Tag: kitsch

Tennessee Super Kitschfest! – Day 1, Arriving in Nashville

   
Oh, Nashville – we’ve only just arrived, and we heart you already. We got into town at about 6pm, and immediately hit up downtown to get a taste of the city. We knew it was gonna be kitschy, but you know what else it is? Full of heart! Whether its the people singing their hearts out at karaoke, the peeps who own the most amazing (real!) record shops I’ve seen, or the folks working at the boot store, these people love their city. It’s contagious.


So maybe you say Nashville’s not for you ’cause you don’t dig on country music. Well, the truth is trying to categorize country music as one genre is a major fail. I don’t dig on Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks or Faith Hill either — but I love me some Pasty, Loretta, Hank and Willie! Nashville is full of nostalgia and big time homages to Country Music legends of yesteryear. Ernest Tubb record shop had us in awe — its an amazing place, and there are so many signed pics of celebrities in there that I could’ve stayed all day.  When we found Ernest Tubbs, this was exactly what we had in mind when planning our trip here. Pardon the crappy picture, but there was no way I could pass up a photo with a real authentic autograph by Patsy Cline herself. This place was a great place to hit up to get us acclimated to Nashville right off the bat! (Oh, and thanks to Ernest Tubb’s, we just might have found tix to a Tammy Wynette tribute show on Tuesday when we get back – YES!)

We are loving all the awesome signage and kitschy cowboy shops too. Even though Ruby looks cute in a cowboy hat, I don’t think we’re ready to commit – but is it bad I kinda want a pair of boots? We had a chance to window shop at several great shops on Broadway … here are a few highlights:

And then of course, the three of us had to take over the Grand Ole Opry …

We’re headed out to Pigeon Forge in the morning (Dollywood awaits!), but we’ll be back in awesome Nashville on Tuesday. Until then, Music City!

See all pics from the day here:

Tennessee – Day 1

Super-Kitschfest 2012!

We are headed off for Tennessee to have the most over-the-top vacation to date — we’re headed to Dollywood, Graceland + Nashville! Yep, all those things and more in one vacation … we can’t wait! Less than 48 hours, and we’ll be arriving in Nashville…

Stay tuned … we’ll be blogging along the way (we think!), just like the good ol’ days. Bring on the BBQ, Patsy Cline Impersonators and the Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches!

Palm Springs, Day Two

Oh, yesterday was chock full of perfection! It couldn’t have been better, and we managed to fit in just about everything we love in Palm Springs.

First – it must be mentioned that we SLEPT IN.

Then, it was off to Charles Phoenix‘s retro slideshow: Pools, Patios and BBQs. We had been to his Holiday slideshow before, and it was so fun and super kitschy that we knew we would love the backyard one, too. Basically – he has found and collected the jackpot of kodak chodachrome slides from the ’50-’70s, and has compiled them all into one amazing and hilarious compilation. Here’s just one gem of an example from his slides from the show:

Probably even more of a surprise than his show, was the auditorium and grounds of the Palm Springs Art Museum where the show was held! Yes, we always swoon over the amazing mid-century modernness of Palm Springs, but the museum is super-70s, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled! All orange, very orange … we were dying over it, and took a few pics:

After the slideshow, we headed upstairs to catch the Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography, 1945-1982 exhibit, which is as amazing as it sounds, and the perfect thing to see while in Palm Springs!

After all the amazing architecture and art, we were starving – so it was time to hit up our favorite place to eat in Palm Springs – Norma’s, which is on the campus of the absolutely fabulous Parker Palm Springs Hotel. There’s not a trip in Palm Springs that has happened that we haven’t stopped at the Parker. We love it there and freak out over Jonathan Adler’s design no matter how many times we’ve seen it. Norma’s has the best brunch ever. I got my usual lobster + asparagus omelette and Ed got a take on eggs benedict with pancakes, canadian bacon + asparagus. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

We’re always planning our next trip to Palm Springs, even before the current one is over, and I’d heard about a new hotel in town called the Saguaro. Basically, they took over the old Holiday Inn and swanktified it – and now, we are definitely going to stay there next time! It looks amazing with all the colors of the rainbow. We could not get enough of this place as we walked around …
 

After drooling over the grounds of the Saguaro, we took off to drive around the neighborhoods of Palm Springs to admire the gloriously restored and very well loved mid-century modern homes. We even made a stop by one of our old favorite, Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, and got a pic of it in my fancy 5-series that I’ve been testing all week!

It was an amazing day!

Oktoberfest 2011! Ein Prosit…

My love of Germany and all things German is legendary, so it was with great excitement that we took Ruby to her very first Oktoberfest!  We’d been to other Oktoberfests throughout Southern California before, but they had always come off as pretty cheesy and not very authentic.

As it turns out, having a real German friend to find a good Oktoberfest is very valuable.  Our friend Malte, who lived in Munich for some time, found out that the Phoenix Club, a German cultural center in Anaheim, CA, held a pretty large one, and much more authentic as it was staffed mainly by Germans.  Perfect!

So off we went to this quasi-Munich celebration that originated with Crown Prince Ludwig’s wedding in 1810 with friends (Malte and Amy, and Daniel and Amber) and babies in tow, ready to drink some fine Bavarian beers and eat some hearty food.

As it turned out, the Phoenix Club’s Oktoberfest really was the best local Oktoberfest I’d been to, by a long shot.  It certainly helps when Germans are running the show.  The food selection was great (far beyond the bratwursts that most local Oktoberfests serve), as was the beer selection.

Even the giant tent looked pretty legit!

And how did Ruby and her baby buddies Paloma and Nora do?

Well for starters, Ruby LOVED the pretzel.  But wait…sauerkraut too?  Yes, Ruby DEVOURED the sauerkraut.  She even cried when we’d stop feeding it to her.  Who knew?

Me, Ruby, Daniel, and Nora…kickin’ it Bavarian style.

And the German Tiger and her Cub.

Excellent times.  Bis zum nächsten Jahr!

Adventures in Downey: A Mid-Century Treasure Trove

This past weekend, Larry took Carrie and I to Bob’s Big Boy in Downey. Doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, does it? After all, most Bob’s Big Boy restaurants are but a shadow of their former selves, looking like generic family restaurants inside and out. And Downey? Just another ho-hum middle class suburb of Los Angeles, right?

Um, no. This restaurant has been lovingly and painstakingly restored to its original glory, down to every last detail. It is an archetype of mid-century Googie architecture. Everything here is as it once was, from the green vinyl upholstery on the booths, walnut-effect laminate on the counters and tabletops, rock walls, and gorgeous bullet and sputnik light fixtures. It even features a drive-in section that is operational everyday after 4pm. You can learn all about it here at the restaurant’s website. And Downey? As it turns out, it is filled with amazing mid-century architecture everywhere, some well preserved, others not. It’s an amazing place to explore. Downey. Downey!!

All of these pics were taken with my iPhone, with suitable vintage photo effects courtesy of two apps – Hipstamatic and Camera Bag.

I had to dine on an old childhood favorite of mine, chili spaghetti. Sounds disgusting, and it sorta is, in the most gloriously delicious way.

The experience was so magical that we had to bring our friends Rebecca and Jody back the next day, meaning that we came here twice in one weekend. And yes, I did get the chili spaghetti the second time too.

Larry also took us to another Downey landmark, the oldest operating McDonald’s in the world. Opened in 1953, this location is well preserved and has its huge sign intact.

Rebecca and Jody learned that Downey was the birthplace and home of The Carpenters. Who knew? We found the house Karen Carpenter was raised in, and better yet, learned that once the Carpenters became successful, they decided to buy and manage two apartment buildings in Downey, directly across the street from each other. Random thing to do with your success, huh? And they named them too. What did they name them? What else?

We passed a Hawaiian apparel store called Exotical…filled with all kinds of vintage Hawaiian kitsch (which I don’t think was meant to be kitschy). Regretfully, they were closed as it was Sunday, but we got pictures of the patina’d sign and some creepy mannequins.

Turns out Charles Phoenix, a connoisseur of all things mid-century, has also taken an interest in Downey and did a feature with the local NPR affiliate KPCC here. Downey’s only 15 minutes from home…we’ve got some more exploring to do, and more chili spaghettis to down!