The City of San Pedro and Terminal Island are forever linked in Los Angeles’ maritime history. However, it was not until 1870 when private ferry service provided service between the two locations. In 1941 the Municipal Ferry Service provided regularly scheduled services for passengers and vehicles between Terminal Island and San Pedro aboard its double decked ferries, “Islander” and “Ace. In November 1963, ferry services were ceased when the Vincent Thomas Bridge was opened.
Read MoreThe last and largest of Fort MacArthur's big guns became operational during the middle of World War
II. Massive concrete casemates to accommodate the new guns were built at White Point, just below 25th Street and east of Western Avenue. Construction began in 1942, and the battery entered service in 1944.
Read MoreI make high resolution still life photographs of natural objects that tell a simple story of beauty. I use the flora and tiny fauna of a very small region, usually my neighborhood, and work on a flatbed scanner to capture these lush curious compositions at high resolution. My vision isn’t as good as it used to be, so seeing the highly magnified details of natural forms revealed in large prints is thrilling. Working with flora that actively fades, or caterpillars that move, generates challenges that I enjoy responding to.
Read MoreApproaching her 90th birthday, the 1500-seat Warner Grand Theatre reminds us of Hollywood’s golden age while beckoning visitors and residents to downtown San Pedro, now a pedestrian-friendly arts district of galleries, theaters and restaurants.
Read MoreThere is beauty everywhere if you just open your mind and look around. Well look no farther than your own front yard and neighborhood. You don’t to have to go somewhere special just step out in your own front door.
Read MoreFor over a century, The Wizard of Oz has been America’s best loved fairy tale, and from almost the very beginning, Los Angeles has played an indelible part in the story’s enduring legacy. Oz’s Chicago based author, L. Frank Baum, found Southern California’s beaches irresistible, and yearly winter pilgrimages to the coast fueled his imagination - and inspiration - for stories that delight children of all ages to this day.
Read MoreArtist Julie Bender gives us a tour of the 25th Street Mosaic in San Pedro, California. For more information about Julie's work please visit https://www.juliebendermosaics.com
Read MoreWe find ourselves in Gemini season, which began on the 21st and will continue through June 20th. A mutable Air element sign, Gemini ushers in a period of enhanced communication, learning, mental processing, versatility, spontaneity, and on a deeper level, understanding our own duality and the power of relationship as mirror.
Read MoreI discover a map in the deep recess of my draw. My fingers lovingly caress the outlines of the various countries as my eyes hungrily drink in the tantalizing places my soul yearns to visit. I rush to my bookshelf and pull out all The Taj magazines. I carefully turn each page – there is my favorite hotel in the world – The Taj Falaknuma Palace. A grandiose palace I visited 10 years ago when the Taj Group of Hotels began their renovations in 2010. This journey is a prelude to what is to come – a long awaited moment to visit a distant land. India!
Read MoreKelly Lingel was born and raised in southern California. From an early age, her mother exposed her to great artwork, and encouraged her daughter’s creativity. Kelly is passionate about color and always knew she wanted to be an artist.
Read MoreCamryn Rabideau does a great job helping us figure out what is the best book depending on our gardening needs!
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It has not been an easy task converting this site that once served as a landfill for Los Angeles County residents into an escape that feeds the minds and souls of its visitors. According to Ms. Adrienne Nakashima, Chief Executive Officer of the South Coast Botanic Garden (Garden), when the Garden originally opened in 1960, it was basically survival.
Read MoreDuring the First World War the Army built Fort MacArthur, named for General Arthur MacArthur, in San Pedro on the hills just west of Gaffey Street. The fort was built to protect the then new Port of Los Angeles from a naval invasion which would presumably be lead by a fleet of battleships. The Japanese triumph over the Russians in the Russo-Japanese war was perceived as a serious potential threat and the port was already an important economic asset. The fort was equipped with four 14" naval guns each in a separate battery and eight 12" mortars, four in each of two batteries. These six concrete batteries exist today absent the weapons they were armed with.
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Probably the earliest evidence of human life in California and one of the earliest dates in the Americas
Read MoreResidents of the Palos Verdes peninsula become accustomed to the spectacular natural beauty that surrounds us. But when I arrived from upstate New York in July, 2000 I was stunned.
Read MoreCelebrating the 90th Anniversary of Neptune's Arrival in Malaga Cove Plaza
Neptunes Fountain was added to Malaga Cove Plaza in 1930. The famous Neptune's Fountain at Malaga Cove, The Palos Verdes Estates, CA, sports Neptune and his trident rising gloriously from the waves. Neptune is backed by four cherubs, four mermaids, four dolphins and several fishes among his kingdom, and all of it is a stunning depiction of his power over the sea.
Read MoreThe grounds surrounding Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall are the richest source on the hill for exploring the remnants of local military history. Three eras of weapons systems facilities built by the Army between the 1920s and the mid-1970s may be discovered in a casual walk around the area. The Army's original name for this site was the Long Point Military Reservation.
Read MoreHow this once seaside retreat built on the cliffs of Palos Verdes Estates by John Joseph Haggarty, a women’s clothing company and store owner and his wife, became the home of the Neighborhood Church is remarkable.
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