor that is much higher than The Pearl.
 
See more photos of The Pearl in Point Loma at my main website.

The Point Loma Lighthouse & Cabrillo Monument

This image from an August 1960 slide shows the Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego, with the Cabrillo monument on the background. I am happy to report that both are still around, visited by tourists seeking that soul satisfying selfie.



Part of the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse was built in 1854 and one of the first eight lighthouses on the Pacific Coast. The new Pelican Point Lighthouse replaced it in 1891. During World War II the Navy used it as a signal tower. Below is the Cabrillo Monument, which commemorates the 1542 landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the first European to step foot on the West Coast.



The Portuguese government commissioned sculptor Alvaro DeBree to carve the 14' high statue in 1939 as a gift for the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. It was later moved to its permanent home at the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula, which was established as a monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. The statue suffered through years of erosion and was eventually moved to Ensenada, Mexico, to be replaced in 1988 by a replica carved by Portuguese sculptor Joas Chartes Almeida.





The views from this area are off the charts. You can see downtown San Diego as well as Coronado Island:



Back to the lighthouse…



The lighthouse lens once sent its light out more than 20 miles to identify locations and warn of hazards. That’s a lot of mileage! Made in France, it weighs 1,985 pounds and stands 5'2" tall. It was the lighthouse keeper’s job to maintain the lens and lamps in good working condition.



Visitors can tour inside the lighthouse. LOVE this spiral staircase!



The view from inside:



The rooms where the lighthouse keeper and family lived are very modest:





Outside is a garden; garlic anyone?



See more Point Loma photos at my main website.

Fred & Ginger: Together Forever

In my quest to visit historic cemeteries, Oakwood Memorial Park was low on the totem pole. Located in Chatsworth, it’s just far enough away from LA/Hollywood to make it an inconvenient trip. Last month though, I finally rectified that situation! The area surrounding the cemetery which opened in 1924 is plagued by 1990s faux adobe architectural style, and the entrance to Oakwood is not much better, littered with mismatched signs. How could this be the final resting place of a classy guy like dancer/actor Fred Astaire, seen below in a behind-the-scenes shot from “Easter Parade” (1948):



And yet, here’s where he lies for all of eternity. The cemetery is pretty much all markers vs. headstones. Unlike most of the cemeteries I have visited, this one just feels a bit sterile without much character. Even Fred’s marker is a bit curious; I “assume” his last wife, Robyn Smith, is the “I” in the inscription. No birth/death dates listed, either. I wonder how his kids feel about this, as the “I” definitely leaves them out of the picture. Wouldn’t “we” have been a bit more inclusive? Ah, the things one could infer from a single sentence.



Fred’s sister and initial dancing partner, Adele, has a more traditional inscription:



Fred and Adele’s mother:



Fred’s first wife, Phyllis, who died of lung cancer in 1954, leaving him devastated:



Although they were just about the most famous dancing pair from Old Hollywood, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were never married to each other or even linked romantically. Just work buddies.



Below is the marker for Ginger and her mother, Lela. I’m not sure how it happened, but yes, Fred & Ginger are buried at the same cemetery.



You might remember Oscar winning actress Gloria Graham from “It’s a Wonderful Life” (pictured below), “The Bad and the Beautiful,” or “Oklahoma.”



She is buried here at Oakwood, too. She was married four times; #2 was director Nicholas Ray and #4 was her stepson, Anthony Ray. Talk about all in the family…



Nearby is the historic Pioneer Church, which was built in another location in 1903 and originally called the Chatsworth Community Church. A lot of great info about this place on the Chatsworth History website.



In 1962, the building was set to be demolished, but instead ended up being moved to its present location in 1965.



The fundraising to move the building was begun by a $1000 donation from the famed Dale and Roy Rogers. The two also held an “Appreciation Reception” at their ranch, attended by over 200 people. Any of my readers in attendance? Interestingly enough, Dale and Roy are buried elsewhere (in Apple Valley), not here in Chatsworth.



When the foundation of the church was removed, the Church Cornerstone revealed several items including a bible, a Sunday School attendance roster dated January 8, 1903 and a membership list of the church’s ladies aid society. The items were saved, but exposure to the air after being stored in the stone, with no protective container, caused them to crumble within the week. Oops.



Inside the entrance to Oakwood is the Chapel of the Oaks, built in 1933. At least this building has a bit of authentic character.



Wikipedia lists actor Earl Holliman (shown below with Cloris Leachman) as a “resident” of Oakwood, yet he was nowhere to be found. Upon further investigation, the Find A Grave website lists him as being buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. AI says that Holliman’s ashes were scattered at sea, but that he has a memorial cenotaph at Valhalla.



With inhabitants Bea Benadaret and Oliver Hardy, I guess I need to add Valhalla to my list of places to visit!

See more cemetery photos at my main website.

Little Miss Sunshine in CA: The Conclusion!

Today is the grand finale of Christy’s (Little Miss Sunshine) 2026 California visit. First stop is the Whaley House in Old Town San Diego State Park. From the plaque Christy is so graciously pointing to:

Built by Thomas Whaley in 1856-57, this is the oldest brick structure in southern California. In addition to being the home of the Whaley family, it served variously as granary, store, court-house and school and as the town’s first theater. Whaley’s home was the cultural center of San Diego as well as its most luxurious residence.

All of that info is fantastic, but the marketing campaign focuses on one other piece of info painted directly on the side of the structure: “America’s most haunted house.” That doesn’t hurt the ticket sales.



How the house looked in 1874:



August 1962:



2019:



Our tour guide was very entertaining and gave us some fun facts as we walked around the perimeter and then parked inside the courthouse portion of the museum:



After his spiel, we were free to roam.



Christy enjoyed putting on a show upstairs in the small theater. It was a sold-out performance!



San Diego State University did an archaeological excavation of the grounds, the family well, and the family privy which unearthed more than 66,000 artifacts between 2007-2011. Below is a small sampling of what is on display at the museum:



A selfie, taken in hopes that maybe one of the spirits would appear in the background, but no such luck:



Christy did notice a higher heart rate while in the Whaley House that didn’t go back to normal until she had descended the stairs and exited the building. For real!



Down the street is the El Campo Cemetery. This sign on one of the graves is a bit ironic.



Some of the graves are inside the fenced area of the cemetery:



…and some got paved over OUTSIDE of the fence and are now part of the sidewalk. Yikes. Careful where you step.



Christy was ready for a guest role on “Little House on the Prairie” after exploring Old Town:



Truth be told, we were both ready for some food. The restaurant of choice was the festive Casa Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant:



First things first: Christy got out the Shark to help her cool down!



Then chips and salsa:



drinks:



…and the epic Pollo Fundido! Yum!



I just couldn’t keep this girl out of the fountains.



Back in the old days, we would have taken advantage of this special BIG TIME!



Instead, we paid a visit to the Mason Street Schoolhouse, built in 1865. It was the first publicly owned school in San Diego, used from 1865 to 1872:



Wonder what’s inside?



We played teacher and got this view from behind teacher’s desk:



Enough edutainment already; it was time to get to the good stuff. Christy had never been to a See’s Candy Store. It was time to rectify this tragic situation. Free samples abounded!



For dinner, we went to the classic Rudford’s Diner in North Park; Christy posed by the JFK mural showing his motorcade driving by the restaurant in 1963:



Before we dug into the meal:



Christy is still recovering from the glow of Rudford’s JFK shake; if nothing else, I know this will get her to come back soon!



My Buffalo Chicken salad was tasty!



And then, all too soon, it was time to head to the airport. The fantastic trip by my Indiana bestie had come to a close. Dropping her off at the airport, we took one more selfie until next time:



Back in Indiana, Christy’s mom has been enjoying the See’s Candies. Her first question after eating one, “Can you buy these online?”



Shirley, you jest! What a silly question…

See more Old Town, San Diego photos at my main website.