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.

A Whole New World, 2015

Thanks to the miracle of Adobe Lightroom, I have been able to go back to some of my earlier photos and reprocess them, bringing out more details and enhancing the lighting. In so doing, I discovered I had an entire stash of unprocessed shots from the December 13, 2015 performance of “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” at the Hyperion Theatre in Disney California Adventure. Over 250 images to be exact! This condensed 45 minute version of the 1992 animated Disney classic was included in the price of admission for the Park. This was back in the day when value-added at the Disney Parks went above and beyond. Truly worthy of a Broadway stage, this musical delighted audiences daily for almost thirteen years. It never failed to impress guests with its musical talent, innovative set design, and breathtaking special effects.



Ushers assisted guests into their seats (which was pretty much a free-for-all; none were assigned) before the purple curtain rose.



This was one of my favorite sets; truly impressive. The show began with the narrator in front of yet another poor soul who lost his life in an attempt to get the evil Jafar the magic lamp.



We first meet Aladdin on a cart in the market. The one negative I could say about this show is the wigs. They were awful; we know the budget didn’t cover those! A small quibble, especially when to most eyes in the audience they went unnoticed.



Aladdin returns to the Cave of Wonders, with Iago the parrot at left. The show used puppeteers to work the animals in the show. Very effective!



The Genie was the true star of the show. Ad libs were part of the attraction to guests returning, as the jokes stayed topical and were rarely the same.



The musical numbers were expertly staged and wow…the sets and lighting!



Other than during mechanical mishaps, the magic carpet actually flew over the audience!



A gigantic serpent scared the kiddies:



Naturally, a large production number with the entire cast was part of the happy ending/grand finale.



If you never got a chance to see it, this YouTube video does a good job of showing what you missed:



See more “Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” photos at my main website.

These Boots Were Made For Moonwalking

I always get a bit excited when I acquire a “new” image of the Disneyland Tomorrowland Space Couple; this July 1967 shot is no exception. My favorite part is the little boy looking at the Spaceman’s silver painted work shoes. Even he knows something ain’t right here! The boy in the red cap is guarding his Disneyland Popcorn box with his life. If he knew how much that might fetch him in 2026, he would be holding it even closer.



Any idea what the window in the background is showing? I’m in too much of a hurry this morning to check!
 
See more Disneyland Space Couple photos at my main website.

Toy Story 5 at The Village

Last night I went to the semi-recently reopened Village Theater in Coronado. I had discovered it just before its temporary shutdown and transition to new owners. It was good to be back! This little gem is a treasure that far outshines the other theaters that are located at the overpopulated malls.



The Village first opened in 1947 and was a lively entertainment center for Coronado until the birth of the multiplex dampened its popularity. In 2011, the theater was revamped by designer Joseph Musil (the genius behind the restoration of Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre).



From the Coronado History Page:

In 2011, the revamped Coronado Village Theater opened with the premiere of the film “Cars 2”. It retains its original Art Deco theme on the interior. While the original theater featured one room and sat 600 people, the renovated theater has three showing rooms, with its main room seating 215. The main room features artistic renditions of both the Coronado and San Diego Skyline, as well as other landmarks such as the Bay Bridge and the Hotel del Coronado. The other two rooms have 38 seats, respectively, and showcase murals of the famed San Diego Exposition of 1915 as well as San Diego’s Balboa Park. The murals were hand painted by Bill Anderson, a Disney muralist. Both new residents and locals who remember the original, quaint theater greatly appreciate the Coronado Village Theater as a lively source of activity and entertainment on the island.



I love the art deco styling inside, which still has a modern feeling to it.



I skipped over “The Odyssey” and “Moana” (!) and went right for “Toy Story 5,” which was playing in the Balboa Room theater.



The saturated colors in the smaller theater were right up my alley.



On either side of the screen were murals that represented San Diego’s Balboa Park; on the left were buildings from the 1935 Exposition in Balboa Park:



…and the Casa del Prado:



And the movie? I LOVED the first “Toy Story,” but each time a sequel was announced, I thought, “Why do they need to go back?” Each time, I have been pleasantly surprised. Somehow, Pixar has managed to keep this franchise fresh and innovative. This time, Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) is the lead, ably supported by her faithful horse, Bullseye.



Navigating the hot topic of what “devices” have done to kids (and our society), the film tugs at heartstrings, challenges the way we live, and also makes you laugh. What more can you ask for in a film? In a time when people have shut off their brains for AI, it is refreshing to see this movie tackle the controversy and attempt to remind the audience that all of these “devices” are tools, not substitutes for intelligence and creative thinking…and most importantly, play!



On the way out, I noticed the Night & Day Cafe, which stays open until midnight. It looked like a scene straight out of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. I need to go back here!



See more Coronado Island photos at my main website.

Mini Run For The Border

Just when I thought I’d seen everything wacky in San Diego Dept.…

Near San Diego State University exists a miniature Taco Bell, as seen above. Yesterday I had to see this one for myself. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’m so glad I made the short trek to see it, as these days, some moron will eventually spray paint it or vandalize it. As to the backstory, I found this on Roadside America website:

Faithful reproduction of the Mission-style first Taco Bell in San Diego, which stood from 1965 to 2008. This mini-version is across from a new Taco Bell's drive-thru. This miniature Taco Bell appears to be a utility box of some sort, faithfully decorated to commemorate the first Taco Bell in San Diego. It's adjacent to the drive-thru of the more recently remodeled Taco Bell that still stands at the corner of College and University Avenues. San Diego's original Taco Bell was built in 1965 and stood for over 40 years.



This little plaque gives a thanks to Glen and Marty Bell:



Turns out Glen Bell is the Taco Bell founder and Marty was his second wife. Edited from his obituary on newspapers.com:


Glen W. Bell Jr., the innovator and entrepreneur who tapped an unsated hunger for Mexican fare as Americans discovered fast food, creating Taco Tia, El Taco and in 1962 his signature Taco Bell, has died. He was 86. “We changed the eating habits of an entire nation,” Bell said in his 1999 biography, “Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story.” When post-World War II Americans began to realize they could no longer survive without cheaply purchased, quickly delivered hamburgers, the Southern California born-and-bred Bell looked for another simple staple for the masses. He chose the taco, which he first sold in 1951 for 19 cents each at a drive-in in San Bernardino. Eventually, Bell coaxed multiethnic palates across the country into salivating for his tacos and later additions of burritos, tostadas, frijoles and chili burgers. PepsiCo purchased Taco Bell in 1978 for $125 million and eventually spun off its restaurants into Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., now known as Yum Brands. Taco Bell serves more than 36 million customers each week in more than 5,600 U.S. locations. Over the decades, Bell developed what he called his “recipes for success” -- some 60 homilies outlined in his biography. His first three rules were the formula for his restaurant chains: * You build a business one customer at a time; * Find the right product, then find a way to mass-produce it; * An innovative product will set you apart. “I’m an entrepreneur, not an administrator,” he said. “Taco Bell prospered because I recognized my limitations, hired professional managers to make up for them, and knew when to let go.”



If only this thing lit up at night…



The details are mind blowing. Somebody spent some time on this thing:





For a sense of scale, you can see the existing restaurant behind it, which was doing a steady business while I was there:



I’ve never been a big Taco Bell diner; I’d like to say I have fond memories of eating there, but the majority of times I was drunk and it was 3am. Yes, back in my college era. I think the last time I ate there was with Little Miss Sunshine back in 1994.

On the way home, I passed the Tower Bar in City Heights. What an interesting piece of architecture. Art Deco meets Andy Warhol.





…and this Rodney Dangerfield mural:



It pays to get off the couch and explore!
 
See more San Diego photos 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.