Among Friends

[Noel7]

Speaking of cultural CA memories, I have another one for you...

FERN BARS!

Henry Africa's, the leader of the pack:

[missy1]

Does the Old Spagetti Factory in Newport Beach have the train car like Fullerton?

[BirdieGal]

@Moonchilde

Thats so sad about Solvang. I haven’t been in a long time but DH and I were just talking about going there. The shops used to be so lovely with all the quality handmade imported items. And the bakery with the petit fours , with the little sitting area on the side inside? Omg ! Yum. 

Why cant things stay nice they way they used to?

I also knew that Griswolds closed. Such a sad thing. Now it’s all mass marketed stuff.

I only live an hour from Corning and the olive places they have there are very nice. I love going there.

And like my daddy always said, it’s not an olive unless it’s a Corning olive! 

[BirdieGal]

@missy1

THE ONE IN SACRAMENTO DOES! Love to eat in the car!

[BirdieGal]

@Noel7

Okay that one I don’t know...

I do know The Elephant Bar. Very nice restaurant. One in Santa Barbara. DH flew me there too. And there’s on in Sacramento too.

[Moonchilde]

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@DiAnne wrote:

@Moonchilde

John Wayne used to be around the Balboa Bay Club often.  He also used to hang out at bar on Lido Isle (can't remember the name of it).  

I only worked at two hospitals  - when Fountain Valley Regional was built they offered me a job and I stayed there until I moved to the PNW.  It used to be a great place to work. 

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@DiAnne, when JW got sick, he was at our place a lot :-( He wanted to endow them with millions for a cancer center, but the Board of Directors actually turned him down because they felt it would make the hospital too high profile, “public.” Boy were they dumb. He subsequently endowed a free-standing research center in Santa Monica which became affiliated with another hospital that values its privacy, and it hasn’t hurt them - it’s made them famous. I dealt with the John Wayne Cancer Institute on a daily basis, all day long let’s say.

I worked at Fountain Valley when it was the HMO hospital like Kaiser (lol, forget the name, but they all tanked). 

[Moonchilde]

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@missy1 wrote:

Does the Old Spagetti Factory in Newport Beach have the train car like Fullerton?

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I don’t know about now, but it definitely used to.

[Moonchilde]

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@BirdieGal wrote:

@Noel7

Okay that one I don’t know...

I do know The Elephant Bar. Very nice restaurant. One in Santa Barbara. DH flew me there too. And there’s on in Sacramento too.

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Oh, there is an Elephant Bar in the South Bay (SoCal) area that does the BEST ribs!

[DiAnne]

@Moonchilde

Are you talking about the HMO Family Health Plan?  Fountain Valley Regional was privately owned until approximately 1992 or 1993 when Tenet Healthcare bought it (after I left).  The hardest part about moving up north was leaving - I loved that job and the people I worked with.  

[Noel7]

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@BirdieGal wrote:

@Noel7

Okay that one I don’t know...

I do know The Elephant Bar. Very nice restaurant. One in Santa Barbara. DH flew me there too. And there’s on in Sacramento too.

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@BirdieGal

I believe Fern Bars started in SF by the guy known as Henry Africa.  They were all characterized by wide windows to look through, Tiffany lamps, tables, sometimes soft chairs and LOTS OF FERNS.

They became popular because they were never sleazy and were considered safe for women to go to.  Most bars were not welcoming, friendly and good to women before Fern Bars.