Bowl-O-Rama: Gage Bowl

"Shop in Huntington Park: More shops than a shopping center"

What every city needs is a catchy slogan that takes less to time to dream up than it does to paint on the broad side of a five-story reservoir.  "More shops than a shopping center???" - brilliant!  If only the Huntington Park, CA Chamber of Commerce would do the PR for wacky tacky, we would be well on our way to super stardom...or at least solidly on our way to our own city charter.

Exploring local cities that get easily passed over for their brighter, shinier neighbors is a favorite pastime that almost always yields always a wacky tacky treat or two.  Realizing we hadn't devoted any time to Huntington Park, CA, I made the short journey, drawn mostly by the promise of a lovingly-preserved bowling alley, Gage Bowl (est. 1960).

Gage Bowl - Huntington Park, CA

Having recently enjoyed an earthy, full-color facelift, Gage Bowl is the city's go-to destination for bowling leagues and birthday parties.  As with most of these mid-century alleys, the scoring technology has been modernized from overhead projectors to digital monitors and some of the decor/carpet/artwork has been "updated."  It may not have the grandeur of bowling temples like Covina Bowl, but the tidy 22-lane operation still offers a glimpse into bowling's heyday and provides an ideal place to reflect on the epicenter of consumer culture that is Huntington Park.

Bowling, billiards, a barroom, and breakfast, the amenities at Gage Bowl 

provide a cozy round-the-clock experience; we would never have to leave!

We love the vintage lockers and the cases of endless bowling trophies!

Thankfully, Gage Bowl has their signage on lock!
Starbursts, neon, and googie letter blocks are speared
together by a fluted, boomerang beam that has been
towering above Gage Blvd. for over fifty years!

Open 24 hours a day and serving the community for the better part of six decades, Gage Bowl makes me think that I've got a new one for you, Huntington Park; how about, "Bowl in Huntington Park: More bowls than a bowling alley!"

Gage Bowl

3477 E Gage Blvd

Huntington Park, CA

(323)587-3211

gagebowl.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Signs of the Times: Driftwood Dairy

The drive-thru dairy is slowly becoming the missing link - lost somewhere in the shuffle between the milkman's home delivery and one-stop shopping at the supermarket.  There are a few drive-thru dairies near my house that are still hanging on but they no longer carry the weighty sense of purpose and place that they once had.  In fact, they generally serve as an outpost more for discount cigarettes and beer than anything a butter & egg man worth his salt would supply.  The fate of drive-thru dairies looks pretty dismal until one drives through El Monte, CA. 

Standing proudly on the corner of Lower Azusa Road, Driftwood Dairy, continues to fight the good fight of wholesome products with drive-thru convenience at cost-conscious prices.  For crying out loud, it's only $0.99 for a bag of ice; sure it's just a bag of frozen water rocks but that is a steal compared to quickie-mart prices.  And where else can you get one dozen super pops for $2.99?!?!  (I'll save you some time and do the math for you; that's less than $0.25 per pop - a SUPER value, if you ask me).  Don't try haggling with the ice cream man.  It doesn't work...

Driftwood Dairy - El Monte, CA

There are so many beautiful elements to this sign.  Almost any one of them could stand as a great example of roadside signage individually but combined, they make something truly out of this world.  Let's start with the stylized, rocket ship base, looking like it is just waiting for countdown to blast off into orbit.  Then we move up to the graduated, stacked, hexagonal lightboxes that remind us where we are and for what we shop.  The piece de resistance is, of course, Southern California's homage to the 1962 Seattle World's Fair in the form of a precise, scale-model* of the world-famous Space Needle. 

And let's not forget the "Cow-meo" -
that's cow + cameo...clever, clever!

The structure, scale, and shape of this sign are incredible but never let it be said that a good color story is irrelevant.  I am a true fan of the primary colors and Driftwood Dairy uses them to perfection!

I know you'll readily accept my apologies for the blurry photo as you
 marvel at the tri-color archway of the drive-thru.  This place is so cool
that it has me forgetting my utter intolerance for lactose!

Are there any drive-thru dairies in your where you live?  When was the last time you patronized such an establishment?  How much is a bag of ice in your neighborhood?  I've been known to drive far and wide for a good deal.

Driftwood Dairy

10724 Lower Azusa Rd

El Monte, CA

(626)444-9591

www.driftwooddairy.com

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny 

*Don't quote me on this "factoid."  After all, I just make these things up as I go along.