HISTORICAL FANTASY ADVENTURE SERIES
  • Home
  • The Books
  • About
  • Map
  • Contact

The Original "Yelp"

9/29/2015

Comments

 
Picture
For any of you history buffs, check out the city guides from the Works Progress Administration--they're like the Yelp of the 1930s. The Los Angeles guide provides a beautiful snapshot of the city in 1939 and has been an essential research tool for my novels.

The WPA was created by FDR as part of the New Deal, and employed millions of out-of-work writers, artists, and musicians. Because of it, we have amazing art and well-documented history from the era between the Depression and WWII. The covers for my novels will emulate 1930s travel posters, the like of which were also funded by the WPA.

Re-prints of these books are readily available on Amazon.

Comments

L.A. Baseball Before the Dodgers

9/10/2015

Comments

 
Before there was Dodgers Stadium in Chavez Ravine, there was Wrigley Field by USC. It opened 1925 and was home to the Los Angeles Angels--before they were the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It also hosted a team called the Hollywood Stars, whose uniforms I can only imagine. 

The site was demolished in 1969 and is now home to a park in South L.A..
Picture
Comments

The Jail Cafe

9/6/2015

Comments

 
Picture
Remember where Harry Houdini and Mary Pickford stopped for a drink after his grand stunt at the Egyptian Theatre? Strange as it sounded, it was a real prohibition-era bar.

Built originally as a movie screening room by D.W. Griffith, The Jail Cafe was a restaurant and speakeasy designed like a prison – complete with watchtower, jail cells and uniformed waiters. The 1920s saw the rise of strangely themed restaurants and bars, a tradition that continues today in Hollywood.

These days the venue is called El Cid, and it's a Spanish restaurant with live flamenco. All the magic of the original building is still there: its steep hillside steps, uneven brick patio, and cozy interior. If you're ever in Los Angeles, go check it out and try some paella; it's on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. 



Photos courtesy El Cid.
Picture
Picture
Comments

    Author

    David Khalaf is the author of the Sixteen Burdens series, which takes place in 1930s Hollywood.

    Archives

    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Historical Fiction
    Urban Fantasy
    Young Adult

    All

    RSS Feed

David Khalaf

About
Contact
Terms
© COPYRIGHT 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • The Books
  • About
  • Map
  • Contact