Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of American Drive-In Restaurants 1920-1960 Review

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Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of American Drive-In Restaurants 1920-1960 ReviewThe humble drive-in gets the Jim Heimann treatment: well researched, excellent photo and graphics selection, bibliography, index and he designed it, too. Though it was published in 1996 I don't think there is a better book about the subject. Michael Wetzel's `The American Drive-in' (1994, ISBN 0879389192) comes close, with a lot of the same images but I thought his rather too superficial.
Heimann has clearly done a lot of research and I liked the many architectural references. Drive-ins, because of their rather temporary nature, could be designed with latest visual gimmicks and building styles yet could be easily changed to a newer look. Heimann refers to Exaggerated Modern as a suitable name for drive-in style. The book has plenty of historical photos to show the changing face of the eatery, especially in sunny California.
It seems LA was the experimental center of drive-in style with architects like John Lautner, Armet & Davis or Wayne McAllister designing establishments always that little bit different from the competition. Incidentally neither Lautner or Armet & Davis are mentioned in the index of Witzel's book.
Visually the book is a treat. Plenty of really good historical exterior black and whites of establishments backed up with color postcards and graphic material like menus or book matches. All the material is presented in a straightforward layout (and this is another area where the Witzel book falls down: the layout is far too scrappy with too much unused white page space). It is unfortunate though that the captions are set in a rather small type in long lines and frequently they refer to photos on a preceding or following spread.
Heimann has written the definitive book about a little bit of Americana and I bet it will remain in print for many years.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.Car Hops and Curb Service: A History of American Drive-In Restaurants 1920-1960 Overview

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Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles Review

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Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles ReviewWhat a nice book. I live in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, and a friend suggested this book to me. I realized I had read a novel by the author a few years ago that I really enjoyed, "The Ivory Coast" a jazz/noir set in Vegas, so I picked up a copy. Now I'm planning to take the walks written about in the book. Wow. As a kid, one of my favorite "Three Stooges" was shot on a stair street. They had a job delivering ice, and Curly has a huge block of ice in tongs, and when he gets to the top, he's holding a little ice cube. What I love about L. A. is how much history and mystery exists here, particularly on the east side, and parts of Hollywood. Because it was run down over here for so long, large swaths of the east side weren't touched when all of the money moved in a little west, and few of those monstrous developments occurred; there are still little nuggets and gems you can find. My only quibble is that I would have loved pictures of the stair street, but on the other hand, the descriptions are great, and leaving the mystery makes me want to go there myself. Which I plan to.Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles OverviewIn a city known for its fast cars and freeways, this guide reveals a unique feature of the Los Angeles cityscape: more than 200 stairways across the hilly sections of the city, many of which are remnants from the days when most city residents depended on streetcars and buses for transportation. Containing more than 40 walks and detailed maps, this handbook highlights the charms and quirks of this quintessential feature of Los Angeles' development and chronicles the geographical, architectural, and historical features of each staircase and the neighborhoods in which the steps are located. Rated for duration and difficulty, the circular walks deliver tales of historic homes, their fascinating inhabitants, and troves of historic trivia-such as where William Faulkner lived while he wrote the screenplay for To Have and Have Not, where Graham Nash lived, and where actress Thelma Todd was murdered-while other walks highlight spectacular homes by some of southern California's most important architects, including Neutra and Schindler. From strolling through the classic La Loma neighborhood in Pasadena and walking the vintage Red Car Loop in Silver Lake to taking the Beachwood Canyon Hollywoodland hike and enjoying the magnificent ocean views from the Castellammare district in Pacific Palisades, these staircases present a new way for urban explorers to discover a little-known side of the City of Angels.

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