The almost-all-request west coast photo tour Oct. 2007...

submariner · Post by **submariner** » 09 Sep 2007 13:23

Alright, here's what's going on:

For the 2nd and 3rd weeks in October, I'm going on a west coast road trip. I'm posting here since it will mainly focus on California.

Here's your chance to get some pictures of places you've wanted to add to your collections but haven't got yet...

I will be traveling pretty much the entire I-5 corridor, focusing in the following areas:

• I-5 From the beginning of the state to the I-505 interchange

• San Francisco (East Bay)

• I-5 from the I-580 interchange all the way to Orange County

• Long Beach

• Buena Park

• Santa Ana

• Anaheim

• The 91 Freeway corridor from Orange County out to the Redlands area

On the way down, I'm travelling Oregon at night, so it won't be very feasabile to get pictures, but I plan on coming up during the day, so I can try to get some shots up the I-5 corridor all the way up to Tacoma.

Let me know what your requests are, I'll put then on a list and I will try to get as many as possible. Inside, outside, it's all fair game to me, and I'll even provide a scorecard if I get questioned, watched suspiciously, or kicked out of any stores!

storewanderer · Post by **storewanderer** » 09 Sep 2007 16:48

I suggest a deviaton in route either on the way there or the way back to see the scenic Oregon coast (and capture Safeway units in Reedsport, Coquille, and Myrtle Point, OR). But the coast really is scenic. And dreary.

Right as you enter CA on I-5 there is a Rays in Yreka, CA at the Montague offramp. The building is a rather short gable but the interior decor seems sort of Safeway-like. However, I am not sure this store is actually a former Safeway. Rays runs in a former gable Safeway in downtown Weed for sure. Not sure what interior is in there but it looked fairly recent. Rite Aid has the old Mt. Shasta (Morgan Way offramp) gable.

Holiday has a strange former 70s shakeroof Safeway in Willow, CA but the interior is perhaps the ugliest interior I've ever seen on a grocery store and if it wasn't for liquor license records I'd have not been convinced this store was a former Safeway.

At the Charter Way offramp (a block or so east, you can see the tower sign from the highway) from I-5 in Stockton, CA is the Centromart unremodeled former 50's Safeway. I do not suggest visiting this location near or after dark.

The Lathrop I-5 offramp has a brand new Save Mart which features the company's latest decor elements. The store is themed as a railroad store with railroad signs all over the place. The store also has what look like paper clouds hanging from the ceiling (which is painted blue).

I'll think of more later. Any towns where you will have extended stops (overnight, etc.)?

submariner · Post by **submariner** » 09 Sep 2007 16:55

storewanderer wrote:I suggest a deviaton in route either on the way there or the way back to capture Safeway units in Reedsport, Coquille, and Myrtle Point, OR.

I might be able to take 101 back up to accommodate that.

storewanderer · Post by **storewanderer** » 09 Sep 2007 22:27

http://www.geocities.com/coolstorephotos/safewayor.html

http://www.geocities.com/coolstorephoto ... ayor2.html

http://www.geocities.com/coolstorephoto ... ayor3.html

Downtown Roseburg has since closed.

submariner · Post by **submariner** » 09 Sep 2007 23:03

storewanderer wrote: I'll think of more later. Any towns where you will have extended stops (overnight, etc.)?

I was planning on making roseburg on the first night, making Hayward a 5-day stop in the east bay, and another 3 to 5 days in So Cal, then likely overnight around the CA/OR border on 101 for the return

J-Mac · Post by **J-Mac** » 10 Sep 2007 00:49

Submariner:

Let me flip this around upon you: are there any chains that you have a particular interest in? I've spent some time down here in my corner of the world (where LA County and the OC meet)... What are you on the wild road of store hopping for? Old grocery? Modern? Anything?

There is some of everything down here, and if you wish to visit some of the sites on my flickr for a personal look, drop me a line and I can provide addresses and nearby attractions, etc.

My flickr account is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7591905@N07/

J-Mac

submariner · Post by **submariner** » 10 Sep 2007 10:15

J-Mac wrote:Submariner:

Let me flip this around upon you: are there any chains that you have a particular interest in? I've spent some time down here in my corner of the world (where LA County and the OC meet)... What are you on the wild road of store hopping for? Old grocery? Modern? Anything?

There is some of everything down here, and if you wish to visit some of the sites on my flickr for a personal look, drop me a line and I can provide addresses and nearby attractions, etc.

My flickr account is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7591905@N07/

J-Mac

Thanks for the offer. I'm mainly on this trip for visiting family as well as places from my childhood, thus the focus areas. I just thought I'd offer to photograph for my own amusement as well as to get some photos people have wanted to get but were unable to for various reasons. I have seen your Flickr page, and it brings back a lot of memories! One thing though, I don't recall exactly where it was, but it was around Cypress or LaPalma, I believe... from early on, I recall the Drug Emporium we used to shop at had a vacant store in the same center, and I don't exactly remember how I found out, I think there might have been a sign on one of the cart returns, maybe, but I believe the vacant store was a Market Basket... Which might be why I got interested in retail history, and as an extension, urban archaeology (Detroit's good for that). Do you have any background on this? I wouldn't doubt if the center itself is gone, but it might be nice to try and search it out...

Also, I'm interested in searching out stores with vintage interiors, and it would be interesting to find a Ralphs with the 80's interior, a Vons with an old safeway interior, or even a Ralphs or Albertson's with an old Alpha-Beta interior...

And a slightly off question, do you remember where the old Naval Hospitial in Long Beach was?

I should also add, I'm not limiting this to grocery, but any good retail as well.

J-Mac · Post by **J-Mac** » 10 Sep 2007 16:30

submariner wrote: One thing though, I don't recall exactly where it was, but it was around Cypress or LaPalma, I believe... from early on, I recall the Drug Emporium we used to shop at had a vacant store in the same center, and I don't exactly remember how I found out, I think there might have been a sign on one of the cart returns, maybe, but I believe the vacant store was a Market Basket... Which might be why I got interested in retail history, and as an extension, urban archaeology (Detroit's good for that). Do you have any background on this? I wouldn't doubt if the center itself is gone, but it might be nice to try and search it out...

Also, I'm interested in searching out stores with vintage interiors, and it would be interesting to find a Ralphs with the 80's interior, a Vons with an old safeway interior, or even a Ralphs or Albertson's with an old Alpha-Beta interior...

And a slightly off question, do you remember where the old Naval Hospitial in Long Beach was?

I should also add, I'm not limiting this to grocery, but any good retail as well.

Well... I can help with some of this:

Drug Emporium is still in La Palma. The one I am thinking of is at 4951 La Palma Ave, La Palma, CA. (Try looking at that address on local.live.com, it has a pretty decent view of the center.) I have childhood memories of a grocery store in that corner unit -- perhaps this center deserves its own thread. I kinda doubt Market Basket since one was located only a mile or two away on South Street in Cerritos... maybe it was some other chain.

If you remember that Drug Emporium, you probably remember Gemco just a couple blocks west on La Palma (becomes Del Amo in LA County) over in Cerritos. Its been remodeled, but its still there.

Ralphs has been pretty good at either remodeling or closing stores down here, I haven't come across any of the older Alpha Beta interiors in stores that are still open (there are two closed Ralphs in my flickr account with AB interiors, but they are closed so that pretty much sucks.) Further down La Palma Ave is a former AB store with an interior that... well... I'm not sure if it came from Ralphs or the latter-day Yucaipa-owned Alpha Beta. That's 5420 La Palma Ave.

The Naval Hospital was Carson and the 605 Freeway. Its gone, totally gone... the Long Beach Town Center replaced it in the mid-90s with big box stores and a movie theater.

Anyway... have fun.
J-Mac

runchadrun · Post by **runchadrun** » 10 Sep 2007 17:32

Might I suggest you consider taking CA-99 down instead of I-5? It may take a little longer but it's more interesting and people might have better suggestions on where to stop.

Here are some tips for the Redlands area:
Former Alpha Beta on the corner of Church and Lugonia. It's been remodeled but I have no idea how much.

Stater Bros on Orange and Colton. Talked about in this thread http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1156

Gerrard's Market, 705 W. Cypess, founded by family members of the Alpha Beta founders http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1017

Albertsons, former Lucky and Sage's, at the corner of Redlands Blvd and Cypress. Probably the largest Albertsons you'll ever see. http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1163

If you want an unusual shopping experience, go to the Loma Linda Market on the campus of Loma Linda University. Being an Adventist school, the market is entirely vegetarian (and closed on Saturdays) which was quite handy for me when I became a vegetarian while at college in Redlands. They are at 11161 Anderson St in Loma Linda.

In San Bernardino, there's a cool movie theater on Orange Show Road just past E Street, across from Target (former White Front/Fedmart). I heard that theater was threatened so it may already be gone. A little further south on E Street is a Chevy dealer with a cool sign and a former Olds dealer (don't know what it is now) with an octagonal showroom. *Update* Here are pictures of the theater: http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_ ... inland.htm

If you end up in Fontana, there's some interesting stuff at the Sierra Ave offramp. At the southwest corner of Valley and Sierra, just north of the 10, there is a shopping center which had a Vons EXPO and a Phar-Mor when it first opened. Across Sierra the Food4Less is a former Mervyn's. On the other side of the 10 there is IKEA's second Socal store (after Burbank) which closed after a few years. It's the L shaped store in at the far eastern end. You'll also find one of the rare Socal Target Greatlands and the replacement Mervyn's.

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » 10 Sep 2007 21:36

Speaking of Drug Emporium, does anyone know which location was the "Lucky Aide" in Malcolm In The Middle? They usually did a good job of covering up the logos, but in one episode a "Thank you for shopping Drug Emporium" slipped by.

runchadrun · Post by **runchadrun** » 10 Sep 2007 22:49

Daniel wrote:Speaking of Drug Emporium, does anyone know which location was the "Lucky Aide" in Malcolm In The Middle? They usually did a good job of covering up the logos, but in one episode a "Thank you for shopping Drug Emporium" slipped by.

It's the one in North Hollywood on Lankershim, which is a former Safeway. See http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=991

Back to the subject at hand, another store to see in Stockton is the former Safeway, now Big Lots, at the Country Club exit to I-5. http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=888 There is also cheap gas at this offramp at the USA Gas station across the street, so you can take some pictures while you fill your tank. I was there in July but was too tired from driving to think about taking pictures.

For a Marina Vons, take the CA-2 Freeway south exit from I-5 which will dump you onto Glendale Blvd. About 3/4 of a mile down, at Montana, you'll find the store. Turn around the same way you came to get back to I-5.

submariner · Post by **submariner** » 10 Sep 2007 23:59

Thanks for the tips, I'm going to start compiling a list soon, then plot it out on the maps :) Keep the ideas coming, and I'll add them!

TheStranger · Post by **TheStranger** » 11 Sep 2007 03:53

If you're heading up 101 through Eureka on the way back, there are two marina Safeways on Harris Street that are must-see.

Post by **Groceteria** » 12 Sep 2007 21:20

The Howard Johnsons discussion has been split into a separate thread here:

http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=2020

Paper or Plastic · Post by **Paper or Plastic** » 14 Sep 2007 23:15

Go thru Eureka and stop at the Samoa Cookhouse, you won't be disapointed !

http://www.samoacookhouse.net/