Many visitors to the OGs’ blog have remarked upon our grandmother’s distinctive personal style. From the double-stacked eyeglasses on top of her head to carefully selected leopard-print accessories, Barbara always manages to bring a little dash of cool to the nonagenarian set. Of course there are times when she’s a little too outrageous (like the time she was sent back to her apartment from the Hollenbeck Palms dining hall because her pants were too tight), but when you’re a trendsetter, you can expect to be misunderstood. In this short interview recorded at Clifton’s Cafeteria, Barbara shares her philosophy of personal style, recalls some favorite fashion hits and misses, and explains how you too can have a look that’s as timeless and distinctive as hers is.
The OGs Take A Black Dahlia Bus Tour
Barbara and Harry recently climbed aboard Esotouric’s Real Black Dahlia tour bus to learn about Beth Short, the victim in L.A.’s most notorious unsolved murder case, 62 years to the week after her slaying. Our intrepid grandchild reporters were on the scene to get the skinny on the OGs’ thoughts on taxi dance girls and Follies dancers, and for an intergenerational cutlery trick competition at Clifton’s Cafeteria. Will young Kayla’s spoon shenanigans outshine PopPop’s old school methods? Tune in to find out!
Fantasy New Years Party
Do you remember being a little kid and trying so hard to stay awake until midnight to see in the New Year? Well, when you are 90-something years old, you’ll have that problem again. At Hollenbeck Palms, where the OGs live, one solution is to set the clocks wayyyyy back and throw a Fantasy New Years Eve Party, right after the mid-day meal. Come along with PopPop as he follows the festive sounds to find a New Years Eve party like none you have ever seen.
Hanukkah Party
The Hollenbeck Palms Hanukkah party provides an opportunity for The OGs to reflect upon the meaning of the holiday, memories of good food and good company, and even for a couple of songs. “Everyone knows the Dreidel Song,” says Poppop… but it’s not that simple.
Irving and the Slipper Chair
By popular demand, here’s another Irving adventure!
PopPop’s decorative artist pal Irving was recently distracted on his way to supper as he passed a particularly beautiful lady’s chair. Join him for a quick design history lesson before the soup gets cold.
Continue reading “Irving and the Slipper Chair”
Whole Lotta Irving
PopPop’s decorative artist pal Irving recently joined the OGs on an Esotouric bus adventure, Main Street Vice & Hotel Horrors. Irving thinks the tour is pretty weird, but enjoys the opportunity to see historic buildings and muse on the engineering feats that raised ’em. He’s also got some thoughts on the innate modesty of the Jewish female, in an episode we’re calling Whole Lotta Irving. Tune in and you’ll see why.
What Can Slinky Be?
The granddaughters attempt to give their Bubbe a Slanket, which prompts the ageless question, “What can Slinky be?” But will PopPop okay this potentially dangerous wife wrapper? Tune in to the latest installment of the OGs Blog for the shocking truth.
Hollenbeck Memorial Chapel, 1908
Today, the OGs bring you a rare glimpse inside one of the most beautiful unknown buildings in Los Angeles, the 1908 Chapel erected in honor of young John Edward Hollenbeck, Jr. (1854-1857) by his mother, the philanthropist Elizabeth Hollenbeck.
The Hollenbecks made their fortune in Nicaragua, and sought to protect their only son from the rigors of jungle life by sending him to live with his paternal grandparents in Pecatonica, Illinois. But the child was stricken with diphtheria there, and died, aged two and a half. Mail between the US and Central America was poor, and it was not until the Hollenbecks arrived in New York on their way to see their son that they learned the news of his death.
In a letter written 1876, Elizabeth Hollenbeck told a friend “Many years have passed since we were called upon to hear the painful loss of our boy and there has been an aching void in my heart ever since.”
In 1908, when her son would have been 54, Elizabeth Hollenbeck dedicated a non-denominational chapel in the neo-classical style, decorated with cherubs, stained glass and fluted columns, to the memory of her child. This miniature gem is the last surviving historic structure on the grounds of Hollenbeck Palms, the home for the elderly founded by Mrs. Hollenbeck in 1890 on the land surrounding her residence.
Still Life with Mrs. Hollenbeck
PopPop’s Main Street Memories
This time on PopPop’s Adventure Corner, we journey deep into darkest downtown Los Angeles, for a memory trip featuring Indian Joe the VD doctor, beautiful gals in taxi dance halls and our own PopPop’s brief but memorable career as a salesman of Swedish delicacies. Mmmm, we can almost taste those lingonberries.