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Title: Cruising the Pomona Valley 1930 thru 1970 by Charles Phoenix ISBN: 0-9672921-0-7 Publisher: Horn of Plenty Press Pub. Date: 15 June, 1999 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $16.95

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Pomona Valley's Swinginest
Comment: Prowling through the Pomona Valley through the ephemera of my youth, how could I not love this book? Charles Phoenix guides this tour with the assistance of archive photographs and examples of period advertising, maps and illustrations. He's provided the quirky cultural landmarks of a land time will not now forget.

Documented is the art, the architecture, and the roadside attractions that sustained the inhabitants and beckoned the tourist to adventure. From my favorite patriotic ice cream fountain decorated in an extreme red-white-and-blue colonial style to the breathtaking significance of a restaurant inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, this is a respectful and loving voyage.

Taking in a movie was a monumental experience because we could go to "The World's Most Beautiful Drive-In Theater." The entrance to the sprawling 30-acre Valley Drive-In Theater hosted a gigantic mural, depicting larger-than-life migrants, settlers, and indigenous peoples in an early California mission scene. Close to 8-storeys high, the tableau even lived on at night when outlined by neon, and the scenic river seemed to move realistically towards the sea when alit with graceful, flowing neon. Because back then you had crossed vast expanses of empty prairie getting to the theater, you felt like a pioneer just pulling into line to see the movie.

Having a meal out usually involved travel to a neighboring town like Pomona, Upland, Ontario, or Cucamonga or other far-away exotic locations. "The World's Largest Polynesian Restaurant" presented a dining experience with a Tahitian-theme. Others offered an oasis of entertainment pleasures, like the Bambu Hut, which afforded not just dining but dancing to a live trio, or at the Kapu-Kai, which provided not just dining and dancing, but had an attached bowling alley and a Tahitian Flame Room.

Sometimes, though, I'd just pick up a snack from one of the drive-up eateries for people who can't leave their cars and go home to listen to one of my records, selected from "The World's Largest Record Collection."

Charles Phoenix shares his collection of the brightest bits, like spreading tiles for a cultural mosaic. There are elements of the nostalgic and the kitschy, but in the large view this book touches on much of what was the original, unique, outstanding, and outrageous flavor of the Pomona Valley. Almost all my favorite places and memories of them nestle in these pages. Some of the places aren't there anymore, but there's plenty left to see. You'll find them here in this book, early visions of a lasting modernity. The author provides maps and instructions on how to get there to see it in real life in today's light.

Rating: 5
Summary: Seeing the sights of Pomona Valley both past and present.
Comment: What a great book to help the reader realize that the signs and buildings you pass by every day are actually historical art! This book covers in brief descriptions and pictures significant milestones in Pomona Valley history. It includes a great section on the architecture of the LA County Fair, wonderful descriptions and photos of sinage and homes and other special places in Pomona Valley not typically considered to be noteworthy. I really enjoyed this book and purchased several copies for the high school library where I work. The students love the book as do the art history classes. The maps throughout the book show walking or driving tours you can take to see these great and funky sites! The only unfortunate thing about the book is that it reminds you about so many great places which are no longer there. What fun (!) to actually remember when you could buy McDonald's hamburgers as advertised for 15 cents each. This book is lots of fun--like eating popcorn--delicious and you can't stop!