Vanderpump Rules – IAMNOTASTALKER

July 13, 2018July 12, 2018

TomTom from “Vanderpump Rules”

The Instagram world was set on fire (well, my Instagram world, at least) Wednesday night when the cast of Vanderpump Rules, along with other Bravolebrities and reality TV stars, began posting photos of the DailyMail.com & DailyMailTV Summer Party which took place at TomTom, the highly anticipated new bar venture by husband and wife restauranteurs Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd and their protégés/employees/junior partners Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz. The soirée served as a soft opening for the West Hollywood watering hole (per several sources the official opening won’t take place for three weeks) and I could not have been more excited to see the completed space, which VP fans witnessed the progress of throughout the show’s most recent season. I actually popped by TomTom in mid-May with my friends Kim and Katie, who were in town visiting from Kentucky. Though the site was just a construction zone at the time, it was an absolute thrill to see in person – especially because we wound up running into the entire Vanderpump/Todd family while there and were given a sneak peak at the place’s interior!

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The opening of TomTom has been a project years in the making. Ken first leased the WeHo space that now houses the bar way back in 2015 – without Lisa’s knowledge or consent. At the time, the site was home to an adult boutique named Chi Chi LaRue’s. The couple subsequently rented the place out short term to Showtime Clothing while deciding what they ultimately wanted to do with it. Per various building reports, it seems an eatery named Pinky’s Restaurant was originally going to be established there, but that plan was scrapped in 2016 as the idea for TomTom began to take shape.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the square footage of the TomTom space floating around online. In 2013, a comparable summary report noted the 1935 structure as consisting of 3,360 square feet, but a leasing brochure from 2017 listed it at 1,508. Either way, the property’s useable space has grown considerably since Lisa and Ken acquired it thanks to the addition of an upstairs kitchen area, as well as a large elevated back patio that overlooks West Hollywood Park.

When Vanderpump and Todd took over the site, it was incredibly non-descript – basically just four walls and a ceiling, as you can see here. What it has been transformed into is nothing short of spectacular. I cannot wait to head out there to experience the finished product in person. I was elated to see it all boarded up with black plywood back in May, though, being that it popped up countless times throughout Vanderpump Rules’ sixth season in the same state.

Audiences were actually given their first glimpse of the TomTom space on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, not Vanderpump Rules. In the Season 6 episode titled “Busted BBQ,” which aired in 2016, Ken brings Lisa to tour the site, which he has just leased out. The unique wares and décor of then occupant Chi Chi LaRue’s make transforming the space into a restaurant a bit hard for Lisa to envision. As she approaches the front doors, she says, “I don’t think I want to go in there. There are things in the window that make my eyes water. I’ve got my dark glasses on to protect myself.”

While Ken thinks the site is the perfect prospect for their next culinary venture, Lisa is more interested in some mini whips she finds on the shelves that she wants to bring home to her pet ponies.

The TomTom space does not appear on Vanderpump Rules until the December 2017 Season 6 premiere titled “Masquerade,” in which Sandoval and Schwartz tour the now vacant and gutted site with Lisa and Ken.

Sandoval really dresses the part for the occasion, but, come on, like anyone believes that tape measure is actually going to be used! Nice try, Sandoval.

During their tour, Sandoval gets quite the tongue lashing from Lisa over his negativity, arrogance, and unwanted advice on the venture. As she sarcastically pans, “What were we thinking? Doing 33 restaurants without Tom Sandoval. How the f*ck did we do it?”

The TomTom space is featured in numerous additional episodes throughout the season, including “It’s Not About the Pasta” in which the two Toms attempt to invest some sweat equity in the restaurant. (If only they can figure out how to put on their dust masks!)

It also appears in “Karma’s a Bitch,” in which Sandoval calls Lisa from Vegas to discuss hosting a “progress party” at the site for all of his friends . . .

. . . and “Reiki Breaky Heart,” in which Tom and Tom discuss the upcoming progress party . . .

. . . and Sandoval gets down on one knee, presents Schwartz with a rose gold and diamond “TT” lapel pin, and officially asks him to be his partner in the restaurant, which elicits this speech from Schwartz, “Katie’s my wife in life, but in business Tom is my wife and I’m ready to make that commitment and I hope we have beautiful business babies together.” Those two are so ridiculous, I swear.

The bar site gets its most screen time in the Season 6 finale titled “Welcome to TomTom,” in which the highly anticipated “progress party” takes place.

The space was still very much a work-in-progress at the time. It is truly amazing how far it has come.

As I mentioned above, while we were stalking TomTom, we had the pleasure of running into Ken. He could not have been more gracious and kind and not only posed for a photo with us, but opened up the front door so that we could take a peek inside the bar. Though it was still under construction, its beauty was apparent. As we were glimpsing the interior, a car pulled up out front and Ken informed us that Lisa was inside, but that she was not in the best of spirits as her brother had passed away just days before. We had not been aware of that fact prior to Ken telling us, otherwise we most certainly would not have approached him, let alone ask for a picture. When Lisa walked up, with Pandora in tow, we offered our condolences and she could not have been nicer and even talked with us for a bit before heading inside TomTom. As we ventured away from the bar, excitedly chatting about our good fortune of getting to see the inside of the space and meeting Ken and Lisa, who should walk by but their son, Max! Talk about crazy timing. (And no, we did not approach him, considering the circumstances.)

In another only-in-L.A. moment, minutes after this all took place, our group headed over to the Starbucks across the street (natch) and were floored to run into Jared Haibon from The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise! It was definitely a stellar day for celebrity sightings!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: TomTom, from Vanderpump Rules, is located at 8932 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The bar is not open to the public yet, but per several sources is set to open in about three weeks.

May 23, 2018May 22, 2018

Hotel Normandie from “Vanderpump Rules”

Vanderpump Rules is like a fine wine – it just keeps getting better with age. Six seasons in and the show still hasn’t peaked! Well, in my opinion, at least. Not only do the storylines continually get more and more compelling (and ridiculous – “My boyfriend can hang a TV in under seven minutes. I timed him!”), but the series consistently provides great stalking locations. I recently visited one of its earlier locales, Hotel Normandie, which was the site of a brief, but notable moment during Season 4. I originally learned about the historic lodging back in July 2015 thanks to a Cupcakes and Cashmere blog post that featured the property. Completely taken by the gorgeous detailing visible in the background, I promptly included the place on my To-Stalk List and the Grim Cheaper and I headed out there shortly thereafter. At the time, I did not think the hotel had appeared onscreen, so I did not snap any photos and was shocked to see it pop up just a few weeks later on VR. Though I instantly re-added the site to my To-Stalk List, it was not until last week that I finally made it back out there.

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Hotel Normandie, named for its location on the corner of 6th Street and Normandie Avenue in Koreatown, was originally constructed by architects Albert R. Walker and Percy A. Eisen in 1926.

A newspaper ad from that year described the locale as “a delightful hotel for permanent and semi-permanent guests.”

Decidedly Renaissance Revival in style on the outside . . .

. . . Walker and Eisen gave the interior a Spanish Colonial Revival feel.

Hotel Normandie was popular from the start, becoming especially well-known for its $1 Sunday-night turkey dinners, homemade by culinary supervisor Mrs. H.F. Bruner.

Several notables lived on the premises during the hotel’s early days, including author Malcolm Lowry who penned portions of his 1947 novel Under the Volcano onsite. The work has since been called one of the most influential books of the 20th Century.

In 1964, the property was purchased by hoteliers Paul and Adelaide Stockhammer who completely overhauled the site with a $250,000 modernization.

Sadly, much of the hotel’s original detailing was covered over as a result of the project.

It was not long before the place fell into disrepair. In the ‘80s, the building was transformed into low-income housing and then it later had a short stint as a “pot-tel,” aka a pot-friendly hotel (whatever that is).

Thankfully, in 2011 Jingbo Lou stepped in. The Pasadena-based architect/preservationist was initially introduced to the aging hotel by a realtor relative who brought him in to advise a potential buyer on a possible renovation. The buyer was turned off by the costly rehab estimate Lou provided and stepped away from the deal, at which point Lou turned around and made an offer himself. As a 2015 article in the Commercial Observer notes, the purchase was a labor of love. Reporter Michael Kaplan states, “Why else would an ordinarily rational architect from Pasadena, Calif., buy a 1926 Renaissance-style hotel loaded with drug addicts and prostitutes and situated on a dodgy stretch of downtown Los Angeles’s pre-gentrified Koreatown? The property, after all, had been hanging in foreclosure and was ultimately bailed on by the previous owner.” As Lou explains, though, “When I first walked in and saw the ceiling height, the chandeliers, the columns, a wood-burning fireplace in the lobby, the grandness of it all, I knew it could be something special.” With Jingbo’s guidance, that is exactly what it became.

Embarking upon a massive restoration, which took 3 years to complete at a cost of $5 million, Lou saw to it that the unsightly drywall and carpeting that covered much of the building’s original design elements were removed, the myriad broken windows were replaced, and the original Mansard roof, which had been dismantled in the 1950s, was re-constructed. Stucco that had long since marred the hotel’s exterior brickwork was also extracted – well, for the most part. According to the Los Angeles Conservancy website, the southeast lower-level corner of the structure (visible on the bottom left of my photo below) was left ensconced “as a nod” to the property’s “long history of alterations.”

The reinvigorated space opened to the public in February 2014.

The 4-story property, which is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1013, boasts 91 sleek but comfortable rooms, a large ballroom, meeting space, a gym, and countless retro details throughout.

#barcartgoals, amirite?

Hotel Normandie is also home to four onsite restaurants and lounges, including The Walker Inn, le comptoir, The Normandie Club, and Cassell’s Hamburgers.

The later is an L.A. institution that was originally established by Alvin Cassell in 1948. (Special thanks to my friend Katie for providing the photo below!)

After a change in ownership in the ‘90s, the eatery saw a decline in quality and, subsequently, patronage. The site was eventually shuttered in 2012.

Figuring the Normandie would be the perfect spot to re-establish the historic burger joint, Jingbo partnered with chef Christian Page and opened a re-invigorated version of Cassell’s on the ground floor of the hotel in December 2014.

To ensure the restaurant would be on par with the Cassell’s of Alvin’s day, Jingbo brought in many of the original furnishings, including vintage signage and Al’s former Hobart grinder. He also reverted back to the menu used during the eatery’s early years which featured homemade mayonnaise, fresh produce, and absolutely no French fries because, as Cassell explained to Oui Magazine in 1972, “The more things you do, the less chance there is of reaching perfection.”

Cassell’s Hamburgers was the site of James Kennedy and Lala Kent’s first – and last – date in the Season 4 episode of Vanderpump Rules titled “Cock of the Walk.” Both the outside of Hotel Normandie . . .

. . . and the inside of the restaurant were shown in the episode. During their early evening meal, the duo discuss James’ ex-girlfriend, Kristen Doute, and toast to “making music and babies.” (Insert major eye roll emoji here!) Though the date goes well, Lala calls it quits the very next episode after discovering that James has slept with one of her friends. (He’s such a catch!)

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Hotel Normandie, from the “Cock of the Walk” episode of Vanderpump Rules, is located at 605 Normandie Avenue in Koreatown. You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

November 22, 2017November 22, 2017

Lake Arrowhead’s North Shore Marina Beach from “Vanderpump Rules”

Some television moments are so iconic they cannot be forgotten. A few that are ingrained in my memory for the long haul – Ross and Rachel’s rain-soaked first kiss on Friends, Sam and Diane’s slapping fight on Cheers, Dylan’s epic tantrum (complete with a shattered potted plant) during his first date with Brenda on Beverly Hills, 90210, and Stassi’s discovery that ex-boyfriend Jax has gotten her name tattooed on his arm on Vanderpump Rules. The latter event took place on a beach in Lake Arrowhead, so, as you can imagine, when I ventured out to the mountain hamlet for a quick getaway this past March, stalking it was one of my top priorities. The only problem was that, try as I might, I could not find it anywhere. Not only did I scan aerial views of the lake for hours upon hours looking for the spot, but I also showed screen captures of the tattoo scene to pretty much every local I came across while in town to see if they could identify it – all to no avail. It was not until a few days after I returned home that I finally pinpointed the site of filming as the beach located at the North Shore Marina. Darn Murphy’s Law! Thankfully though, my parents, the Grim Cheaper and I ventured back out to Lake Arrowhead for another visit in late September and, this time, the North Shore Marina beach was my first stop. Well, sort of. Sadly, the vast majority of the area’s coastline, including the stretch that appeared in Vanderpump Rules, is private, so I had to settle for seeing it from afar.

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In the Season 2 episode of Vanderpump Rules titled “Only the Lonely,” Stassi Schroeder and the rest of the Sur gang head out to Lake Arrowhead to attend a Pierce the Arrow (Tom Sandoval’s band) gig. (You can read about the location where the band performed here, as well as about a couple of other sites that appeared in the episode here and here.) Upon arriving in town, the group makes a brief stop at a local beach for some paddle-boarding and sunbathing.

Though not much of the beach was shown in the episode, I was able to discern that it was situated in between a grouping of boat docks . . .

. . . and that there was some sort of two-doored building, which I figured was a public restroom, on the premises.

Though Lake Arrowhead isn’t all that big, the search for the “Only the Lonely” beach proved problematic, mainly due to the fact that overhead views of the region aren’t especially clear from any search engine. After scouring and re-scouring every inch of the area’s shoreline via Google aerials for what seemed like hours, using the layout of the docks and the shape of the shoreline as it appeared in VR as my yardsticks, I finally pinpointed the site as the small beachfront located just north of the Arrowhead Lake Association’s main office at 870 North Highway 173 in the North Shore Marina. Though the beach does not have a name or an exact address, it is situated at the northern end of the marina, at the end of Access Trail 63, adjacent and just north of Peninsula Park, as denoted in the aerial view below.

While the gang is at the beach, Stassi makes the startling discovery that Jax Taylor, whom she broke up with months prior, has just gotten her name tattooed on his arm. Dumbfounded, she immediately asks the question all viewers were thinking at the time, “Why couldn’t you have done this when we were together?” (Instead of getting a bottle service girl pregnant in Vegas, perhaps?) Tom weighs in further, cautioning those at home, “Guys, I’m telling you, do not go out getting your ex-girlfriend’s name tattooed on your arm. Nine out of ten times this leads to a restraining order. Jax just got real lucky on this one.” It should be noted that it was not actually Stassi’s name that Jax immortalized on his bicep. No, he decided to take things one step further by tattooing her signature onto his arm. And yes, he of course covered over the inking not too long after the fact (with a black rose, no less), but not before etching another girlfriend’s name onto his other arm. An FYI for those who don’t watch the show – that relationship didn’t last, either. In fact, less than a month and a half after obtaining that tat, Jax was already looking to have it obscured. As he explained to his tattoo artist, “It’s round two for me on the cover-ups.” Thankfully, Jax switched things up in Season 4 by adding the names of his two BFFs, Tom and Tom, to his forearm. (I so love that he failed to capitalize the “i.” No ragrets!)

I cannot express how badly I wanted to re-create the moment Stassi discovered the tattoo (which was captured so perfectly on film), but because the beach and entire area surrounding it are private, that was not to be.

The site is so removed from public access, in fact, that the view below is pretty much all I saw of it.

For those interested, that view can be seen from the lookout point denoted below, which is situated slightly north of the Arrowhead Lake Association’s main office on Highway 173.

The stalk was not all for naught, though, as we were afforded some gorgeous glimpses of the North Shore Marina.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: North Shore Marina, from the “Only the Lonely” episode of Vanderpump Rules, is located at 870 North Highway 173 in Lake Arrowhead. Though the beach where filming took place does not have an exact address, it can be found at the northern end of the marina, at the end of Access Trail 63, adjacent to and north of Peninsula Park. Please keep in mind that the beach is private and trespassing strictly prohibited, but you can catch a limited glimpse of it from the lookout point situated just north of Arrowhead Lake Association’s main office on Highway 173.

April 21, 2017April 20, 2017

Center Stage from “Vanderpump Rules”

Continuing on with our Vanderpump Rules tour of Lake Arrowhead, the Grim Cheaper and I headed over to Center Stage, the outdoor concert venue where Pierce the Arrow, Tom Sandoval’s band, played in the Season 2 episode titled “Only the Lonely.” Thankfully, this was an easy find and stalk. Not only was the name “Center Stage” shown in the episode, but I knew from my prior visits to the area that the arena was located somewhere in Lake Arrowhead Village, the city’s sprawling lakeside alpine-themed shopping center. Once there, the venue’s large red and blue sign made the place easy to pinpoint.

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Center Stage was originally established in 2003 and, at the time, consisted of a small outdoor stage covered by an overhang. You can check out a photograph of what it looked like in its early days here. In 2005, a new arena was built, this one modeled after the defunct Ye Jester Theatre, an open air arena originally constructed at Lake Arrowhead Village in 1925. You can see a picture of what the Ye Jester looked like while it was still in existence here.

Ye Jester Theatre was sadly demolished, along with all of the original Lake Arrowhead Village buildings (aside from the post office, bank, real estate office, and former dance pavilion, which today houses Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, another Vanderpump Rules locale), in 1979. The year prior, a group of developers had purchased the shopping center and, because many of the storefronts were in a state of decline with outdated piping and wiring, decided to raze it to make way for new, but architecturally similar structures. The entire center was subsequently set ablaze as part of a “burn to learn” exercise conducted by the Lake Arrowhead Fire Protection District and several other government agencies. The Lake Arrowhead Village that stands today was erected in its place shortly thereafter.

Center Stage is mainly utilized during Lake Arrowhead’s Summer Concert Series, which runs each May through September. The concerts, which feature bands from all musical genres, are open to the public and free to attend. Reserved table seating can also be purchased.

The venue also features a beer garden.

In the “Only the Lonely” episode of Vanderpump Rules, Tom and his band are featured at Center Stage as part of the Summer Concert Series.

Their performance softens then girlfriend Kristen Doute’s hostility towards Tom and, despite all the fighting that took place earlier in the episode, Kristen decides all is forgiven. She explains, “Seeing Tom up on stage, it’s just one of those moments that you forget every sh*tty thing you’ve put each other through. And it takes you back to why you started dating to begin with. It reminds me of why I love him so much. There are definitely times that I want to punch Tom in his balls, but right now, in this moment, I want everyone to know that’s my f*cking boyfriend up on that stage!” As I said in my post about Woody’s Boathouse Restaurant, which also appeared in the episode, it’s no surprise that these two didn’t last through the season.

During Pierce the Arrow’s performance, the Sur gang throws women’s underwear at Tom, who is easily the most metrosexual guy to ever grace a TV screen. (He regularly and unabashedly uses a flat iron, goes for spray tans, and shaves his forehead – yes, shaves his forehead!) As Sur manager Peter Madrigal explains, “Tom’s up there wearing women’s hair products, women’s eye liner, women’s pants. Why not throw him some women’s underwear? Maybe he’ll wear those, too.”

Later in the evening, Martha Davis and The Motels performed their 1982 hit “Only the Lonely” at Center Stage, hence the episode’s title.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Center Stage, from the “Only the Lonely” episode of Vanderpump Rules, can be found at the entrance to the Lake Arrowhead Village shopping center, which is located at 28200 CA-189 in Lake Arrowhead. You can check out the line-up for the 2017 Summer Concert Series, as well as purchase reserved seating, here. Woody’s Boathouse Restaurant, which also appeared in the episode, is located in Lake Arrowhead Village, as well, just east of Center Stage. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, another “Only the Lonely” locale, can be found in Building P-100 of the same center. You can visit that eatery’s official website here.

April 19, 2017April 14, 2017

Woody’s Boathouse Restaurant from “Vanderpump Rules”

I had high hopes for a lot of rest, relaxation, and reading during my recent trip to Lake Arrowhead. I wound up doing little else besides shopping and some Vanderpump Rules stalking, though, which, hey, I’m not gonna complain about! One site I did not pinpoint the exact location of prior to actually setting foot in the lakeside city was the eatery where the Sur gang grabbed lunch in the Season 2 episode titled “Only the Lonely.” I recognized from my prior visits to the area that filming of the scene had occurred somewhere in Lake Arrowhead Village, so, armed with screen captures, the Grim Cheaper and I ventured around the sprawling shopping center until we found the right spot. As we soon learned, VR was lensed on the small back patio of Woody’s Boathouse Restaurant, a spot we had actually dined at during one of our previous trips! I failed to recognize the place, though, because that particular visit took place during the winter (there was even snow on the ground!), so we dined indoors and did not even realize that the eatery had a back patio.

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In “Only the Lonely,” Stassi Schroeder, Jax Taylor, et al. travelled to Lake Arrowhead to attend Tom Sandoval’s band’s show. Their first night in town, during which the gang grabbed drinks at Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina (I blogged about that site here), was a bit rocky, with Tom and then girlfriend Kristen Doute arguing – initially over whether or not Tom regularly wore his steampunk glasses and then later over the fact that Kristen wouldn’t let Tom kiss her goodnight. (It came as such a shock when their relationship ended a few episodes later! Winking smile ) The following day, Tom, Kristen and the rest of the (very hung-over) group discussed the fight and its fallout over lunch – and more drinks (because, duh!) – at Woody’s.

During the debriefing, Tom, of course, cried – or, as he described it, “shed some man tears” – and all was forgiven. For the time being, at least. (And yes, I realize what an idiot I must be coming off as for being a fan of this show! Trust me, though, it’s highly addicting.)

In person, the Woody’s Boathouse patio looks much the same as it did onscreen.

Though the patio was accessible, sadly, dining there was not possible during our visit due to the cold weather.

We did get to enjoy some of its incredible views for a moment, though.

Woody’s Boathouse Restaurant is situated directly overlooking Lake Arrowhead, so the entire eatery boasts some pretty stellar vistas.

I mean, come on!

After finishing their lunch/drinks on Vanderpump Rules, Jax and Stassi took a walk together on the dock in front of Woody’s and discussed the fact that, despite being broken up for over a year, Jax had just tattooed Stassi’s name onto his arm. (Again, the fact that I admit to religiously watching this show can’t be making me look too good right now.)

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Woody’s Boathouse Restaurant, from the “Only the Lonely” episode of Vanderpump Rules, is located in the Lake Arrowhead Village shopping center at 28200 CA-189 in Lake Arrowhead. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, which was also featured in the episode, is located in Building P-100 of the same center. You can visit that eatery’s official website here.

April 10, 2017April 20, 2017

Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina from "Vanderpump Rules"

It has been hot in Palm Springs lately. Granted, it is always hot here, but the past few months have been unseasonably sweltering. Two weeks ago, my parents, the Grim Cheaper and I decided to chill out a bit by heading to Lake Arrowhead for a short getaway. Just prior to our trip, the GC and I started watching Vanderpump Rules over again from the beginning and, as fate would have it, one of the reality series’ Season 2 episodes was shot in the mountain town, which is located about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. So I, of course, had to get in some VP stalking while I was there.

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In Season 2’s “Only the Lonely,” Stassi Schroeder, Jax Taylor, and the rest of the Sur gang journeyed to Lake Arrowhead for the weekend to catch Tom Sandoval’s band’s show. Several area sites appeared in the episode and I stalked pretty much all of them, excluding the beach where Jax showed Stassi his new tattoo, which I maddeningly did not manage to track down until after I had already returned home.

One of the most prominent locales featured was the Lake Arrowhead Village eatery Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, where the group headed for drinks shortly after arriving in town. So the GC and I, of course, had to do the same!

During their visit, Stassi and co. hung out mainly in the restaurant’s bar area.

Drama, of course, ensued while there, as it always does with the Sur gang. During this particular venture, Sandoval and then girlfriend Kristen Doute got into a heated dustup over whether or not Tom wore his pair of steampunk glasses regularly. I’m not joking – that is actually what their fight was about. Ah, the important things in life. The girls wound up splitting off from the guys during the argument and both genders gave Sandoval and Kristen the same advice – break up, and fast!

Our lunch at Papagayos was much less eventful. (The GC does not own a pair of steampunk glasses, so what was there to fight about, really?)

Like the Vanderpump gang, we ate in the bar area and I can honestly say that the eatery served up one of the best Mexican meals I’ve ever had.

It’s no wonder the place was absolutely jam-packed, even though it was 3 p.m. on a Saturday.

If you’re in the area, I cannot recommend Papagayos more.

The building housing the eatery has quite an interesting history. Lake Arrowhead Village was the brainchild of the Arrowhead Lake Company, an L.A.-based development group that purchased a 4,800-acre plot in the San Bernardino Mountains in 1920 with the intention of turning it into a resort town. Roadwork, 3 hotels, a 9-hole golf course, and a quaint Norman-style shopping center named Lake Arrowhead Village were soon completed at the sprawling site. The center consisted of boutiques, an outdoor movie theatre, restaurants, a beach, and a 12-sided dance pavilion that was designed by McNeal Swasey. The lakeside town quickly became a getaway for Hollywood’s elite, attracting such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Jules Stein, Cary Grant, Charlie Chaplin, Doris Day, Liberace, Frankie Avalon, and Rock Hudson.

By the late ‘70s, the Village had fallen into a state of decline. When new developers purchased it in 1978, they decided it would be more cost-effective to demolish the center and build a new one in its place, rather than do repairs. So in 1979, Lake Arrowhead Village was burned to the ground as part of a “burn to learn” exercise conducted by the Lake Arrowhead Fire Protection District and a few other city agencies. Only a couple of the site’s original buildings were kept out of the blaze, including the post office, the bank, a real estate office, and the circular dance pavilion. The later was restored and revitalized and today houses Papagayos, as well as a few other shops. You can see a photograph of the exterior of the pavilion in its original state here and here, and an image of the interior here.

According to More Magnificent Mountain Movies, the pavilion was featured prominently in A Swingin’ Summer. I scanned through the 1965 film, though, and the venue said to be the dance pavilion in it is the single-story outdoor bandstand pictured below, which I believe may have been a set created for the shoot. It looks nothing like the Village’s actual dance pavilion, which, from what I saw, never made an appearance in the movie.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Papagayos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, from the “Only the Lonely” episode of Vanderpump Rules, is located at 28200 Highway 189, Building P-100, in Lake Arrowhead. You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

April 1, 2016March 31, 2016

My Latest Mike the Fanboy Article – About Sur Restaurant

Be sure to check out my latest article for Mike the Fanboy, about my best advice for having a Vanderpump Rules experience. You can read it here.

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015

The Pink Motel from “Vanderpump Rules”

The latest season of Vanderpump Rules might have been the most epic yet. With Stassi Schroeder making only occasional appearances, I had a fear that the show was going to lose all of its allure and most of its steam, but that was not the case. Kristen Doute brought the crazy like never before and the fact that Ariana Madix had a larger role made Scheana Marie’s onscreen time almost bearable. I loved pretty much every second of Season 3, especially the ‘50s-style photo shoot that took place in the final episode, which was titled “Dethroned.” The photo shoot was held at the Pink Motel, a historic locale that I had the pleasure of stalking back in June 2012.

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The Pink Motel was constructed by a Pennsylvania native named Joseph Thomulka on San Fernando Road in Sun Valley in 1946.

According to a 1990 Los Angeles Times article, Joseph painted the 20-room property bright pink so that it would “get noticed.” In the piece, his son Monty Thomulka says, “He was driving out here from Philadelphia, coming cross the middle states, looking at motels. He wanted something that people would remember.”

Joseph built a small diner, also painted a rose hue, on the site in 1949 and dubbed it the “Pink Café.”

At the time that the Pink Motel and Pink Café were built, San Fernando Road was a bustling thoroughfare that lead from Los Angeles to Santa Clarita. The construction of Interstate 5 changed all of that, though, and while the hotel and restaurant continued to operate for several decades, it was at a much slower pace.

Monty took over the property from his parents in 1969 and still runs it to this day. Operating both a hotel and a restaurant proved to be too much work, though, and he found that he could make more money renting the diner out solely for filming. So he closed the Pink Café to patrons in 1989. Today, the eatery, renamed Cadillac Jack’s, sits frozen in time – ketchup, mustard bottles and table settings in place at each seat – waiting for its next close-up. The Pink Motel continued to operate as a hotel for many years, but it, too, is now available solely for filming. An average of sixty shoots take place on the premises each year!

When we visited the property in 2012, the caretaker happened to spot us taking pictures through the windows of Cadillac Jack’s and, amused at my excitement over seeing the place in person, asked if we wanted to come inside. My answer was a resounding yes! (The photographs below were taken by Mike, from MovieShotsLA. He, too, was invited inside the diner to snap some pictures when he visited the place and was kind enough to share them with me.)

I cannot even describe how cool it was to be able to tour Cadillac Jack’s interior and stand in the footsteps of so many past filmings!

The Pink Motel and Cadillac Jack’s were featured extensively in the Vanderpump Rules “Dethroned” episode.

The shoot made use of pretty much every square inch of the property, including the hotel’s swimming pool which was added to the site in 1959.

The motel’s usual pool, which is fish-shaped, was featured in the 1987 skateboarding movie The Search for Animal Chin and subsequently became a popular destination for skateboarders. Since the motel ceased operations, the pool has been left drained and is now rented regularly for skating events. It is also often utilized for film and photo shoots in its dry state, as was the case with Vanderpump Rules.

You can check out the images from the Vanderpump Rules photo shoot here.

Cataloging all of the Pink Motel and Cadillac Jack’s onscreen appearances would be virtually impossible, but I will list of few of the highlights. In 1974, the site popped up in the Season 1 episode of The Rockford Files titled, “Caledonia – It’s Worth a Fortune!” as the spot where Leonard Blair (Richard Schaal) got beat up.

In 1982’s Grease 2, Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield) tutored Stephanie Zinone (Michelle Pfeiffer) over a hamburger (with extra ketchup!) at Cadillac Jack’s.

The Pink Hotel was used in the Season 7 episode of MacGyver titled “The ‘Hood,” which aired in 1991, as the spot where Kelly Dobbs (Nancy Sloan) was held captive.

Mary Anne Spier (Rachael Leigh Cook), Dawn Schafer (Larisa Oleynik) and the gang hung out at Cadillac Jack’s in the 1995 movie The Baby-Sitters Club.

The eatery was used extensively in Mandy Moore’s 1999 “Candy” music video. Both the exterior . . .

. . . and the interior of the property appeared in the video.

And I, of course, just had to pose for a picture in the booth where Mandy sat in “Candy.”

The pool was also used in the shoot.

In the 2004 comedy The Whole Ten Yards, Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis), Oz (Matthew Perry) and Jill (Amanda Peet) grab a bite to eat at Cadillac Jack’s, which is said to be located in Oceanside. While there, Jimmy knocks out a rude patron and teaches the patron’s son a little lesson about manners.

In a later scene, the trio check into the Pink Hotel along with a gangster they have kidnapped.

In the Season 2 episode of fave show The O.C. titled “The Rainy Day Women,” which aired in 2005, Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) and his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Bloom (Kim Delaney) got stranded for a night at the Pink Motel.

In 2006, the motel was where Off. Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) and Sgt. Angel Batista (David Zayas) tracked down Ice Truck Killer imitator Neil Perry (Sam Witwer) in the Season 1 episode of Dexter titled “Circle of Friends.”

The Dexter crew returned to the Pink Motel in 2013 to shoot Season 8’s “A Beautiful Day,” in which Debra hides out at the property with Andrew Briggs (Rhys Coiro).

At the end of the 2008 comedy The House Bunny, Shelley Darlingson (Anna Faris) did a photo shoot for Playboy at the Pink Motel.

Cadillac Jack’s was used throughout the music video for CeeLo Green’s hit 2010 song “F**k You”/”Forget You.”

You can watch the “Forget You” version of the video by clicking below.

The first season of the 2010 television series The Booth at the End was shot extensively at Cadillac Jack’s.

In the 2011 flick Drive, Driver (Ryan Gosling) and Blanche (Christina Hendricks) hide out at the Pink Motel. Only the interior of one of the rooms appeared onscreen, though. Director Nicolas Winding Refn says in a Movieline article, “The motel was hard, because so much action goes on. It was called the Pink Motel, which has been used in a lot of movies. But I really liked the motel rooms, so I decided not to do any exterior shots so nobody could know where we were actually shooting. It’s a very classic old hotel, it looks like something from the ’50s or ’60s. The day we shot there, which was the first time we shot anything, was the hottest day in L.A., so it was pretty unbearable. I was told afterwards [that the Valley is hot], nobody told me about it!”

Cutie Matt Bomer did a photo shoot for a 2012 issue of GQ Italia at the diner.

In 2014, the pool was used for Major Crimes’ Season 3 promo shots. For whatever reason, though, a different motel was superimposed into the background of the finalized images.

I actually never would have figured this one out had it not been for Phillip P. Keene, who plays camera tech Buzz Watson on the series. I randomly spotted Phillip shopping at the J.Crew in Pasadena last August. I did not approach him, though, as I already had a photograph with him and do not like approaching actors inside of stores. Well, about an hour later, I literally almost kicked myself over the whole thing. I had been trying to track down the motel from the Major Crimes promo shots ever since they had been released and realized I could have asked Phillip if he remembered the location! So I immediately tweeted him and, miraculously, not only did he respond, but he started following me!

The Season 5 episode of Dance Moms titled “Wild Wild West Coast, Part 2,” in which the Abby Lee Dance Company girls shot a music video for the MattyB song “Turn Up the Track,” took place at Cadillac Jack’s and the Pink Motel.

The interior of Cadillac Jack’s was also featured in the video.

You can watch the “Turn Up the Track” video by clicking below.

The property was also featured in The House of Sand and Fog, High Road, and Pirates of Silicon Valley, as well as in episodes of Columbo, Las Vegas, Highway to Heaven, Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order, and Simon & Simon.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.

Big THANK YOU to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for sharing some of his photos with me for this post! Smile

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Pink Motel and Cadillac Jack’s from Vanderpump Rules is located at 9457 San Fernando Road in Sun Valley. You can visit the property’s official website here.

June 30, 2014July 21, 2014

Sur from “Vanderpump Rules”

Last November, the Grim Cheaper and I became obsessed with the Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules. Like obsessed. We binge-watched the entire first season in about two days. For those who have not seen the show, it centers around West Hollywood eatery Sur (which is co-owned by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump) and its drama-fueled staff. And yes, as strange as it may seem, said staff does actually work onsite at the restaurant. If you stalk the place, you will see them. Naturally, the first words out of my mouth upon realizing this fact was, “We have to go to dinner there!”

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Wrongly assuming that Sur would be exorbitantly expensive (as it turns out, the place is completely affordable), I told the GC that the only thing I wanted for my birthday in June was dinner there. When he found out that my good friends Lavonna, Kim, Katie and Kaylee would be in town on my big day, he included them in on his plans and promptly made reservations (eight months in advance!) as a surprise for me. Yep, he’s a keeper!

To say that we had a blast would be an understatement. The evening honestly could not have turned out more perfect or more fun, as evidenced by the picture below.

Prior to doing research for this post, I was under the impression that Sur was a relatively new restaurant. Come to find out, the place has actually been around since 1998! It was originally founded in January of that year by Argentinian chef Guillermo Zapata.

It was not until 2005 that Guillermo brought in Lisa and her husband, Ken Todd, as partners. The eatery was then expanded and revamped with Lisa’s special touch shortly thereafter. The result is nothing short of spectacular!

Everywhere one looks, there is something new and fabulous to discover – from unique chandeliers to vintage mirrors to repurposed doors and windows used as wall hangings. It is worth a trip to Sur just to check out the interior design alone!

When the property next door to Sur became available in 2011, Lisa jumped at the chance to purchase it. She transformed the 2,500-square-foot space into what is now Sur Lounge. It was there that we started off our evening. We arrived on the scene about twenty minutes prior to our reservation time and were informed that we could either be seated immediately or grab a drink in the lounge first.

Upon deciding to grab a cocktail, the host, Adam, informed us that we were welcome to take our time and to just let him know when we were ready to be seated. How incredibly nice is that? (That’s Adam pictured below. While not a Vanderpump Rules cast member, he is a Wilhelmina model, so we had to get a picture with him!) Amazingly, everyone at Sur was beyond nice! The place had zero hoity-toity attitude and all of the staff we encountered went above and beyond to make our evening special. And believe me, the way we were carrying on and running around the place (we were absolutely ridiculous as you will come to see in later pictures), they would have had every right to be annoyed. Instead they bent over backwards to make our evening special! We were treated as if we were VIPs and we loved absolutely every minute of it!

Sur Lounge is like a dream world!

The courtyard area is especially stunning and does not look like part of a restaurant at all, but like the backyard of your hippest, classiest friend.

The interior of Sur Lounge is just as beautiful, with private seating spaces and vintage décor tucked into every nook and cranny.

Of the design, Lisa said in a 2011 The Hollywood Reporter interview, “I took a bit from here, a bit from there. There are some industrial elements mixed with little velvet mushroom stools that I had made. Huge, extra-long leather Chesterfields. Lots of plants. Things I’ve bought during my travels and brought in. I was looking for an eclectic feeling. Is it Vietnamese? Balinese? French? I wanted you to not be able to put your finger on it.”

After enjoying Happy Hour cocktails (the prices were amazingly low!), we headed to our table and shortly thereafter saw Guillermo. Because he regularly appears on Vanderpump Rules, we had to get a picture with him. After we did, the woman sitting at the table next to us also asked him for a photo. As it turns out, she, too, was dining at Sur because of her love for Vanderpump Rules. She said to us at one point, “I am so glad that I am sitting next to you guys, otherwise I wouldn’t know what I was doing!” To which I responded, “Oh honey! You don’t know how lucky you are! We are the ultimate stalkers!” Winking smile

Prior to ordering, I sent Lavonna – and her thick Southern accent – to speak with a man standing near Sur’s entrance. (I assumed he was a manager and never did actually find out his job title.) Lavonna explained to him that she, Kim, Kaylee and Katie had come from out of town to celebrate my birthday and that we were all huge Vanderpump Rules fans. Well, from that point forward, the man, whom we found out was named Ali, pretty much became our personal guide. He helped us get photographs with the cast, took us around the restaurant and gave us info on the filming that was going to be taking place there later that night. He was absolutely amazing and our evening would not have been nearly as fun without him! (That’s Ali pictured below.)

One place that we were all desperate to see was the back alley where the Vanderpump Rules cast is often shown taking smoking breaks – and creating massive drama. When we told Ali, he marched us right through the rear employee-only areas (which we had seen on the show!) to take us there and, let me tell you, we were pretty much dying the whole time!

That’s me and Kim re-living some Rules drama.

While we were outside, Lavonna happened to spot a film crew sitting in a van nearby, so she rushed right up to ask them some questions. That’s one of the camera guys below. He was quite amused at how excited we were and when we mentioned some of the intel that Ali had told us about the filming that was taking place there that night, he said, “You guys know more about our schedule than I do!” Yep, that’s how we roll!

A little bit later, while we were ordering our meal (we still had not yet ordered any food at that time!), Ali informed us that Jax had just arrived on the scene, so we all rushed over to get photos with him. Jax was very nice at that point in the evening, but when we encountered him again a few hours later he was rather douchey, which came as a surprise to no one. Winking smile

We also met Scheana Marie;

a new cast member named Rachel;

Tom Sandoval;

and Katie Maloney, all of whom were very nice. I did not get to meet my favorite cast member Stassi Schroeder, because she, sadly, left the show at the end of last season and currently resides in New York.

I should mention here that the poor GC spent most of the evening sitting at our table by himself, while we ran around taking pictures. The crap that my poor husband has to put up with! Thankfully though, the meal was exceptional! And completely affordable! I opted for the Crispy Chicken Breast (which Stassi had stated in an episode was her favorite menu item) and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD.

I cannot more highly recommend stalking Sur! We had such an incredible night there and it turned out to be the best birthday present I could have asked for! A big, HUGE THANK YOU to the GC, Lavonna, Kim, Katie and Kaylee for making it all happen!

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Sur, from Vanderpump Rules, is located at 606 North Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. Lisa’s newest restaurant, Pump Lounge, is located just around the corner at 8948 Santa Monica Boulevard.