This week, I’m wandering back in time as well as through space, to my first trip to California. It was 1985 – denim was faded, colours were bright, earrings were big and so was hair.
And here we are. My brother and I at the famed Hollywood Bowl, just sitting casually in front of the band shell. Well, at least I am. My brother looks, oddly enough, as though he’s playing air guitar. Odd, because he went on to become a professional musician, and now plays guitar all around the world. Not sure if he’s played at the Hollywood Bowl though – I’ll have to ask him.
Built in 1929, the Art Deco influence is obvious in the concentric arches of the band shell. The Bowl has hosted famous musicians almost beyond count – I remember my mum being very excited to be there. I believe The Beatles were mentioned several times. The large white spheres over the stage were designed by architect Frank Gehry, and were added during the 1980s to improve the sound system – apparently the deterioration of the acoustics were part of the reason this shell was demolished and replaced in 2004.
This trip was a fab trip – we drove from Los Angeles all the way along the coast road to San Francisco, a trip I repeated in part with my own family last year. The memories of the 1980’s trip are like a dream in some respects, all golden sun and green hills and blue ocean, like some fabled landscape in a story. I’m sure I’ll be back there again one day.
Thanks for coming on another Wednesday Wander with me – see you next time!
Helen Glynn Jones 
I love it! Actually, I’ve never been to the Hollywood Bowl but I recognized it right away! Yay 1985! This may or may not be my birth year 😉
What a fun trip you must have had. I totally thought your brother was trying to be a ninja hahaha!
Thanks, Kristin! Haha – I was a teenager in 1985 – all pink lipstick and Benetton bags and big earrings 😀
My brother might be dancing, actually – I’m not really sure. And he’ll probably kill me when he sees that pic haha!
I love this pic! You should frame it in your home hahaha!
Yes, now teenagers in the US think they dress like the 80’s and I’m like no, unless you have a windbreaker and aqua net, you have fallen short!
Yes! They think they’re 80s, but they’re just 80s-lite 😀
80’s – lite! OMG I LOOOOVE ITTT!
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Good one! The mid 80’s – big hair…oh the embarrassing memories 😀
Haha, yes, there are some fashion disasters I’d rather forget! However, it was a great time to be a teen 🙂
The 80s were brill… terrible fashions, but ah such great times, and the music is still good today. Well, actually there was a lot of shite music too, but all that new romantic and futurist stuff was great!
They were brill, weren’t they? I feel lucky to have been a teenager then. There was a lot of shite music, but so much that was good – before bands had stylists and instagram. I was a big New Romantic fan haha!
Haha! Me too!
Haha! Yes. “denim was faded, colours were bright, earrings were big and so was hair.” That about sums it up. 😀
Yep. I’m basing much of that statement on the other photos of me on that trip, which I will not be sharing here lol 😀
But, you know in saying that, I will now ask. Why did you do that? 😉
I don’t know 😀 lol Not sure if I’m ready to share them yet, they did make me laugh though.
As long as you’re getting a laugh out of them, that’s all that matters. 🙂
Oh, I am! 😀