HOME VIDEO – Studio City Christmas Parade (1965)
I did a quick google search on the Hollywood Christmas Parade this morning, and imagine my surprise when I came across this gem of a silent home movie. Behold: the 1965 Studio City Christmas Parade with more local flavor and classic celebrities than you could shake a stick at! (And yes, the parade still exists… but not this year.) More information about the clip after the jump.
ESCAPE – I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles.
I’m posting this a few days late due to a bad internet connection. I’m in Vienna now, but let’s just pretend I’m not…
I found myself wandering through Paris just *obsessed* with using my new camera… playing with the shutter speeds and apertures and all of the other little tricks. I can’t believe how far I walked in two days. For me, the weather was perfect… I was wearing three or four layers, but I was never uncomfortable. The sky was drizzling in a way that made all of the lights magically glow at night, but it never rained so much that I rushed indoors. There was ice on the ground, but not enough to slip on. All in all, they were perfect winter days and nights. I very literally took hundreds of photos, and I’ll spread some of the best over a couple of posts. Today I’ll post my favorite rainy night photos…
NOTE: Due to some problems with WordPress’ photo album feature, I moved these photos into a different album. Just click on the square image below to see eighteen pretty pictures.
FESTIVITIES – Hollywood Christmas Parade
In case you missed it, tonight was the safest night of the year to walk through Hollywood (feels like every cop in town is there) and the most annoying night of the year to try driving through it… the eve of the 3.5 mile long Hollywood Christmas Parade. Now officially known as the “Hollywood Santa Parade,” the event was originally known as the Santa Claus Lane Parade back in 1928 when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce created it to promote local shopkeepers. According to legend, the inaugural parade featured only Santa Claus and the actress Jeanette Loff.* Although the parade has experienced its share of tough times, it grew dramatically over the years and for decades Santa was portrayed by honorary Mayor of Hollywood (the late Johnny Grant) up until he was too old for the duties. (more…)
COVET THIS – Tiny Neighborhoods for the Calendar Challenged
Please click the little image below that says “DINER” to launch fun images of the festive little toy neighborhoods to be found at Stats. And please don’t miss my witty captions… I worked hard on ‘em, people!
I was in Pasadena for a meeting yesterday and decided to walk into STATS FLORAL SUPPLY for old time’s sake… although I have always found them a bit pricey, Stats has been a guilty pleasure of mine for decades. Honestly, it’s kinda like a gory car accident I can’t tear my eyes away from. Yesterday was no exception… not only did I find that after all these years I’m *still* hypnotized by their rooms of animated, overly-decorated, holiday-themed model buildings, but THE STORE WAS DECORATING FOR HALLOWEEN ALREADY!!! In July. I kid you not. Please click on the little image at left to open a photo gallery of some of the crazy goodness I found.
