Neon Boneyard

Today's Las Vegas is all about spectacle and imitations of attractions from other parts of the world. In the old days, however, neon signs were king, attracting visitors to hotels and casinos that were otherwise rather nondescript. Fortunately, as more and more of the old buildings are destroyed, the Neon Museum is on hand to collect, preserve, and showcase the once-glorious signs (over 200 items) in a small neon boneyard, open to the public day and night. We opted to tour it at night, in hopes of seeing lots of showy neon.

Sadly, few signs were actually lit. Still the tour was fabulous, using the signs—which are arranged chronologically—as a visual metaphor of the history of Las Vegas. We, of course, loved the old casino signs the best, but there were also less well known—and just as interesting—ones: the Green Shack's simple "cocktails, chicken and steak" sign, for instance, and the Yucca motel's amazing neon yucca. Highly recommended for either day or night tours.

Fabulous plexiglass sign for the La Concha motel, part of which

now houses the Neon Museum gift shop

 

A section of the entrance facade of the old Horseshoe casino 

 

Yucca motel

 

When it opened, the Green Shack served cocktails, chicken and steak,

just like it says on the sign

 

Another meat-centric restaurant: House of Steak

 

Las Vegas Club: the only sign in the collection that mentions Vegas

 

Recently restored sign: Jerry's Nugget 

 

Stardust casino's highly recognizable atomic font

 

Sahara casino 

 Riviera casino

 

Another recently restored neon: La Concha

 

Hacienda horse and rider, now part of the Neon

Museum's public neon tour on Las Vegas Blvd.

Castle Green

 

Castle Green tourists in its early days

 

I've been intrigued by Pasadena's Castle Green ever since I noticed what I now know is a bridge that used to reach across Raymond Avenue, connecting east and west structures of the Hotel Green resort. Built in the late 1890s, the magnificent hotel was a getaway for rich tourists wishing to experience Southern California's sunny climate. The eastern half of the resort was eventually destroyed, but the western half remains as a private condo complex. Although the property is open to the public twice a year—on Mother's Day and again in December—we've never been able to squeeze the tour into our busy schedule. That is, until today.

The grounds, first floor and several units at Castle Green were open today, starting at 1PM. Not wanting to drive all the way to Pasadena, we instead took three different lightrail lines from Culver City. We left the house at 11:15AM and arrived at the Castle 20 minutes early. There was already a line to get in. Twenty-five minutes later, we were inside, roaming around the first floor, while a choir sang Christmas songs. Taking a tip from someone who had done the tour before, we climbed seven flights of stairs and started at the penthouse, which was originally built as a conservatory for tropical plants. Its glass ceiling was covered during WWII and now the space is the largest apartment in the building. Its view of Pasadena is spectacular.

 

On our way into the building

 

 Lobby staircase

 

Penthouse

 

View of Pasadena

From there, we walked down the staircase to each floor, where several tenants welcomed us—and everyone else—into their homes. Most of the units were small—one bedroom at most—but each one was completely unique, reflecting the tastes and interests of its occupant(s). If I didn't love our house so much, I would have been ready to pack everything up and move to Castle Green in a flash. Of course, we would have to get rid of 90% of our stuff to fit into a one-bedroom unit, but what a wonderful place to live!

 

Wrought iron staircase

 

A Buddhist shrine in one living room

 

Another living room was completely Victorian

 

Kitchens were tiny, but a focal point—this one was recently

renovated

 

Another kitchen (my fave) was completely retro: mauve cabinets

with yellow counters, refrigerator, and . . .

 

stove (I want one!)

 

Yet another style of kitchen. As one woman said, how does

one even cook in here?

 

Bathrooms were fun, too—most with ancient

fixtures

 

I loved this pink one the best

 

Interesting light fixtures

 

Love this!

 

Two enormous lamp shades in the downstairs sitting room

 

View of the remaining bridge from one of the unit's balcony 

 

North end of complex

 

One of two distinctive turrets

 

Turret (detail)

 

Bridge (detail)

Guillermo del Toro @ LACMA

 

I do not enjoy horror genre, but I am a big supporter of Hispanic filmmakers, so Tim, Karen and I went to see the Guillermo del Toro exhibit at the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA), on Tuesday, while waiting for the election returns. The mastermind behind such fantastical films as Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, del Toro has been fascinated by macabre images since he was a child in Guadalajara. Indeed, his overly zealous grandmother was so concerned about his nightmarish obsession that she had him exorcised at an early age! Obviously the exorcism didn't work. 

Today del Toro is an uber collector of all things horror, which he displays in a home he calls "Bleak House." Many of his more prized possessions are being exhibited at LACMA as part of "At Home with Monsters," now showing through November 27. (Click on images to enlarge.)

 

Angel (of death?) greets exhibit visitors

 

Artist rendering from Pan's Labyrinth

  

Monster from Pan's Labyrinth 

(depicted above)  

 

Painting: "The Evil Eye" (Chet Zar, 2010)

  

 

Life-size sculpture of Frankenstein's monster

and his bride (Mike Hill, 1996)

 

Life-size sculpture: "Creation" (Mike Hill, 2009) 

 

Enormous mask: "Monster" (Mike Hill, 2011)

  

Monster magazines del Toro collected as a child—at one point,

he apparently had the biggest collection of comicbooks and 

magazines in Mexico

  

Props from the movie Hellboy

  

Tim taking it all in

 

del Toro also loves the dark side of Disney:

Marc Davis's "Medusa" (1969) from Disneyland's

Haunted Mansion

 

Eyvind Earle scary landscape

 

Mary Blair concept art for Disney's Adventures of Ichabod

and Mr. Toad (1949)

  

Eyvind Earle's concept art for Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959)

 

Nosferatu marionette

 

Life-size sculpture of Edgar Allen Poe

 

Tim admiring del Toro's collection