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Hadley Meares

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Hadley Meares is a writer, historian, and singer who traded one Southland (her home state of North Carolina) for another. She is a frequent contributor to Curbed and Atlas Obscura, and leads historical tours all around Los Angeles for Obscura Society LA.  Her debut novel, "Absolutely," is now available on Amazon.

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L.A.'s first outdoor mall was born out of a sordid murder mystery inside an ivy covered bungalow in the middle of Hollywood.
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Before pigeons turned his statue white, the storied composer stood in L.A.'s oldest park with dignity.
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A sign in Echo Park is a symbol of the building's multi-purpose past, its multi-cultural present and its multi-faceted founder.
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LAPD's second ever female officer founded halfway homes for lost women and children, paving the way for programs for at-risk youths and adults throughout Los Angeles.
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The carcass of a long dismantled metal sign at Runyon Canyon Park reminder of the history that may or may not have happened right next door.
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A dilapidated sign near Griffith Park is a reminder of the former grandeur of the neighborhood of Westlake.
Photo courtesy The Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Bullock's Wilshire was the showpiece of the Bullock's department store chain, and the tea room was the crown jewel.
Images courtesy the Los Angeles Public Library
The glitz of Las Vegas was all inspired by one Los Angeles supper club.
A restaurant postcard from the 1940s
Call Mama Weiss Los Angeles' first pop-up impresario.
Photo via Flickr user Alan Light
Chasen's was the hottest restaurant in town for decades: Shirley Temple and Donna Summer both made history there, 40 years apart.
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