Skipping Hollywood? An idea to entertain
The industry’s quieter base is ready for its close-up
By Kimberley Lovato
It takes a different kind of town to be home to Chandler Bing, Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob SquarePants.
And probably not the kind of town that New Hampshire dentist Dr. David Burbank had in mind when he came west in 1867 and bought parcels of two large Spanish land grants near Los Angeles. Less than 50 years later, his 8,600acre sheep ranch would become part of a city bearing his name.
Growing up here, we just called it “Borebank,” a moniker inspired by the city’s sleepy demeanor (and, probably, our nothing-to-do-here teen angst). Just as in Dr. Burbank’s days, dreamers still head west, lured by warmer climes or the glitz of Hollywood, less than 10 miles away.
But low-profile Burbank deserves its closeup, thanks to entertainment-industry cachet, and a throwback appeal that’s a welcome respite from au courant Los Angeles.
Why now? Kids are back in school and summer crowds thin, while TV and movie studios get back to work and the weather remains flipflops-worthy.
Backstory: When Dr. Burbank sold his sprawling ranch to Los Angeles land speculators in 1886, the new owners divided the property into small farms and residential lots, and a business district. They called their town Burbank and started selling parcels in 1887. Burbank officially became the San Fernando Valley’s first independent city in 1911, with a population of 500.
The movies also moved in: First National Pictures bought 78 acres on Olive Avenue in the 1920s, but was soon taken over by four brothers named Warner, whose company, Warner Bros., released the first all-talking movie, “The Jazz Singer,” in 1927. Others companies followed. Columbia Pictures used their Burbank ranch property for outdoor shooting, Walt Disney set up on Buena Vista Street in 1939, and NBC moved its television network’s headquarters to Burbank in 1962.
Today, Burbank is the address of Nickelodeon, Cartoon-Network Studios, ABC and hundreds of other supporting businesses, earning the city its self-proclaimed title of Media Capital of the World.
Checking in: The casual Safari Inn and its neon surfboard sign have been featured in movies and TV shows such as “Apollo 13” and “CSI Miami,” while the more upscale Hotel Amarano has suites, a pool and the affable weekend bartender, Harvey, who spins your head with impressive magic tricks and
top-notch cocktails.
Spend your day: Igota morning hike in at Stough (pronounced “stow”) Canyon, near downtown. The 2.5-mile Old Youth Camp Loop trail takes two hours and climbs several hundred feet before reaching its namesake, a brick chimney and concrete remnants of an old camp building.
A 10-minute drive away is Magnolia Park, a residential neighborhood straddling Magnolia Boulevard, east of Hollywood Way. Grab a French press coffee at Romancing the Bean, a casual hangout owned by Kerry Krull, a Cordon Bleu chef whose grilled cheese of white cheddar, bleu and Taleggio oozing from the edges of homemade walnut bread makes others pale in comparison.
Browse through Pinup Girl Clothing’s line of new, retro-inspired fashions, and don’t miss the funky secondhand boutique Playclothes, frequented by studio wardrobe departments, according to owner Wanda Soileau, whose clothing dressed a few “Mad Men” characters. Junk for Joy is where to nab a “best costume” winner for this year’s Halloween party, while It’s a Wrap has a constant ebb and flow of clothing worn on TV shows such as “Cougar Town,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Anger Management.”
I played tourist on the new Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, which debuted this summer and took me on a scriptto-screen jaunt around the busy back lot and onto working sets of shows such as “Two Broke Girls,” as well as the set of “Friends,” where visitors can sit on the couch at the Central Perk coffee shop.
If you prefer stage over screen, dinner and a comedy show at Flappers is a laugh a mouthful; and the intimate 130-seat Falcon Theatre, opened by director-writer-producer Garry Marshall in the mid-’90s, has performances Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Dining: The apple-sage sausage with mango salsa at Tony’s Darts Away changed my opinion of hot dogs for good. The selection of California craft beers helped. Don’t miss: Carhop service a la the 1950s every Friday and Saturday night from 5 to 10 p.m. at Bob’s Big Boy, Burbank’s beloved burger joint. Don’t bother: With downtown’s generic Town Center Mall. Poke through the independent shops on San Fernando Boulevard instead. Word to the wise: While round cupcakes are all the rage elsewhere, Burbankians swear by their square Tea Cakes from Martino’s Bakery, turning 90 next year.