In 1976/77 - Back in the day - parking lots were the places where kids socialized before and after a show. The 2 coolest Hollywood parking lots for the kids to hang out were:
- Rainbow Bar 'n Grill Parking lot @ 9015 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
- Licorice Pizza parking lot - southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente
In 1976, Belinda Carlisle was like many bored teenage girls who dreamed of a more glamorous life.
Bored in suburbia
On the weekends, she and her friend, Terry Ryan, would leave their Thousand Oaks neighborhood and head 40 miles away for the exciting bright lights of the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
Somewhere over the rainbow...
1980 photo: Roy Hankey
They would hang out in the well located parking lots. Location, location, location.
Here they made friends with other scenesters
Here they made friends with other scenesters
The Rainbow Bar 'n Grill
9015 Sunset Boulevard
The Rainbow had good pizza and a fun bar. It was a hanging out place for punk rockers, glam rockers, rock star wannabes, groupies, starlets and actual celebrities. The parking lot of the Rainbow was a destination.
It had a cool, circular parking lot it shared with the Roxy next door.
Of course, Friday nights were the best night's to go.
In 1974 David Bowie and Robert Plant and Iggy Pop were regulars at the Rainbow. They were the heros of the new punk music scene starting up in Hollywood.
2008 photo: tlc
The Rainbow Bar ‘n Grill is on Sunset Blvd (next door to the Roxy).
2008 photo: tlc
Entrance to the parking lot
2008 photo: tlc
Inside the Rainbow
2008 photo: tlc
The Rainbow was next door to the Roxy
Cool picture with the Rainbow marquis reflected in the Roxy marquis
2008 photo: tlc
Back in the day - the Rainbow use to be the Villa Nova restaurant - the Roxy was the Largo
1965 photo: LAPL Photo Database
photographer unknown
The LICORICE PIZZA ( 8878 W. Sunset Blvd.) parking lot on the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente was also a very big hanging out place in the late 1970's.
Record stores once acted like a clubhouse for bored teenagers. It was a place to escape parents, and check out the latest trends in fashion and music.
The Licorice Pizza record store on the SE corner of Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente had a big parking lot that became the ultimate place to just hang out and act cool. The parking lot was easy - and it had a great location, close to the Whisky, Roxy, Rainbow - and for teenager with no income - it didn't cost a thing. It was the perfect place to be with friends, catch up on the latest gossip, and act cool on a warm summer's night in 1977.
This is a great photo of the scene - looking northwest from San Vicente toward Sunset Blvd in the late 1970's. The Whisky is in the background on northwest corner of San Vicente and Sunset Blvd.
Licorice Pizza also was a great record store that stocked plenty of new punk records and imports. It also carried British and local fanzines which covered the local bands.
Record stores once acted like a clubhouse for bored teenagers. It was a place to escape parents, and check out the latest trends in fashion and music.
The Licorice Pizza record store on the SE corner of Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente had a big parking lot that became the ultimate place to just hang out and act cool. The parking lot was easy - and it had a great location, close to the Whisky, Roxy, Rainbow - and for teenager with no income - it didn't cost a thing. It was the perfect place to be with friends, catch up on the latest gossip, and act cool on a warm summer's night in 1977.
It doesn't get tastier than this...
This is a great photo of the scene - looking northwest from San Vicente toward Sunset Blvd in the late 1970's. The Whisky is in the background on northwest corner of San Vicente and Sunset Blvd.
Licorice Pizza also was a great record store that stocked plenty of new punk records and imports. It also carried British and local fanzines which covered the local bands.
Site of the former Licorice pizza records and parking lot. Located caddy corner to the Whisky a- Go-Go on the SW corner or Sunset Blvd. and San Vicente.
2008 photo: tlc
Today the site is occupied by an aahs! novelty gift store.
2008 photo: tlc
The Licorice Pizza parking lot was also located directly across the street from Joan Jetts apartment. Joan Jett loved to party with the rest of them. She got to know a lot of the kids and let them hang out at her place. She would even buy the booze. Kids would meet her at clubs and go back to her place to party.
Darby, Pat, Pleasant and Lorna started hangin’ out with Ms Jett regularly. The early scenesters had all been obsessed with the Runaways. Soon Joan's apartment became party central for them. She lived on San Vicente across from the Licorice Pizza parking lot and the Whisky in West Hollywood .
Former Licorice Pizza parking lot looking west across San Vicente at Joan Jett's place
2008 photo: tlc
Joan Jetts apartment building across the street from the parking lot- on San Vicente.
2008 photo: tlc
Scensters hangin' out with Joan - Darby, Pleasant and Lorna.
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2 comments:
Wow, this blog brought back some memories! I was researching Licorice Pizza (I used to work at one down in San Diego back in 1983) and came across this blog. I used to come up to L.A. between 77-1984 to catch the shows at the Masque, Madam Wongs, etc. and occasionally hung out at the Sunset Licorice Pizza parking lot. My childhood friend Rachel Schadt left home and went to work at Slash (later Slash Records.)
Ahh the memories...
HA! I live in the pink house that used to be Joan Jett's apartment. It used it be mint green. Love the blog.
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