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For most tourists visiting Los Angeles, Downey isn't the sort of city you'd want to stop and visit, unless you were staying in L.A. for several months and you've run out of stuff to do. The only "tourist attraction" in Downey is "The World's Oldest Operating McDonalds." That's it. Ok, it's also the city where the Carpenters and James Hetfield (of Metallica) were born, but they've long since moved away (or died.)
Having grown up in Downey, though, I still visit the city regularly just to see what's new and what's changed. I took the family to see the old house I grew up in. The new owners have painted it and added a strange brick wall around the side yard. I have to admit, it's hard to look at your childhood home with new owners living there. It's kind of sad. I had always hoped my mom could live there until the day she died. But unfortunately that's not the way things turned out.
Downey has changed quite a bit since I was a kid. It's now become a primarily Hispanic, working class city. A lot of the old restaurants I used to go to are gone. "Salvatores," an Italian restaurant that was there since I was a kid, went out of business, as did the 70's style "Foxy's" restaurant. No great loss as far as Foxy's is concerned, but I did enjoy Salvatores. The grocery store "Beach's" (the place where I got my first job) is still there, but when I went inside, it was pretty empty. I don't expect it to last much longer either.
As for Downey's one big attraction, the old "McDonalds", the city doesn't seem to be taking good care of it. The museum next to the restaurant is filthy, and the bathrooms were totally disgusting. If this is your biggest tourist spot, at least try to keep it clean.
The one thing that Downey does have going for it, though, is its location. It's only a 13 mile drive to downtown Los Angeles. This is why my mom's old house sold for nearly half a million dollars. Location, location, location. But would I buy a house there? No way.
(Pictures: 1 & 2. The Oldest Operating McDonalds in the World. 3. The house I grew up in, now painted blue. 4. The street I grew up on, Puritan St. 5. Beach's Market, my first job. 6. One of the better restaurants in Downey, the South Pacific Thai Restaurant.)
Having grown up in Downey, though, I still visit the city regularly just to see what's new and what's changed. I took the family to see the old house I grew up in. The new owners have painted it and added a strange brick wall around the side yard. I have to admit, it's hard to look at your childhood home with new owners living there. It's kind of sad. I had always hoped my mom could live there until the day she died. But unfortunately that's not the way things turned out.
Downey has changed quite a bit since I was a kid. It's now become a primarily Hispanic, working class city. A lot of the old restaurants I used to go to are gone. "Salvatores," an Italian restaurant that was there since I was a kid, went out of business, as did the 70's style "Foxy's" restaurant. No great loss as far as Foxy's is concerned, but I did enjoy Salvatores. The grocery store "Beach's" (the place where I got my first job) is still there, but when I went inside, it was pretty empty. I don't expect it to last much longer either.
As for Downey's one big attraction, the old "McDonalds", the city doesn't seem to be taking good care of it. The museum next to the restaurant is filthy, and the bathrooms were totally disgusting. If this is your biggest tourist spot, at least try to keep it clean.
The one thing that Downey does have going for it, though, is its location. It's only a 13 mile drive to downtown Los Angeles. This is why my mom's old house sold for nearly half a million dollars. Location, location, location. But would I buy a house there? No way.
(Pictures: 1 & 2. The Oldest Operating McDonalds in the World. 3. The house I grew up in, now painted blue. 4. The street I grew up on, Puritan St. 5. Beach's Market, my first job. 6. One of the better restaurants in Downey, the South Pacific Thai Restaurant.)
Your California visit posts are making me homesick. I'm glad you got so many pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame they don't take better care of the Downey McDonald's.
It's a shock to see our old homes change.
Our house there on Stevely was changed inside and out. I haven't seen inside, but heard it had.
My first house was a parking lot the last time I saw it (many, many years ago).
ReplyDeleteI will mourn the loss of Foxy's.