by Kim Cooper | Aug 13, 2019 | The Esotouric Blog, Uncategorized
Click the video below to see public comment made today at Los Angeles City Hall, when the halls were filled with Perry Mason extras in 1920s period dress, lending a weird Chinatown noir air to the proceedings. The first speaker, representing the American Cinematheque...
by Kim Cooper | Apr 15, 2016 | Uncategorized
Esotouric is raffling off one seat on its most popular crime bus tour, The Real Black Dahlia (April 16 tour). Click the link below for a chance to tour the noir city in the footsteps of Beth Short. a Rafflecopter giveaway...
by ESOTOURIC | Aug 21, 2015 | Uncategorized
LOS ANGELES — The thought hit as soon as the bus pulled up: “I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat, and a gun.” Actually, what I really had was a notebook, a pen, and a...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
Left Column (fluid) Information about this bus tour There are no paper tickets: your name will be on a list at the bus door. Check in is at 11:30am for a 12pm sharp departure from the Daily Dose Cafe. Food and drink are permitted and suggested; no audio or...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 6, 2015 | Uncategorized
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by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 6, 2015 | Uncategorized
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by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
Scal minin festi geblithande untes himili heilig fan thin festi stein fan geweldig, Godes sint ewa the. An solon, sia Godes; um spraken tellunt werildis dach! Gebot ginathe iro, cund in scal sint than hoi naht an fan; in nachti godes in heilig ist ne giwari sie the...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
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by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jan 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
Submitted by email Mr. Sergio Ibarra City of Los Angeles, Major Projects 200 North Spring Street, City Hall, Room 750 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Email: Sergio.Ibarra@lacity.org To Mr. Ibarra, As preservationists, architectural historians and residents of the east side, we...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jan 16, 2013 | Uncategorized
Recent posts in the 1947project time travel blogs include the surprising link between American Gothic and the Union Rescue Mission, the story of the unique downtown character known as The Potato King and an inquiry into the story that Teddy Roosevelt slept at the King...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jan 6, 2013 | Uncategorized
Here in Southern California, you never know what's going to sprout from the newest bud. Wonderful things, and strange ones, too! Join us as we pay a visit to a backyard orchard where we discover the God of the Grapefruits hanging unassumingly from his stem.They...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Nov 30, 2012 | Uncategorized
On November 29, 2012, Richard Schave of Esotouric visited Jerry Blackburn, President of the Aerospace Legacy Foundation, to talk about the fascinating history of space flight research in Downey, and the heartbreaking view just out Jerry's window of the ongoing...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Nov 21, 2012 | Uncategorized
Recent posts in the 1947project time travel blogs include the strange amusements brought to Broadway in 1915, a Depression-era Thanksgiving message from the Union Rescue Mission, and video from a recent lecture on On Bunker Hill favorite George Mann’s Lost Los...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Aug 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
In June, the Esotouric gang set off to enjoy three days of unhurried exploration along California’s central coast, in search of architectural oddities, elegant decay and berry pie. This is the second of three blog posts in which we’ll share some of the...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jul 30, 2012 | Uncategorized
In July 2012, the Esotouric gang went out to explore the offbeat gems in its own backyard, and took along their friend The Ukulady, and her celebrated ukulele. Of course she made a lot of new friends and everyone shared some laughs along the cute Old Western street...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jul 29, 2012 | Uncategorized
In June, the Esotouric gang set off to enjoy three days of unhurried exploration along California’s central coast, in search of architectural oddities, elegant decay and berry pie. This is the first of three blog posts in which we’ll share some of the gems...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jul 7, 2012 | Uncategorized
Recent posts in the 1947project time travel blogs include newly rediscovered film of a daredevil motorcycle act on stage at the Orpheum Theatre in 1928, and a glimpse of detective novelist Raymond Chandler, on the brink of fame, in the 1940 census. Esotouric grew out...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jun 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
Part Four of our ongoing series on the rediscovered color restaurant photography of George Mann reveals a previously unknown and astonishingly sexy neon sign that once illuminated the Sunset Strip. The glimpse below is only the beginning.
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | May 30, 2012 | Uncategorized
On a warm April day, the Esotouric gang set off for points south, on a journey to explore some of the architectural and sculptural gems of our near-neighbor, Long Beach. Below, we’ll share a few things spied along the way. Check out the full photo set here. Our...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | May 25, 2012 | Uncategorized
Part Three of our ongoing series on the rediscovered color restaurant photography of George Mann explores the fascinating, sometimes dark history of Restaurant Row La Cienega.
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | May 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
The Aztec Hotel is a National Register landmark located along the old Route 66 alignment in Monrovia, CA. Built in the Mayan Revival style by the visionary English architect Robert Stacy-Judd (1884-1975) circa 1925, The Aztec has recently passed into new hands and...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | May 2, 2012 | Uncategorized
Part Two of our ongoing series on the rediscovered color restaurant photography of George Mann explores the stunning venues to be found along one half mile of Atlantic Boulevard in the Bixby Knolls section of Long Beach. Click to see “The Most Beautiful...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
Recent posts in the 1947project time travel blogs include a 1950s-era virtual drive to through Malibu with 3-D photographer George Mann, featuring incredible restaurant photos not seen in decades and explorations of what the recently released 1940s census tells us...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jul 6, 2011 | Uncategorized
For their fifth anniversary celebration, Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave headed off on California’s old, lost highways in search of the unexpected. First stop, the remote Saint Francis dam disaster site, with its surprising companion, the...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jun 15, 2011 | The Esotouric Blog, Uncategorized
Once a year, the Los Angeles tour company Esotouric makes a very special excursion – CRAWLING DOWN CAHUENGA; TOM WAITS' L.A. In this brief clip from the 2011 tour, host David Smay shows off the unassuming Echo Park alley where legendary cinematographer...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Apr 21, 2011 | Uncategorized
On April 16, Esotouric was delighted to welcome fans of the much-anticipated Rockstar / Team Bondi video game "L.A. Noire" aboard The Real Black Dahlia crime bus, for a moody excursion following in the footsteps of Elizabeth Short, whose unsolved 1947...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Mar 22, 2011 | Uncategorized
On Valentine's Day 2011, Esotouric took a road trip to San Diego to attend the Cissy Chandler burial service at Mount Hope Cemetery in San Diego. This video is a short version of the ceremony, with a very special surprise at the end, as Sybil Anne Davis reads an...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
Come discover the secret history of the San Gabriel Valley on this provocative and occasional Esotouric architecture tour from the series Reyner Banham Loves LA. Next tour: August 7,...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jun 2, 2010 | Uncategorized
Just before Memorial Day, your intrepid urban adventurers stepped outside of their asphalt-coated comfort zone for a lightning 40-hour road trip to explore some notable, rural Central Californian attractions. This is the first of several blog posts sharing scenes from...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Mar 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
In honor of the dedication of John Fante Square and the author’s 101st birthday, Esotouric and On Bunker Hill have created a digital map to a selection of Downtown locations that played a significant role in Fante’s life and work, and can be easily visited...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Feb 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
On Sunday, February 7, 2010, Esotouric rolled south from Philippe’s The Original on an urban exploration tour bookended by the sites of three old Lugo adobe homesteads (The Plaza/Olvera Street, Boyle Heights, Bell Gardens). Here are a few of the scenes seen...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Feb 2, 2010 | Uncategorized
Vintage L.A.-centered cult film series Tinseltown Tarnish debuts with "Spider Baby"WHAT: Esotouric pals Jeremy Kasten and Elijah Drenner present Tinseltown Tarnish: director Jack Hill introducing "Spider Baby: Director's Cut" WHEN: Thursday,...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jan 17, 2010 | Uncategorized
Just off Rosemead Boulevard in a quiet, semi-industrial section of the San Gabriel Valley is the unexpected sight of the oldest Protestant cemetery in Southern California, Savannah Memorial Park. Operated on a volunteer basis by descendants of the pioneer residents...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Dec 11, 2009 | Uncategorized
In memory of the five fascinating months when Richard was the Executive Director and Kim was the Curator of the newly formed Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk non-profit, we are honored to share these words of thanks from volunteers and participants.Despite the smears you...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Dec 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
On Monday, December 7, 2009 we launched a petition addressed to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, asking that they consider honoring the American writer Charles Bukowski with a commemorative postage stamp on the 20th anniversary of his death (3/9/2014). The...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Nov 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
Toronto Star: Irreverent tour turns L.A. unconfidential – Guide provides candid commentary about city’s shortfalls, history. LOS ANGELES–Even the passengers on this zany “secret history of Los Angeles” bus tour get in on the city-bashing act....
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Nov 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26 – Esotouric (Richard and Kim) invite you to join them and fellow lovers of historic Los Angeles locations and lore for THANKSGIVING DINNER AT CLIFTON’S CAFETERIA. We’ll be arriving around 3pm (and staying until around 5pm) for...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Sep 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
1922 Los Angeles–the biggest boomtown in the history of the United States, a city growing so quickly that residents can't even agree on how to pronounce its name. (To the old guard, it is "Loce Ahng-hail-ais," to others "Loss...
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Aug 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
by Esotouric Bus Adventures | Jun 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
Greetings, history geek: Are you fascinated by the forgotten social history of Los Angeles, from low life to high society? Do old buildings make you swoon? Are you a good writer and a careful researcher, able to cite sources and bring old tales to life? Do you have or...
