Hidden Gem of So Cal #14

Korean Bell of Friendship: San Pedro, CA

Location: Lat 33° 42′ 34.84″ N Long 118° 17′ 37.73″ W

3601 South Gaffey Street, Los Angeles

Cost: Free

Website: Click Here

Offbeat Frontier Article: Bell Of The Ball

Bell Of The Ball

Since the previous attraction blog post, Angels Flight, referenced a film location (we found the park featured in 500 Days of Summer), Offbeat Frontier decided to continue with the theme of uncovering "movie magic" with Hidden Gem #14:

The Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro

What great film could this be from? Speed? Money Train? Cool Runnings? Not even close, we are surprised that those would be your answers. Nope the Korean Bell of Friendship was featured in...

The Usual Suspects

Located at Angel's Gate Park (Fort MacArthur) in San Pedro, the Bell was given to the United States as a bicentennial gift from the Republic of Korea for fighting in the Korean War. We gave them eleven seasons of M*A*S*H*.

Modeled after The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok the Great of Silla

The complex has an amazing view of the ocean that makes it the visit even more tranquil.

The "Belfry of Friendship" (Ujeong-ui Jonggak)

So take a friend or enemy and feel the power of international friendship (in bell form)

Hidden Gem of So Cal #13

Angels Flight: Los Angeles, CA

Location: Lat: 34° 3' 3.3815" Long: -118° 14' 59.1947"

351 South Hill Street Los Angeles, CA (Entrance on Hill and Grand)

Cost: 25 Cents per ride or 5 rides for $1

Website: Click Here

Offbeat Frontier Article: Angels Flight

Angels Flight

The Los Angeles area is world famous for its horrendous motorways. Somehow it takes 20 min to travel anywhere within a 10 mile radius. Bogus, however did you know that the city has a functioning, energy saving, cost effective light rail system? A solution at last!

But ... there is always a catch... it is only available downtown... and takes you one block up a hill (from Hill St to the top of Bunker Hill on Grand and vise versa)... but it's cheap, real cheap. For only 25 cents you can commute on the shortest light rail trail in the world, Angels Flight Railway!

Entrance on Hill Street

Virtual Ride Courtesy of Offbeat

Built in 1901, its a functioning funicular (a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slop, the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalancing each other). Though it has been through two variations, so it's not the original, it is still awesome. And it just reopened in March after a nine year closure.

Taking the midnight train to anywhere

Adjacent to the railway is Angel's Knoll Park , for fans of the film 500 Days of Summer, the park bench with the view of the city landscape (most of which are parking lots) is located for your viewing pleasure.

Summer & Tom on the bench, 500 Days of Summer

Angel's Knoll Park

The bench has a plaque making it official. On a clear day, you can see a bum drinking liquor on it.

Didn't want to risk getting a closer picture at "500 Bench"

If you are visiting the downtown area, this is a must see. Angel's Flight and the park, I did not mean the drunk on the bench.

Funicular-ific!

Hidden Gem of So Cal #12

Wigwam Motel #7: Rialto, CA

Location: Lat: 34° 6' 26.3376" Long: -117° 21' 0.018"

2728 W. Foothill Blvd (Between Baseline & Highland)

Rialto, CA

Cost: Free to take a look, to stay $50-$80

Offbeat Frontier Article: Check Out Time ... High Noon

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Check Out Time... High Noon

While traveling in the Offbeat Frontier sometimes you have to rest. When sleeping in your car or crashing at your old frat brother’s house is not in the cards, a motel can be a great second or third option. In the spirit of this blog’s forte, Offbeat has the perfect places to set up camp.

Get your kicks!

Pun defiantly intended here folks, Welcome to the Wigwam Hotel. Visiting Rialto? Of course you would. Forget Disneyland. One of only three, the Wigwam Motel #7 is a monument to the golden age of roadside Americana. Just right off the historic Route 66, families, foreigners, and adulterers looking for a good time, can be a guest at the unique hotel.

If the teepee is a rockin', call maintenance.

Advice and Facts for staying at the Wigwam Motel:

1) Do not attempt to steal Custard’s Last Night Stand adjacent to the bed

2) If needed the U.S. government can place you on a reservation.... help you with your reservation.

3) This Motel was actually built on an ancient pilgrim burial site.

4) The pool is shaped like a tomahawk.

5) The bedspreads are small pox free!

6) All station wagons must be parked in circle formation.

7) No “pitching a tent jokes” allowed

Hidden Gem of So Cal #11

World's Largest Dinosaurs - Cabazon, CA

Location: 33° 55' 12.9504" Long: -116° 46' 22.242"

50800 Seminole Drive
Cabazon, CA 92230-2304

Cost: $5 for Robotic Dinosaur Museum, Dinny Gift Store Free

Website: Here

Offbeat Frontier Article: Cabazon Spares No Expense! Dinosaurs!

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Cabazon Spares No Expense! Dinosaurs!

In the Offbeat Frontier we like to look for any place that has the phrase, “World’s Largest”, “Dinosaurs” or “Reasonably Cheap”. Thus it was only a matter of time until we experienced (dramatic music) Cabazon’s very own World’s Largest Dinosaurs.

Hold On To Your Butts!

Made world famous by the films, The Wizard and PeeWee’s Big Adventure, The Cabazon Dinosaurs are a six year old’s version of heaven (or a twenty-four year old’s vision of heaven). Off the Interstate 10, you can see the attractions two stars, Dinny and Mr. Rex.

Dinny The Apatosaurus

Dinny, the brontosaurus, or Apatosaurus if you’re playing at home, took eleven years to build and houses a gift shop in it’s belly, like most giant dinosaurs, they accept Discover Card and is air conditioned. Here you can purchase any and all plastic Jurassic trinkets and books that tell how cool dinosaurs where. They even had representations of man.

Erik finds Cro-Magnon Man or Daniel Craig's the Missing Link

Then there is Mr. Rex the 110 ton Tyrannosaurus Rex. As you climb inside the King of Lizards there are mini exhibits that have facts and what not, but the prize is at the top, where you reach the mouth and look out of it’s teeth as if you were the Lawyer in the first Jurassic Park movie. Originally there was a slide that went down Mr. Rex’s tail, unfortunately that is not the case any more.

Mr. Rex

In order to experience the inners of a T-Rex, you have to purchase a ticket for The Robotic Dinosaur Exhibit ($5). Here is the real gem of the whole experience. This Exhibit is filled with old Knotts Berry Farm Robots and Creationism theories.

Here’s what we found out: Offbeat Frontier Exclusive

*Note: Our Offbeat Party was more interested in the dinosaurs than reading and or learning anything the Robotic Dinosaur Exhibit had to offer. Good thing we didn’t sign up for anything. It was not until later that I found out that the museum was funded by Creationist (which now explains the picture below).

Medieval Knight versus T-Rex

Offbeat Frontier would like to stay neutral when concerning itself with science and religion, that’s not our job. But if it’s funny, I’ll take a picture of it. To stay balanced here are links to both Creationism and the Jurassic Period:

Creationism Click Here

Jurassic Period Click Here

Back to the Review:

And it’s not just about robotic dinosaurs (well mostly) but about any other sculptures the museum was able to find, from Medieval Knights, Lions, and even army soldiers were on displayed all over the premises. It can be comparable to if Chuck E. Cheese funded the Smithsonian.

Garage Sale or representation of the Triassic Period?

There’s a Dino Dig where kids can play in a sand box and find bones and rocks.

As you follow a trail that leads you to the entrance of Mr. Rex, more dinosaurs are on display.

The Land Before Time

Fun Fact: Most of these robots are left over from Knott's Berry Farm

Rapin' with Raptors

For a twenty-minute stretch of the legs, this roadside attraction is definitely worth pulling over for. Or at least dropping off the kids while you go to Morongo Indian Casino.

More Video:

More Photos:

Pilot Episode for the Flintstones

Clever Girl!

They're all over the place

If I was only five I could Ride for $2

Hidden Gem of So Cal #10

Pioneertown, CA - Western Movie Set

Location: Lat: 34° 9' 25.42" Long: -116° 29' 49.5323"

Mane Street Pioneertown, CA

Cost: Free

Website: Here

Offbeat Frontier Article: How The West Was Fun

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How The West Was Fun

When thinking about the word Frontier, the mind tends to wonder towards the images of cowboys, wagon trains, Frontier Airlines and of course western movies. Outside of Hollywood, about 130 miles east (if you headed west you’d get wet) is the town of Pioneertown, CA home to a long standing western movie set.

Pioneertown USA

Founded in 1946, Pioneertown was built as set for western films where actors and crew could not only shoot, but live during productions. Such films include, The Valiant Hombre (1948), On Top of Old Smokey (1953 – with Gene Autry), and The Howling 7: New Moon Rising (1995). The set is still used today for films, commercials, and mostly likely for The Howling 8: Bad Moon Rising.

Sound Stage

The only Sound Stage left, might just have been a barn

and they put a sign up. We will truly never know, because it was locked.

Here are two clips from The Howling 8: Bad Moon Rising:

Clip #1: Howling Revealed

Clip #2: Comic Relief

Like most great things, a fire happened. Fortunately most of the set is still intact. On the weekends the locals put on reenactments and gun fights. There is even a cool and odd bowling alley for the kiddies. When you drop off the rug rats, drink your sorrows away at the dive bar Pappy & Harriet’s, which is know to have “the best Honky Tonk west of the Mississippi”. So apparently Dallas can suck it when it comes to “Honky Tonk”.

Pioneer Bowl: Bumpers are for City Slickers

Our Offbeat Explorers went on a weekday so there wasn’t much going on other than a Deliverance Hidden Camera Show. Was pretty sure that glass storeowner was going to skin one of us. Kind of creepy, but we had the town to ourselves, it was a blast.

"Marshall... watch out for him, he's plum loco."

So if you are near the 29 Palms area and want to experience The Hills Have Eyes, mosey on down to Pioneertown.

Oddly the tracks did not lead to a mine

Mane Street (in the west, no one corrects you)

Custom Saddles, you bet!

Interior of the Wagon Wheel Saloon

Hidden Gem of So Cal #9

Original McDonald's Site: San Bernardino, CA

Location: Lat: 34° 7' 31.7928" Long: -117° 17' 40.4052"

1398 North E Street (Between Baseline & Highland)

San Bernardino, CA

Cost: Free

Offbeat Frontier Article:

Raiders of the Golden Arches

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Raiders of the Golden Arches

Offbeat Frontier took an excursion to the Inland Empire. We only lost one person. Our goal was to “lose” two, but Larry is just too cunning. Anyway the team took a detour and encountered what is probably the most important historical site this side of the Prime Meridian (other than Branson, Missouri) the site of the first McDonald's. I now know what it was like to be apart of The Crusades, minus the killings.

Tucked away in the “Sunny Part” San Bernardino off of E Street (two blocks down is where Bruce and the band got started as well), the “OG McDs” can be found. Unfortunately it is no longer a functional fast food dispensary. The building is now the headquarters for the restaurant chain, Jaun Pollo. The good news is that half of the building is a mini-museum dedicated to the history and memorabilia of the franchise juggernaut. The golden years of Grimace, Chicken McNugget Gang, & Garfield Collectible Glassware are all waiting to be relived.

The McNugget Gang!

It’s too bad the Mc Mega Giant lacks the interest in preserving its roots. By the way, only spend fifteen minutes in the museum. After twenty your car will be stripped for parts.

Top Five Highlights of McDonald Museum:

5) Mac Tonight

You can’t get away with a singing Crescent Moon these days. For those who don’t remember, this was McD’s campaign of their late hours.

4) Happy Meal Toys… All of Them!

Remember all those plastic toys you had to have, then after a month they would disappear in you couch or thrown at your little siblings? Or better yet the summer Hot Wheels/Barbie toys? This place has them all. It’s astounding! They even have some of the displays for the toys.

3) Officer Big Mac

Equivalent to a child’s Freudian Nightmare, they have the old hamburger officer playground structure. And if there is an Officer Big Mac, does that mean the Hamburglar was a murder?

2) Festival of Happy Meal Boxes

Like some sort of Cholesterol holiday decorations, they have a collection of Happy Meal boxes hanging from the ceiling. One thought comes to mind, since this is not supported by the corporation. Who keep all these boxes? The toys I understand, but the boxes?

1) Tetanus!

Just by looking at the old sign you get a sense that just by stepping on the property, you’re going to get tetanus, but I guess that’s the over all decor of San Bernardino.

Nation Bound #1: Underground Salt Museum (KS)

Underground Salt Museum: Hutchinson, KS

Location: Lat: 38° 2' 34.9984"" Long: -97° 52' 4.417"

3504 East Ave G

(At Airport Road)

Hutchinson, KS 67501

Cost: Around $15 for an Adult (Best to call for a reservation)

Website: Click Here

Offbeat Frontier Article:

Journey to Center of Kansas - No Dorothy References Please

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