The President’s Visit
I’m reading a manuscript which came my way rather mysteriously a few years ago. It’s a fascinating first-person account of events which took place in San Diego in April of 1891. I can’t discuss the details yet but I am in discussion with interested parties about publishing an annotated edition of the story.
There are some historical events mentioned in the book that I can tell you about, such as the first visit to San Diego by a sitting President of the United States, which occurred on April 23, 1891. That president was Benjamin Harrison.
Harrison was not the most notable of presidents, serving only one term from 1899 to 1893. But for San Diegans of the time, it was a memorable visit. As the San Diego Union reported:
Since the news first came that the nation’s chief executive would confer upon this people the unusual honor of a visit, the leading men and women of San Diego have wasted no time in getting ready to receive their expected guest in fitting style. As a result the city today is decked out in a holiday attire of the national colors; the wall of her principal buildings are hidden behind masses of gay-hued bunting, and every flag is flying triumphantly from the very top of its staff.
The president’s visit was part of a cross-country railroad tour sponsored by railroad magnate Leland Stanford.
The Presidential train will arrive at the depot at 6:30 in the morning. President Harrison will not alight from his special train on his arrival in the city this morning but will be carried on through National City, around the peninsula and directly to the Coronado hotel, where he will have breakfast.*
After breakfasting at the Hotel Del Coronado with guests that included California Governor Henry H. Markham and Baja California Governor Luis E. Torres, Harrison returned by boat across the bay and spoke to a large crowd gathered at Horton Plaza. Then it was back on the train to continue his tour.
The president’s short time in San Diego left a lasting impression. He is reported to have told future President William Taft, “One who has ever breathed this atmosphere would want to live here always.” San Diegans today can still relate.
*Irene Phillips, “Diaries of Frank A. Kimball, California Pioneer, Excerpts and Comments.”
World of Fire
Environmental destruction, climate change, war, epidemics, homelessness, drug addiction. Sometimes the disasters pile up in our brains like a toxic dump. And when a personal crisis intersects with societal catastrophe, it can feel like there’s no way out. Like you’re living in a world of fire.
I don’t remember the specific events that inspired this song, but I was imagining a TV war correspondent whose personal life has gone to hell while he’s covering a revolution in some Latin American country (it was written during the days of Contras and Noriega). Working with the band, we gave it a moody, cinematic arrangement—impassioned vocals, screaming slide guitar and stormy sound effects. Available on Apple Music and Spotify.
In the green glow, I have seen
Dying children, broken dreams
Burning bottles, needle of pain
And I wonder why I remain
In this world of fire
World of fire
Blood and chicken, beans and rice
Open windows late at night
I remember your white knees
As you fell away from me
In this world of fire
World of fire
Credits:
Written by Corey L Fayman and recorded at Studio 3, San Diego, CA
Bruce Fayman – lead vocals
Judy Jackson – lead vocals
Ken Rash – guitar and slide guitar
Corey Fayman – keyboards
Mike Borman – Drums
Cliff Morse – Bass
The Guitars of Rolly Waters: Gibson ES-335
As you may know, the protagonist of my Rolly Waters Mystery series is a guitar-playing private detective named Rolly Waters. He performs regularly in the San Diego area and the books provide bits of guitar lore and technical information about the guitars that he plays.
Rolly can be fickle about his guitar choices. He keeps a half-dozen in his house at any given time, buys new ones, sells old ones and ocassionaly uses one as a weapon. For readers who don’t know the difference between a Stratocaster and Telecaster, here’s the first entry in what will be a regular (and somewhat random) series of posts about Rolly’s guitars.
In the first book, Black’s Beach Shuffle, a cherry-red Gibson ES-335 plays a starring role. Below is an example of that guitar model.
The Gibson ES-335 was the music industry’s very first semi-hollow electric guitar. What does that mean? Well the easiest way to explain it is to say that almost every acoustic guitar you’ve seen has a hollowbody and almost every electric guitar you’ve seen has a solidbody. The ES-335 is a combination of both. It merges a hollowbody’s warm acoustic tones with the amplified power of a solidbody guitar.
This combination makes the ES-335 an extremely versatile guitar that can be used in a wide variety of musical ways, from B.B. King’s stinging blues notes to Larry Carlton’s jazzy solos to Alex Lifeson’s prog rock riffs. Which is precisely why Rolly brings his ES-335 along in the opening chapters of Black’s Beach Shuffle. He’s playing at a private party, not one of his usual club dates. Unusual conditions may, and do, apply to this gig, as readers will discover. He’ll need the ES-335’s versatility.
A brand new ES-335 will cost you around $3,000 today. Vintage models like the cherry red one here can go for as much as $30,000. Below is some more info on the ES-335, for those who want to learn more. As for the fate of Rolly’s Cherry Red ES-335, you’ll need to read Black’s Beach Shuffle for that.
When Hollywood Stars Put on a Show
In chapter 19 of The Esmeralda Goodbye, the protagonist, patrolman Jake Stirling, and his girlfriend Millie, attend a performance of Bus Stop at La Jolla Playhouse. Millie works as a waitress in a local diner and one of her customers has given her a pair of complimentary tickets to the opening night show. The customer is one of the actors in the show—Lee Marvin. It was a fun way to work some real history into the novel.
From left to right Sally Forrest, Lee Marvin, Benay Venuta, Fred Clark and Sue Carson
La Jolla Playhouse is known today as a major regional theater, sending shows to Broadway and earning Tony Awards. But in it’s original incarnation it was a Summer Stock theater which presented shows in the gymnasium at La Jolla High School. Like most summer stock theaters, the production values were minimal and shows only lasted a couple of weeks. But the Playhouse had one attraction that other theaters didn’t—it was founded by Hollywood stars Gregory Peck, Mel Ferrer and Dorothy McGuire. That, and La Jolla’s proximity to Los Angeles, made it an attractive summer job for film actors looking to stretch their acting muscles while also taking a break from the stresses of the movie business. A busman’s holiday.
While doing research at the La Jolla Historical Society archives, I came across some programs from the early Playhouse shows. My classic movie fandom kicked into high gear as I read over the names on the programs—Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Marge Champion. Howard Duff, and Norman Lloyd. In the early 1980s I worked on a production of The Skin of Our Teeth at the Old Globe Theatre. I got to know the play pretty well and was intrigued by the cast from the Playhouse production back in the 1950s. Eartha Kitt as Sabina couldn’t be more perfect with James Whitmore as the everyman Mr. Antrobus a close second. And it was fun to imagine a young Dennis Hopper and Cloris Leachman as the Antrobus children, Henry and Gladys.
The production of Bus Stop took place in 1956, the same year the bulk of my novel takes place. The actors I mention (Marvin, Fred Clark and Benay Venuta) were all part of the show. That part is straight from the history books. I worked Lucy and Desi Arnaz and Zsa Zsa Gabor in as members of the audience. That part was fiction as far as I know, but it was certainly possible.
Another item I came across as I was going through the Historical Society’s files was this photograph from the Women’s section of the San Diego Union Tribune (I’m old enough to remember when newspapers had a women’s section). It’s a photo of local society folks joking around at a dinner before opening night of The Reluctant Debutante. The second figure from the right is Mrs. Barry Goldwater, wife of the longtime Arizona senator and one-time Presidential candidate. Even back in the 1950s the Zonies escaped the summer heat of their home state by heading to La Jolla.
Raymond Chandler’s Taco Place
Below is a photo of the La Jolla Methodist Church on La Jolla Boulevard, located in the Lower Hermosa neighborhood. The chapel on the right was originally built in 1924 as a passenger and traction power substation for the San Diego Electric Railway. The turret-like building on the left was added a few years later, containing retail shops, professional offices, and studios.
By the time Raymond Chandler and his wife, Cissy, arrived in La Jolla, the turret had been purchased by a man named Moe Lock, who turned it into the La Plaza restaurant and El Toro bar. Albert “Al” Hernandez was hired as bartender and his wife Helen became the head waitress. A chef named Washington cooked steaks, lamb chops and other meats on an open grill near the front entrance. Various Mexican combo dinners were also on the menu.
The restaurant was a short distance from the Chandlers’ new home and Ray and Cissy became regular customers. They were always fastidiously dressed and, according to this 1982 Reader article by Jeff Smith, highly particular about the service they received (all dinner dishes must be removed before bringing the dessert menu).
As Cissy’s health declined, she found it more difficult to go out. Chandler continued to visit the bar on his own, usually late at night. He was working on his penultimate novel, The Long Goodbye, and often shared his thoughts about the work-in-progress with the bartender, Al Hernandez. The two men shared an emotional bond, as well. As. Cissy lived out the final months of her life Hernandez’s son, Albert, Jr, a promising tennis player, died of cancer. The two men grieved together and supported each other.
El tiempo no importa. Time doesn’t matter. That was the motto of the La Plaza restaurant, printed on the menus and over the entryway, clearly meant as an invitation for customers to relax and enjoy themselves. For these two men that motto may have been bittersweet, each hoping for just a little more time with their loved ones.
I don’t know if Chandler ever ordered tacos at La Plaza. I suspect he preferred the steaks and chops to the Mexican dishes, but who knows? La Plaza is also celebrated, correctly or not, as the first American restaurant to serve blended margaritas. Al Hernandez may have encouraged his writer friend to try one, but I’m guessing Chandler stuck to his regular gimlets.
Also of note, for those interested in San Diego restaurant history—Al and Helen Hernandez eventually moved their family to North County and opened the Hernandez Hideaway restaurant on the shores of Lake Hodges. It still stands today, although the family no longer owns it.
