November 2001
Darby's Coffee Shop
27 Nov, 2001
Darby's Coffee Shop in Canoga Park.20901 Sherman Way (at De Soto) Canoga Park, CA 91303
I had an appointment in an unfamiliar part of the Valley today (Canoga Park) and since I had some time to kill beforehand I thought I would grab lunch, preferably in a non-McFastFood type restaurant.
A Coffee Shop was what I had in mind, actually, but I didn't know of any notable ones in that part of the valley, and a Google search for "Canoga Park coffee shop" was fruitless. All it told me was that once upon a time there had been a Big Boy which has since closed.
I drove along Sherman Way, looking for my cross street and keeping an eye out for a promising place to eat. It wasn't until I doubled back to De Soto avenue by way of Valerio that I saw the bright blue sign proclaiming Darby's Coffee Shop at the corner of De Soto and Sherman Way. I made a quick right into the parking lot, and looked the place over - I do love supporting old coffee shops, but not if they're dirty and/or creepy. The health inspector had given the place an "A", which was encouraging, and the sign looked original and well-maintained, which is always promising.
I went in and sat at the counter, which was immaculate. Looking around at decor I would hazard a guess that the last major remodeling was done in the late 60's/early 70's, but the vinyl upholstery has either been kept very clean or, if replaced, carefully colormatched to the shiny avocado/moss green (stools) and brown (booths) of the last remodel.
A very cozy little place, which seems to have been there for quite some time - one of the signs out front said something about a 50th anniversary special, which would date Darby's to 1951.
It was about 1:00 when I sat down to order lunch, and there was only one other customer there. I had glanced at the hours on my way in and noticed that they only open for breakfast and lunch. I had apparently missed the lunch rush, and that was fine by me; An attentive waitress took my order, and about 5 minutes later I had my tuna melt and fries.
The rye bread was grilled to perfection and the fries had the perfect crispy/mealy ratio. The tuna salad was very tasty, if not quite warmed all the way through. Next time I'll ask to have the tuna somehow warmed up, either by grill or by microwave, but at the time I was too hungry to complain. Overall, the sandwich was good.
Total cost for a tuna melt, fries, and a coke: about $6.50. Not too bad, and better quality, bigger portions, and better service than you're likely to find at a Denny's type restaurant. I didn't find the tuna salad all that off-putting, because I got the impression that they would have been happy to heat it up for me if I'd only asked. Next time I'm out that way I'll have to stop in and try their coffee. I'll bet they do good breakfasts, too.
Afternoon Coffee
26 Nov, 2001
Taken during an afternoon coffee break at work. You can see the new tower construction in the background. The lousy quality of the image is due to its original resolution being 320x240. I've tried to compensate in Photoshop, but it will probably still be quite grainy after getting resized to 504 pixels wide.
Tonga Hut Tiki
25 Nov, 2001
11/25/2001 - 12808 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, California
From the street the Tonga Hut's Tiki decoration is a lot more impressive.
Up close, it's a bit of a disappointment.
Tonga Hut
25 Nov, 2001
12808 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, California
Leon's Sign
25 Nov, 2001
10945 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, California
“It’s a Steak House!”
“It’s a Coffee Shop!”
“Wait! You’re both right!”
(Demolished)
Leon's Steak House and Coffee Shop
25 Nov, 2001
10945 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood, California
I've driven by Leon's numerous times over the last 5 years, but never
had a camera with me. I've never eaten there, because frankly the place looks creepy no matter how classic the signage.
The patrons were arriving for breakfast when I was there taking photos, and many of them looked like they had been going to Leon's since the place opened.
(12/28/2008 - Leon's has since been demolished)
Circus Liquor Clown
25 Nov, 2001
5600 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, California
Well known to residents of the San Fernando Valley,
you may recognize the Circus Liquor Clown's terrifying visage
from the film Clueless.
Bob's Big Boy - Looking East along Riverside Drive
25 Nov, 2001
4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.
Downtown Burbank looms behind Bob's Big Boy
Patys Coffee House
25 Nov, 2001
10001 Riverside Drive Dr, Toluca Lake, California.
A little further west along Riverside drive is Patys Coffee House, another googie-style coffee shop which, unfortunately, has been remodeled over the years. However, the sign retains all of its original character.
Big Boy
25 Nov, 2001
11/25/2001 - Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.
Bob's Big Boy
25 Nov, 2001
11/25/2001 - Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.
Bob's Big Boy from across Riverside Drive.
Bob's Big Boy - Coffee Shop Sign
25 Nov, 2001
11/25/2001 - Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.\n
A Coffee Shop sign facing Riverside drive from the curved roof of the restaurant.
Big Boy and Sign
25 Nov, 2001
11/25/2001 - Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.\n
A pristine Big Boy figure holds a giant burger aloft beneath the large sign.
Bob's Big Boy Sign
25 Nov, 2001
11/25/2001 - 4211 W Riverside Dr, Burbank, California.
Looking up at the Toluca Lake landmark sign.
Big Boy and Sign (II)
25 Nov, 2001
Burbank Boulevard
Toluca Lake, California
Sweater Weather in L.A.
24 Nov, 2001
It rained like hell here in the Valley today, and I'd say the temperatures stayed in the 50's well into the early afternoon as a result. I finally got to bust out the off-white ribbed sweater I bought at Goodwill for $4.00 back in July. I remember it well; it was about 110 degrees out that day, and even in the air-conditioned store just touching something as warm as a sweater made me want to crawl out of my skin. But I knew the day would come when I'd be glad to have scored it for so little, and today was that day.
This is a Folgers-drinkin' sweater if ever there was one; when I put it on I feel like I should be out on a porch overlooking a duck pond at dawn, a golden retriever at my side and one foot up on the railing while I sip a mug of Folgers contemplatively and do that serene, eyes-closed archaic smile they always do in those commercials. A right cozy sweater, in other words.
The rain stopped fairly abruptly shortly before sunset, and the clouds blew away north quite quickly. It's always amazing how blue the sky is after a heavy rain rinses all the smog out of it, and how fresh the air smells. And it's still fairly chilly out - this will make for excellent sleeping weather. Speaking of which, good night.
Addendum
I decided to try and find a dumb old Folger's commercial still, but my Google search for "Folger's commercial" turned up something much, much stranger: An MP3 of Paul Stanley singing the Folger's jingle.
It Never Rains in Los Angeles
24 Nov, 2001
Hester watches the season's first heavy rain from our front window.
The Ghost of Breakfast Cereals Past
21 Nov, 2001
I haven't spent a lot of time there yet, but I was impressed to find a reference to General Mills' Buckwheats cereal, of which I have fond childhood memories. And I was happy to read that Booberry and Frankenberry are still in production, just harder to find than they used to be.
Damn, and a post on the message board just reminded me of "Ice Cream Cones" cereal, which came in two flavors: Vanilla and Chocolate. Damn! I guess they can't get away with making new cereals like that anymore. The old standbys like Cookie Crisp got grandfathered in, but gone are the days of innovative cereals like Ice Cream Cones and Dinky Donuts.
A Google search for Dinky Donuts just turned up this page, which may also be of nostalgic interest.
Muzak in the 21st Century
20 Nov, 2001
Driven to the brink of madness by the muzak filtering through my closed office door at work, it occurred to me for the first time to see if the Muzak company has a web site.
They do, and (not surprisingly) it’s at Muzak.com. I don’t know why I find this amusing… probably because for all the talk they have on their site about “the power of music” and their providing music for millions of people everyday, they don’t mention the part about stripping it of its heart and soul and making it as plastic as the products on the shelves of the stores it’s playing in.
Seriously, I don’t know if they use Muzak™ brand muzak where I work, but one day I actually heard a flutey instrumental of the Foo Fighters’ song ‘Big Me’. Now, this isn’t one of the Foo Fighters’ heavier songs by a long shot, but it doesn’t deserve to be lobotomized like that. Nothing does, really.
Vermont & Wilshire Station
17 Nov, 2001
View from the exit of the station towards the intersection of Vermont and Wilshire.
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