Year In Review: 2023 Updates to Past Posts

At the end of each year now, it's no longer only about reflecting on the new experiences I've had over the last 12 months—but also recognizing how the world around me has changed.

And I can't help but document it.

That brings me back to some places—either physically or just mentally and emotionally—that I thought I'd be "done" with after one visit. 

Unfortunately, the scales were tipped way too far in one direction last year. We lost many more people and things than we were able to save.

And, in some cases, it didn't have to be that way. 

But life is loss—constant loss, in fact. And the sooner we come to terms with that, the sooner we can get to appreciating what we've got now. 

One of my most devastating experiences is whenever I find myself saying, "I never got to go."

But as time passes, the sentiment changes. Now, increasingly, it's the heartbreaking statement, "I never got to go back."

Here are some of the updates I made to past blog posts in 2023, reflecting changes that happened in that year or developments that had happened previously but I only got to documenting that year.

How I Wandered SoCal for KCET in 2022

I haven't often reposted the articles I've written for KCET here—often because much of the content that has gotten published here first has eventually made its way into my KCET guides.

But as time has gone on, I've created more and more original content for my SoCal Wanderer column on KCET.org. In fact, probably more in the year 2022 than in any other years prior.

SoCal Wanderer articles are on a little bit of a hiatus—at least, compared to what they've been—since I was hired to work in-house at KCET in actually a different capacity. They may not resume anytime soon. 

So in the meantime, here's a recap of the articles I did contribute over the past year, in case you missed any of them. Click on the titles to open the articles in a new tab/window.

Beyond Colossus: Tracing 50 Years of Thrilling History at Six Flags

 

Year In Review: 2022 Updates to Past Posts

I wish that all this blog was for was to brag about cool stuff I do. 

But I sense a greater purpose in my documenting these places and experiences. It all feels like they'll be gone one day. 

And I feel a duty to report back when they unfortunately do go away. 

It happens more and more every year. 

But thank goodness it's not all bad news. Because sometimes I get to update on a historic place being saved from demolition, rehabilitated, or even reopened. 

I think it's important to keep these entries current with the present condition of the places I've visited. That means sometimes I have to keep going back to check on them. Or to say goodbye. And then share what I've seen (or what can no longer be seen).

So, for the third year in a row, here's a recap of all the updates I made to my Avoiding Regret entries from SoCal and Vegas over the last year—the good, the bad, the ugly, and the complicated.

Closures/Losses/Deaths/Preservation Threats

 

1. Photo Essay: The Cloistered Nuns of Hollywood and Their Stately Home (Closed—Updated for 2022)

2. Adventures on Pico: From a Chili Bowl to An Oil Well (Updated for 2022)

Year-In-Review: 2021 Updates to Past Posts

It feels like there were more changes to report on this year than in years past. Maybe that's just because I've gone to more places now.

But things have been changing pretty rapidly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—and sadly, there have been a lot of closures. 

It's not all bad news, though. Some places have come back to life. And some places have managed to hold on this whole time. 

So you've got them all in one place, here are some updates to my past posts to try to keep them as current as accurate as possible. 

Year-In-Review: 2020 Updates to Past Posts

This year, I finally cut myself a break and relaxed on my goal to publish a new blog post, on average, every other day. 

Up until this year, that meant 15 posts a month—or 182 posts a year. 

But I hadn't actually hit that goal since I started writing full-time at the end of 2015. And I was tired of feeling like a failure. 

So I moved the benchmark. 

Besides, as time wears on, I'm spending more and more time updating older posts with new developments—closures, demolitions, renovations, and sometimes even reopenings—and sometimes even additional, updated photos. 

This year, I thought I'd collect all those updates in one end-of-year post to make them easier to access. 

In no particular order, here are this year's updates:

1. Photo Essay: The Last Movie Theatre of Beverly Hills (Updated for 2020)

added pics of the renovated marquee and new vertical sign

2. Photo Essay: Rancho Los Amigos, Abandoned County Poor Farm, Downey (Exterior—Updated for 2020)

an update on the attempt to save several significant buildings from demolition

3. Photo Essay: A Tiny Tuscan Villa Above the Palos Verdes 'Riviera' (Updated for 2020)

an update on the sale of the property

4. Photo Essay: It's Déjà Vu for Hollywood's Most Famous Imperiled Intersection (Updated for 2020)

an update on the seemingly imminent demolition of the former Lytton Savings bank building

5. Photo Essay: Amboy, A Quintessential Ghost Town Along Route 66 (Updated for 2020)

an update on the restored neon sign for Roy's 

6. Photo Essay: Come Gather Round All Ye Islanders at the Catalina Casino (Updated for 2020)

an update on the operations of the movie theatre inside Catalina Casino

7. Photo Essay: Palos Verdes Bowl, Upon Its Imminent Demolition (Updated for 2020, Now Closed)

an update on the closure of Palos Verdes Bowl

8. Photo Essay: The Gamble House, Pasadena (Updated for 2020)

  

updated with new management info

9. Photo Essay: Farmers and Merchants, the Old Bank with Big Plans (Updated for 2020)

mostly an update of what hasn't happened

10. Photo Essay: Wildflowering at Poppy Peak (Updated for 2020)

 

added information regarding petition advocating against development

11. Photo Essay: The Ghostly Shadow of the Red Car (Updated for 2020)

 

updated with new construction information

12. Photo Essay: Joshua Tree's Barker Dam, Closed to Public (Updated for 2020)

updated to reflect reopening

13. Photo Essay: Elvis' Honeymoon History at The House of Tomorrow (Updated for 2020)

updated with info on the sale of the house and the closure of the public tours

14. Found: The Relocated and Reassembled Streetlights of the Dismantled "Vermonica" (Updated for 2020)

 

updated with new, permanent location of the reassembled Vermonica

15. Photo Essay: Wilshire May Company Building, Miracle Mile (Updated for 2020)

updated status regarding renovations and reopening

16. Photo Essay: Miracle Mile (Updated for 2020)

tweaked some info and added a photo of The Dark Room

17. Photo Essay: Neutra's Lovell Health House and Hollywood Supervillain Lair, Upon Its 90th Anniversary (Updated for 2020)

updated ownership status

18. Another One Bites the Dust: Santa Monica Edition (Updated for 2020)

added new photos and general update of closure and impending demolition

19. Photo Essay: How An East Coaster Helped Turn San Juan Cove Into Dana Point (Updated for 2020)

updated with info on the sinking of The Pilgrim

20. Photo Essay: The Many Lives of LA's Original Farmers Market (Updated for 2020)

added photos of the new rooftop sign that fooled experts into thinking it was neon

21. Photo Essay: Candy Cane Lane, Upon the Centennial of El Segundo (Updated for 2020)

updated with this year's temporary closure information

22. Photo Essay: Upon the 90th Anniversary of the Egyptian Theatre (Updated for 2020—Sold to Netflix)

updated ownership and plans for restoration

I'm hoping there will be nothing torn down, burned down, or closed up in the next 7 days for me to report on—but if there is, I'll amend this post accordingly to include it.