I wanted to add some pics for the end of the year that I had thought I might do a post on, but never got around to do them. Most of these are pics that I took or found on facebook of the city or stuff around town. Two of the bridges that we use to always go over and that I had to always go over when I lived in San Pedro are being redone so I thought I would add pictures of the way they were to remember the old bridges.
We always called this bridge the singing bridge because when Dad would drive over it, he would snap his fingers at a certain time and the road would start to hum. I always thought the correct name for the bridge was the Henry Ford Bridge. Well if I read it write, the Henry Ford Bridge is actually the railroad bridge that is right next to the Schyler Heim Bridge which is the singing bridge. I love watching movies and seeing this bridge in it and knowing that I have driven over this bridge a million times and have been stuck on it waiting for the draw bridge to come down as well.
Now this is the Gerald Desmond bridge. I can remember the first time going over this bridge. I remember Grandpa and Grandma Crook were in town visiting and we all piled into Mom and Dads green wood grain station wagon. It had a rear seat that face the wrong way and Thalea and I were riding back there. I can remember kneeling on my knees (way before seat belts were required) and looking at this bridge and hearing Dad talk to Grandma and Grandpa about it and seeing the top of the bridge from a far and freaking out silently and whispering to Thalea about how were we ever going to get over that bridge. I didn't see a road that connected to the top half circle part of the bridge. I remember we both turned around and sat right in the seat, Thalea held my hand and I know I closed my eyes thinking that somehow the car was going to have to make a huge jump across it. Well what seemed like hours turned out to be seconds and we were on the downside heading towards the port. We had made it because there was a road the whole time. I just couldn't see it through everybody's heads.
When I turned 15 I took my drivers training course to get my permit / license and well out of all 4 kids in the car, I drove the freeway from Cerritos all the way to the bottom of the bridge in Wilmington. The teacher even had me stop in the middle of the bridge. I was so scared that the brakes were going to fail and some how we would flip over and over going down that bridge, but again made it through with not a problem and finally after driving this bridge a thousand times going back and forth from San Pedro, bridges no longer freak me out...well it depends on the height and the weather.
Gotta love a 360 of Long Beach on a good day you can see all the way to Catalina (just fyi you don't need a passport to go there!!) or you can see all the way to LA and beyond!!
When I was little you use to see these missal trails all the time. Now not so much, on a rare occasion you'll see them but it usually means something didn't go right. I remember laying out on Mom and Dads front lawn watching them be blown around by the wind up there. We use to watch the sky writers do their thing as well, but you don't see those guys very often either.
These two pictures are late adds to previous post. The rock and the space shuttle.
VIP Records, drove past everyday for 4 years going to Poly. Lots of rappers got their start here. I can't believe that its a beauty palor now. With the invention of the ipod and downloading music there is no reason to goto a music store anymore. No more Snoopy's dog house on top of the building. Here's a high school picture of Snoop dog aka Calvin and Willie McGinest. They were sophomores here.
I have a few more pics to add but this is super long already, so I will save them for next year!!! Happy New Year everyone!!!!
We always called this bridge the singing bridge because when Dad would drive over it, he would snap his fingers at a certain time and the road would start to hum. I always thought the correct name for the bridge was the Henry Ford Bridge. Well if I read it write, the Henry Ford Bridge is actually the railroad bridge that is right next to the Schyler Heim Bridge which is the singing bridge. I love watching movies and seeing this bridge in it and knowing that I have driven over this bridge a million times and have been stuck on it waiting for the draw bridge to come down as well.
Now this is the Gerald Desmond bridge. I can remember the first time going over this bridge. I remember Grandpa and Grandma Crook were in town visiting and we all piled into Mom and Dads green wood grain station wagon. It had a rear seat that face the wrong way and Thalea and I were riding back there. I can remember kneeling on my knees (way before seat belts were required) and looking at this bridge and hearing Dad talk to Grandma and Grandpa about it and seeing the top of the bridge from a far and freaking out silently and whispering to Thalea about how were we ever going to get over that bridge. I didn't see a road that connected to the top half circle part of the bridge. I remember we both turned around and sat right in the seat, Thalea held my hand and I know I closed my eyes thinking that somehow the car was going to have to make a huge jump across it. Well what seemed like hours turned out to be seconds and we were on the downside heading towards the port. We had made it because there was a road the whole time. I just couldn't see it through everybody's heads.
When I turned 15 I took my drivers training course to get my permit / license and well out of all 4 kids in the car, I drove the freeway from Cerritos all the way to the bottom of the bridge in Wilmington. The teacher even had me stop in the middle of the bridge. I was so scared that the brakes were going to fail and some how we would flip over and over going down that bridge, but again made it through with not a problem and finally after driving this bridge a thousand times going back and forth from San Pedro, bridges no longer freak me out...well it depends on the height and the weather.
Gotta love a 360 of Long Beach on a good day you can see all the way to Catalina (just fyi you don't need a passport to go there!!) or you can see all the way to LA and beyond!!
When I was little you use to see these missal trails all the time. Now not so much, on a rare occasion you'll see them but it usually means something didn't go right. I remember laying out on Mom and Dads front lawn watching them be blown around by the wind up there. We use to watch the sky writers do their thing as well, but you don't see those guys very often either.
These two pictures are late adds to previous post. The rock and the space shuttle.
VIP Records, drove past everyday for 4 years going to Poly. Lots of rappers got their start here. I can't believe that its a beauty palor now. With the invention of the ipod and downloading music there is no reason to goto a music store anymore. No more Snoopy's dog house on top of the building. Here's a high school picture of Snoop dog aka Calvin and Willie McGinest. They were sophomores here.
I have a few more pics to add but this is super long already, so I will save them for next year!!! Happy New Year everyone!!!!
