More photos of Burbank Blvd. east of Buena Vista
Burbank Blvd. east of Buena Vista, transports one to 1955. The streets are scrupulously clean, there is little graffiti, and hardly any mini-malls. The storefronts come right up to the sidewalk.
The mostly one and two story buildings are a museum of the mid-century. There are vacuum sales and repair stores, a hobby shop, barbers, plumbing supply, tool shops, printers, insurance brokers, attorneys and the local MOOSE Lodge.
This is a man’s street. At John’s Chili, the lunch counter was entirely male. There are no stores selling scented candles or funky antiques. This is a business like, industrious, technical, no-nonsense area. Trees are as rare as women along the sun-baked concrete.
The American flag flies proudly over many of the buildings. All of the signs are in English. There isn’t an Armenian, Thai, Spanish, Hebrew, Ko-rean or Arabic sign anywhere. (No wonder people from Tarzana are often lost in Burbank.) And the signs themselves are homely, plain, direct [“Fresh Fish and Chicken”] and often painted right onto the building.
There are also mysterious facades with no signs on them. Blinds pulled down and air conditioning running full blast, with faded pink paint and flagstone trim. Behind these unmarked doors, a great inventor is working on the next wireless radio or perhaps an audio record that can be played by laser instead of a needle!
Here in Van Nuys 
Wow…i know this comment is a couple years late but I couldn’t help but comment on this entry.
I lived in Burbank a couple years ago when I was really little and absolutely loved it. I lived right on the corner by the Liquor Store, the Hobby Shop and Chili John’s. Seeing all this brings back so many memories of: How bad Chili John’s Chili was. How much that pink building scared the bujeezis out of me when my mom and I would walk by and how I always wanted to go into that little restaurant for a steak (Apperently, it’s AMAZING).
That neighborhood was such a cool place to grow up. Everybody there were old timers who had been there for years. Many people on our block (including our family) had been there for generations even. It is such a quaint little area in an overstylized hub of snobbishness that is becoming Los Angeles.
I haven’t been to Burbank in a while. I’d hate to return to see it paved over with style, with a Starbucks on the corner of Lamer and Burbank instead of that old liquor store.
Thanks for bringing back some awesome memories! 😀
LikeLike
You mean plaster over all the traditional architecture, charm and style and repaint everything an ugly mustard yellow? Oh yeah, I’ve seen that before. No thanks.
Born in Burbank
LikeLike
The reason is because that part of burbank is the cheap part. But give it 3 years, the Armenians will buy up that land too and make it nice.
LikeLike
Scott-
I remember that mug place! I’m not surprised about Chili John’s. If a restaurant is bad in LA, in stays in business 30 years.
LikeLike
My favorite store along Burbank Boulevard was the (sadly recently closed) store that sold nothing but mugs, near the corner of Buena Vista. Every time I passed by it, I would marvel: how does that store stay in business? Apparently, it doesn’t, but it was there for at least 15 years.
There’s also a hat store, (men’s hats!) a hobby shop (several of these around Burbank) and a magic trick shop, all adding to the trapped-in-amber Walt Disney vibe.
I love the vibe at Chili John’s, but the chili is AWFUL.
LikeLike
Very nice. Victory Blvd has a similar vibe. There’s this weird feeling that you’ve been taken to the 1950s or into a 1950s postapocalyptic SF world. You can see why someone like Tim Burton felt the need to get as weird as possible coming from there.
LikeLike