Year In Review: Top 10 SoCal Adventures in 2022
In 2022, SoCal Wanderer brought you guides to a wide variety of adventures and places to explore throughout the region — from the stunning views of L.A. and scenic footbridges of San Diego to the arts scene in Riverside and the underappreciated treasures of Santa Ana.
But there's so much to do throughout Southern California — and there are a few highlights from 2022 that haven't made their way into a SoCal Wanderer guide just yet.
Since they're so good, we've collected them for you here. Why not get a head start on planning your road trips, weekends away and staycations for 2023 and beyond?
Many of these can be visited anytime of the year — although there are a few special treats included that you can keep your eyes open for in the future.
Here's to happy exploring in the new year!
1. Buck Owens Crystal Palace, Bakersfield
In January, I joined Art Deco Society of Los Angeles on a weekend trip to Bakersfield, where we discovered the architectural treasures of its historic downtown on a walking tour and explored every nook and cranny of The Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater.
But one of the highlights of that trip for me — besides basking in the glow of all that glorious Bakersfield neon — was the opportunity to have dinner at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, where we experienced the "Bakersfield Sound" first-hand by listening to Buck's son Johnny Owens play live while we examined the artifacts in the glass cases on all sides of the large concert hall/dining room.
A major highlight? The "Nudiemobile" (a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville customized by Nudie Cohn) that supposedly was built for Elvis Presley (who never took possession of it). Buck Owens later bought it and hung it over the bar of the Crystal Palace, where you can still find it today.
Museum accessible via dinner reservation/concert ticket. Restaurant open Thursdays from 5 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m. Tickets available online or in person at the Country Store/Box Office, which is open Thursdays from 3 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 3 to 10 p.m.
2. Apple Valley Inn, Apple Valley
Completely coincidentally, I also started off 2022 by joining the Apple Valley Legacy Museum, Victor Valley Legacy Museum and the Mohahve Historical Society for a rare tour of the former Apple Valley Inn, which was taken over by the country music supercouple of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans when they moved to the High Desert in 1965.
Located at the intersection of the Happy Trails Highway (Hwy 18) and Dale Evans Parkway, it's generally closed to the public now, except for certain special event rentals as part of The Apple Valley Inn Business and Event Center operations. But for decades, it offered a respite from "the rat race" for city folk who wanted to chow down at cowboy cookouts at The Outdoor Steak Fry and ride some horses at the Roy Rogers' Riding Stables. You could even hit the links or take a dip in the pool — and maybe even meet Roy and Dale in person.
The restaurant closed in 1987 — and in 1998, Roy said his final "until we meet again" when he passed away at age 86 (with Dale to follow less than three years later). But even before their involvement in the establishment, it had already attracted a number of celebrities — reportedly Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Russell, Kirk Douglas and the like. So, there's lots of history to explore — especially in the Apple Valley Legacy Museum, which is located in the former "Bob Hope Cottage" (a.k.a. Cottage 153).
Museum hours Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
3. Royal Hawaiian Estates, Palm Springs
In February 2022, as part of Modernism Week, I got to take a tour of the Royal Hawaiian Estates — built in 1960-2 and, in 2010, designated as Palm Springs' first Historic Residential District. The enclave was the creation of Philip Short, a developer who wanted to capitalize on the heightened interest in Hawaii upon entering statehood in 1959. He created the estates as a Jewish-only community (in a time when Jews weren't allowed to buy into other developments) — and, as he targeted the over-55 set, he even advertised to cruise ship passengers.
Architects Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison created the 5-acre gated complex in a "Tiki Modern" style, with exaggerated gables, outrigger beams and "Flying 7s" buttresses in a desert color palette. And today, dozens of attached, single-family condo units in 12 separate buildings are arranged surrounding two sunken pool courtyards — and for the tours, residents are usually there to open their doors and greet ticketed guests. Bonus for our tour? The artist SHAG, who happens to be a resident, welcomed us into his home.
Despite its initial popularity in the 1960s, Royal Hawaiian Estates had become victim of deferred maintenance and had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s — with many of its tropical details remodeled or even removed (including some of the "tiki apexes," or mini A frames). Fortunately, most of it has been restored, offering a residential community that's both Desert Modernism and a Desert Polynesian fantasy. It's so incredibly charming, it was hard for me to imagine not living there.
The Royal Hawaiian Estates Homeowners Association once again is hosting Modernism Week events next year: a home tour and a happy hour luau, both on February 17, 2023.
4. Former Bullock's (Now Macy's), Pasadena
March 2022 brought me somewhere I'd had my eye on for quite some time already: the Macy's on Lake Avenue in Pasadena. And thanks to a tour offered by Pasadena Heritage and their volunteer docents, I got to peel back the layers and see the remnants of the former Pasadena location of Bullock's department store, which arrived in "the suburbs" in 1947, when the Red Car trolley was still running but more and more shoppers were becoming motorists.
The architectural team of Walter Wurdeman & Welton Becket designed the nationally-landmarked department store to look like a cruise ship from the outside but to offer the atmosphere of a private home on the inside. On the ground floor (or "Middle Level," marked as "M" in the elevators), the cosmetics department features original copper ceiling lighting fixtures, original hand-painted wallpaper murals and wooden cases, part of more than 220 varieties lumber utilized throughout the store. The men's department resembles a wood-paneled den — and in the present-day women's department, two antique end tables are on display along with other historical artifacts. Original fireplaces still remain, too (although they'd been covered up for decades before a restoration unveiled them).
On the Upper Level, the former "Ship Room" in the children's department is a nautical wonderland for any sailor-in-training, with porthole-style display cases and blond-colored pine woodwork, paneling and doors — all illuminated by ship lanterns. And right around the corner? The preserved-in-amber Children's Hair Styling Salon, which operated from 1947 to 2019 (when its main hairdresser, Dora, retired).
Open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. A parking structure is available as part of The Shops on Lake Avenue complex.
5. Navy Bridge Run, San Diego
I'm not a runner — at all — but I can manage to walk a 5K or some other race if it means getting into a spot that's not normally open to the public. And in the case of the annual Navy Bay Bridge Run, that meant getting to cross the Coronado Bridge on foot, while half of it is closed to traffic — an opportunity that, to me, was well worth the four-mile trek (with a pretty impressive incline). The starting line is actually in the San Diego Harbor area, between the Convention Center and the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel — and before you get to cross over the bay, the route first takes you through Barrio Logan and under the Coronado Bridge, where many colorful murals characterize the area known as Chicano Park.
The Coronado Bridge opened in 1969 upon San Diego's bicentennial and has a peak vertical clearance of 200 feet so that ships and aircraft carriers can pass beneath it. That requires a curved bridge design — one that spans 11,288 feet to cross a channel that's about 5000 feet in width, with a 4.67% grade to lengthen the path of ascent. That's a pretty gradual incline for driving — but when you're walking or running it, you can definitely feel the burn.
The bridge is supported by 30 concrete towers (or "piers"), designed by architect Robert Mosher like California mission arches (or those of Mission Revival architecture). And he chose the blue color for the box girder ("San Diego blue," he called it) to blend in with the water below and the sky above. Part of the payoff of the race was actually getting to admire these details at a more leisurely pace than when you're in a car.
The 36th annual Navy Bay Bridge Run will take place on May 21, 2023. Registration is open now.
6. Hobbit Houses, Palms, Los Angeles
Its official name is the "Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments" — but most people know the Culver City-adjacent complex simply as the "Hobbit Houses." And while they're a private residence that's not open to the public, Culver City Historical Society made my wildest dreams come true this past July by hosting a tour (its first ever) there.
You might expect to see gnomes, trolls or Gollum occupying a place like this — but in reality, its creator was Lawrence (or "Larry") Joseph, a former Skunk Works aerospace builder who'd previously worked for Walt Disney, drawing Donald Duck (but for literally just a few days). Upon his death in 1991, Larry still hadn't considered the complex finished, even though most of the work had been completed between 1946 and 1970. His wife Martha took care of the property until she died in 2004, and subsequent caretakers have left a shocking amount of original details in place — like built-in wooden furniture, nautical details (Larry was an expert sailor), hand-forged hinges, stained glass windows, weeping mortar and shingles mish-mashed all this- and thataway.
This other-worldly domicile deservedly was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1996. As stated in one newspaper article — whose clipping was hung for tour-takers to read — it's "an old English dream world in the middle of a modern metropolis." And in "An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles," David Gebhard and Robert Winter wrote that it's a "Medieval fairytale world of Hansel and Gretel cottages in a witch-infested jungle." Just imagine that — only a block from the center of Culver City.
Culver City Historical Society hopes to host more Hobbit Houses tours in the future, although none have yet been announced for 2023.
7. The Ebell of Los Angeles, L.A.
Although The Ebell of Los Angeles is a private, members-only club founded by women, for women in 1894, its clubhouse and theatre on Wilshire Boulevard are occasionally open to the public for a variety of events — including performances, holiday markets, lectures and more. But the best way to experience the history of the club's home, which was built in 1927, is to attend the Ebell's annual open house in September.
Beyond its stunning architecture — designed by Sumner P. Hunt and recognized as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and a national landmark — the Ebell L.A. has also become famous as the site of Judy Garland's discovery (when she was performing as Baby Frances Gumm) and of Amelia Earhart's final public appearance before her disappearance in 1937.
During the free open house, the entire clubhouse is open for exploring, top-to-bottom — including the theatre. And as a special treat, the club displays many of the historic artifacts from its collection, including a number of historic costumes (including vintage hats, shoes, dresses and other clothing pieces).
Follow The Ebell of Los Angeles to receive notification of future events and public open houses.
8. Giant Rock, Landers
Once thought to be the world's largest freestanding boulder, Giant Rock in the High Desert town of Landers, California is downright mystifying — especially as it's the former site of UFO conventions and of a civilian (and human) airstrip. I'd failed to visit it before (despite having been so close by, so many times), mostly because I wasn't sure exactly how to get there on a desert dirt road, with an unreliable GPS and pretty much no cell signal as my guide. But I finally got there in September.
It was National Public Lands Day — and Positional Projects was hosting its annual "Stories and Stewardship" cleanup project to remove graffiti, bag trash and generally beautify the area for others to enjoy. With gloves on hands and trash can in tow, I headed into the "vortex" — the spot between the boulder and where a piece of it split off mysteriously in 2000 — to dig burnt mattress springs, fireworks casings and lots of nails out of the sand. Unfortunately, a lot of visitors to this BLM-managed area leave a lot behind, especially after camping overnight.
Maybe they don't know the site's significance — that in August 1953, during a "close encounter," extraterrestrials made contact with aircraft mechanic, flight inspector and desert transplant George Van Tassel. Supposedly from the planet Venus, they gave him instructions of how to design and build an "electrostatic generator for the purpose of rejuvenation and time travel" (a.k.a. The Integratron). And that legend will continue to capture the imaginations of UFOlogists and skeptics alike for a long time to come — which is why it felt important for me to go there not just to look at Giant Rock, but to help improve the site for the enjoyment of other visitors to come.
Dispersed camping is available around Giant Rock in the BLM's Johnson Valley OHV Area. You can contact the BLM's Barstow Field Office with questions and follow Positional Projects, Blight Sites, Hi-Desert Nature Museum and Mojave Desert Land Trust for information on future cleanups.
9. Herald-Examiner Building, Downtown L.A.
Designated a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 1977, the former home of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner — which ceased its publishing operations in November 1989 — has undergone a huge renovation and has been reimagined as the the 100,000-square-foot campus for Arizona State University. Since it opened in September 2021, ASU's "California Center" has been offering both undergraduate and graduate programs — including those in journalism — out of the landmark that's colloquially known as the "Herald Examiner Building."
It's a fitting setting, as publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst had commissioned architect Julia Morgan (also later his partner on Hearst Castle) to design it for his "Los Angeles Examiner" newspaper, which he'd founded in 1903. In 1947, the newspaper infamously became the first to break the story of the now-infamous Black Dahlia murder.
A tour offered by ASU in October revealed that the palatial lobby still features carved pilasters and marble, hand-painted floor tiles and all the ornate details you'd expect to live up to Hearst's original edict: "That this home should be the best equipped and largest building in the world devoted exclusively to the production of a newspaper." (Amazingly, the public used to be able to enjoy this lobby in person — namely, by placing classified ads at the counter.) It's no wonder that the lobby has stood in for a hotel, church, city hall, church, bank, theatre and more as a filming location in Hollywood productions. (In the movie "Insidious," it even served as the devil's lair.)
On the second floor, down the hall from former offices that now serve as classrooms, there's the former printing room, wrapped by a circa 1950s mezzanine level where press operators could observe the activity. Architectural firm Gensler has renovated it into the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Event Center for meetings, banquets and the like — including events hosted by Zócalo Public Square, which are open to the public.
10. World Famous Crochet Museum, Joshua Tree
The first weekend of November, I'd spent the night at the Harmony Motel in 29 Palms to do an early-morning field trip with the Desert Institute at a couple of local abandoned mine sites. But on my way back to L.A., I discovered the real treasure of my trip: the World Famous Crochet Museum at Art Queen in Joshua Tree.
It's the collection of artist and musician Shari Elf, who doesn't actually crochet the items herself but rather collects these crocheted creatures — both in her own travels and from fans and friends who send her knit knickknacks from around the world. And it all started with the innocent-seeming acquisition of some plastic soap bottle covers in the form of poodles, which remain the centerpiece of the museum.
The collection is housed inside an old fiberglass photo kiosk (RoadsideArchitecture.com thinks it was a CLIC Photo booth) that Elf rescued from the roadside. But it almost feels as though these crocheted creations were born here, their legs all dangly and arms all gangly, eyes all a-googly. As appealing as they are, though, they're not for sale (and no touching, please).
Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a small suggested donation.
