Dear valued patrons, It is with a heavy heart that we announce the permanent closure of the Magic Lamp Inn. Many of you have been loyal guests and we thank you for your support throughout the years. Unfortunately, due to the challenging circumstances brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have been unable to sustain our operations. Despite our best efforts, the financial burden became insurmountable, and we have had to make the difficult decision to close our doors permanently. The Magic Lamp Inn has been a beloved establishment in our community for over three decades. We have cherished the memories created within these walls and the friendships that have blossomed among our staff and patrons alike.

Anabella Hotel near Disneyland closes; developer to begin construction on four-diamond resort in September

The last guests of the Anabella Hotel checked out Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Soon the Mission-style hotel next to the Anaheim Convention Center will be torn down and construction is expected to start in mid-September on a luxury resort.

“It’s a bittersweet moment for me,” Councilwoman Lucille Kring said at a small breakfast send-off. “I’ve always considered this as a hidden treasure, but I know the four diamond that is going to be built here will be superb.”

FJS, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Wincome Group, is planning the yet-to-be branded hotel to meet AAA’s definition of a four-diamond property.

The Wincome Group filed plans this week to tear down the Anabella Hotel and purchase 1.8 acres of adjacent city-owned property to build a $225 million luxury hotel next door to the Anaheim Convention Cente. Construction as soon as 2018 on the 634-room hotel.

The Wincome Group filed plans this week to tear down the Anabella Hotel and purchase 1.8 acres of adjacent city-owned property to build a $225 million luxury hotel next door to the Anaheim Convention Cente. Construction as soon as 2018 on the 634-room hotel.

The Anabella Hotel at 1030 W. Katella Ave., will close sometime in mid-August and be replaced with a 600-room hotel. (File photo by Sam Gangwer, The Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Anabella Hotel at 1030 W. Katella is one of the sites in Anaheim planned for new luxury hotels. The hotel, on Katella Avenue adjacent to the Anaheim Convention Center and across the street from Disneyland Resort, will close sometime in mid-August and be replaced with a 600-room hotel.

The $220 million project is one of three luxury hotels the city approved in exchange for a tax reimbursement to the developers.

To spur the expansion of higher-end accommodations in Anaheim’s Resort District, the City Council last year approved two projects for Wincome and another for The Walt Disney Co., for which the companies will receive back 70 percent of the transient-occupancy tax guests pay at the new hotels for 20 years. Visitors in Anaheim pay a 15 percent bed tax.

The city has only two four-diamond properties, The Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel.

The city estimates Wincome’s projects replacing the Anabella and the Anaheim Plaza on Harbor Boulevard and Disney’s new 700-room hotel proposal in the parking lot of Downtown Disney will receive about $550 million in reimbursements over the next two decades.

“We feel that Anaheim is ready for a luxury, four-diamond, substantial property that will keep the city on the map,” said Paul Sanford, asset manager for Wincome. “We’ve seen developments in Los Angeles, San Diego. We have to be aggressive and keep up with those other destinations.”

In 1998, Wincome purchased what was then a collection of motels on Katella Avenue: the Magic Lamp, the Magic Carpet and Golden Forest Inn. The company renovated the sites and turned them into the 7.5-acre, 358-room Anabella in 2001 around the same time Disney California Adventure opened.

The new luxury hotel will feature 634 rooms, meeting spaces, restaurants, a pool, a spa and 30,400-square-feet of storefronts lining Katella Avenue. Sanford said he expects it to open in 2020.

The timing for the project is good now, Sanford said. The 200,000-square-foot expansion of the Convention Center will be completed by September and Disneyland’s “Star Wars” land, Galaxy’s Edge, is slated for opening in 2019.

The development, though, does face an obstacle. A union battling the developer successfully petitioned to put a referendum to pull the development agreement between the city and Wincome on the November 2018 ballot. If the referendum is successful, Wincome would still receive the tax reimbursements, however it could face challenges with entitlements and pulling permits.

“We feel confident that the residents will see this property as a benefit,” Sanford said of the ballot measure.

Sanford said the company has yet to discuss plans for closing the Anaheim Plaza for the luxury hotel planned at that property.

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Could Congress bring back kicks to Route 66? These Southern California boosters hope so

DUARTE >> The route has been dubbed the “Main Street of America.” Cultivated by a car culture synonymous with western wanderlust. Immortalized by a 1940s rhythm and blues hit as a place where you can “get your kicks.”

Now, Route 66, the road from Chicago to Los Angeles built in 1926 before the advance of the interstate highway, may become the first road to be established by Congress as a National Historic Trail.

Under two bipartisan bills introduced this week by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte, and two Illinois Republicans, Reps. Rodney Davis and Darin LaHood, the status of the Mother Road, as coined by John Steinbeck, would be permanently etched in the history books and would receive a steady funding stream for preservation, rehabilitation and promotion.

A second bill would begin planning the route’s 100-year anniversary in 2026 by establishing a 19-member commission to coordinate activities, celebrations and ceremonies.

“Think of it as a national park but in a linear community,” said Scott Piotrowski, secretary of the California Historic Route 66 Association. He also described a series of events, signage and celebrations that could happen with the new designation and funding for the 2,278-mile road passing through eight states.

In San Bernardino County, Route 66 runs from Needles to Barstow, then to Victorville and through the Cajon Pass, before entering into San Bernardino, along Cajon Boulevard and Mt. Vernon Avenue. At Foothill Boulevard (Fifth Street), Route 66 turned and continued west.

Piotrowski, who lives in Glendale, is also executive director of Highway Journeys and a board member of the Route 66 Road Ahead Initiative.

Though extremely knowledgeable about the entire Route 66, Piotrowski sees the two bills as a way to re-direct focus on the route’s forgotten California segments.

“In Southern California, we are losing out on tourism dollars on Route 66. The vast majority pretty much ignores the road from San Bernardino to Santa Monica,” he said.

The recognition would be a boon for San Bernardino, known for being name-checked in the iconic “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” song and the Route 66-themed car show that’s brought hundreds of thousands of tourists over the years, said Judi Penman, president and CEO of the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It can only bring more attention to our city,” Penman said. “I appreciate all the efforts to keep that highway alive and kicking.”

The fabled road passed by such landmarks as Mitla Cafe and the Wigwam Motel, both in San Bernardino, and Bono’s Restaurant in Fontana, a landmark delicatessen and restaurant since 1936, before heading further west.

On Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga — some of the oldest sections of Route 66 — two restaurants honor the road’s legacy: Magic Lamp Inn and the Sycamore Inn, the latter existing when Route 66 was a dirt road.

In the San Gabriel Valley, it follows along Foothill Boulevard, Huntington Drive, Colorado Boulevard and the historic Arroyo Seco Parkway (110 Freeway).

Claudia Heller, a Duarte historian and co-author with her husband, Alan, of “Life on Route 66: Personal Accounts Along the Mother Road to California,” sadly remembers all those original restaurants on Huntington Drive that have disappeared. Even the Duarte Route 66 Parade, which ran from 1995 to 2015, did not take place last year.

“I’ve been pushing for restaurants to put up Route 66 signs,” she said, but many don’t understand the historical significance. She’s asking the Duarte City Council to erect a sign at Mount Olive and Huntington drives that says “entering historic Route 66.”

In Glendora, historic Alosta Avenue was renamed Route 66 in 2003. Piotrowski fondly points to Flappy Jack’s, The Golden Spur and The Donut Man as thriving incarnations of the freewheeling American spirit fostered by the roadway.

In Pasadena, the route includes famous Colorado Boulevard. “In fact, you could say the longest running Route 66 parade is the Rose Parade,” Piotrowski said. Though technically not on the route, Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Highland Park, which sells 700 varieties of unusual sodas and beverages from bygone eras, is an example of the “fabric of Route 66 culture.” The store spurred a replica on Route 66 in Oklahoma called Pops, he said.

Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in South Pasadena is a popular place where patrons enjoy nostalgic thirst-quenchers such as cherry rickeys and phosphates.

However, the most famous Route 66 motels and down-home eateries are found in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, according to the website Route 66 News.

Piotrowski believes the two bills can generate commerce and more tourism geared toward the “idiosyncratic nature of the highway” even in Southern California, where big-box stores and banal fast-food chains are wiping out kitsch and originality.

“The bills may help people find the road in Los Angeles, where mom-and-pops don’t even know their business is on the road. It would give them a better opportunity to tap into that market, create more economic impact and more dollars spent in the L.A. region,” Piotrowski said.

Ironically, a road that brought soldiers to the West Coast and back during World War II and jobs to unemployed workers during the Great Depression is more often explored by foreign tourists than Americans, he said.

“International travelers come to spend a night in a hotel that gives them a unique experience,” Piotrowski said. “They want to eat food from a restaurant cooked by a person who lives around the corner.”

Even if the two bills can’t restore Route 66’s charm, the series of byroads that connect through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois are worth preserving as a reminder of America’s growth, and in Southern California as homage to a car culture that defined freedom, Piotrowski said.

“As we look to the future of driverless vehicles, the experience on the road will change. But to be able to have that nostalgic experience that so many people are trying to find — that is something worth saving,” Piotrowski said.

Staff Writer Ryan Hagen contributed to this report.

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Orange County Memories

Anonymous writes of some old restaurants in Orange County that perhaps no longer exist.

This is a great web site! I'm always remembering old restaurants in Orange County that bit the dust years ago. What a time trip!

During the 1960s and 1970s, one of my favorite restaurants was Kono Hawaii. My most vivid memories of that place were the entertainment and the delicious ginger salad dressing. Actually everything they served was of impeccable quality, including the Mai Tais!

In the late 1970s, all the employees at Ford Aerospace would trek over to the Gorda Liz Restaurant in Newport Beach for lunch. I was sad to hear about it's closing. That was truly a one-of-a-kind place! Another popular restaurant with the Ford crowd was Isidore's in Newport Beach on Pacific Coast Hwy. I remember that their buffet was pretty good.

One restaurant no one here mentioned is the old Ricky Rickshaw Chinese restaurant near John Wayne Airport circa mid- to late 1970s. They had a fantastic Chinese chicken salad, and their chicken curry was good, too!

El Paso Cantina on Harbor & Adams had a wonderful chicken enchilada with verde sauce, and my husband still mourns the loss of those perfect flour tortilla chips they would serve with the salsa!

I often went to Baxter's on Walnut Avenue and Culver during the 1980s. I always ordered the "Parisian Picnic," which was a Caesar salad with fried brie, along with Baxter's special sweet bread. (This is making me salivate!)

Over the decades, I've also missed Seafood Broiler, Belgian Waffle, and Jolly Roger.

Mama Cozza's and Salvatore's were mentioned in here, and I remember those as being outstanding restaurants. I remember that Salvatore's would give you food for an army!

Carls Jr. is still with us, but do you remember that Italian baked potato they used to serve at the South Coast Plaza store in the late 1970s? They would mash up the potato, adding butter. Then they would top it with marinara sauce, black olives, green onions, and Italian sausage rounds. Too bad they stopped serving those, but of course, I had to invent my own!

I can add to that list, the original BJ's Pizzeria, on 17th street in Santa Ana, just a block east of Bristol. We used to eat there in the early 1980s. It was the first restaurant in the current BJ's Restaurant and Brewery. That location is no longer there, but they used to have red & white checkered table cloths, and saw dust all over the floor.

Of course, who can't remember The Barn, on Red Hill Ave and Edinger in Tustin?

168 comments:

I grew up near Buena Park's north border. There was an Italian restaurant named Mario's on Beach north of Rosecrans. I went there with my parents in the mid-60's to early 70's I guess it's gone now. Also the various locations of Love's BBQ. I also liked the Tastee-freezes with the separate sides for ice cream and hot food. We went fairly often to the A&W on Orangethorpe near Knott Ave. Reply Delete

Mandarin Gourmet on Harbor & Adams was the bomb. The Aromatic Shrimp was amazing. To bad it's gone. Delete

My family owned the Phillips 66 station in front of the Mayfair about the same time. We ate at Mario's fairly often, and I ate all the time at the Tastee Freez. I checked not long ago and Mario's had just closed. Delete

Did anyone go to Beno's Donuts on Tustin in Orange. They had the greatest donuts - and I worked there in 1962 - 1963. When I visited in summer of 1972 (after moving away) I went to visit. They had moved to a building across the street and I think they offered snadwiches too. Pete Beno made the best whipped cream filled chocolate long johns, and the best glazed donuts. And also a cinnamon crumb topped cake donut. I must have gained 20 lbs while working there. Reply Delete

I remember as a kid going to the San Pan (sp?) chinese restaurant in Garden Grove. The had a show there where there was hula dancing. I remember my grandfather being pulled up on stage to dance. Lots of fun. Reply Delete

I remember Johnny Adamo who was a very pleasant man with, a lot of class, who made his customers feel special in his restaurant and lounge. Delete

Does anyone remember "The Burger Chateau", a little burger place at the corner of Harbor and I think, Dale, in Costa Mesa, circa 1960.

I have a vague memory of walking there with my mother and also that it burned down twice. After the second fire, it was never rebuilt. Reply Delete

In the early 1970's, our usual sunday morning ritual was breakfast at STEPP'S COFFEE SHOP. I think it was on a corner on Lincoln Ave. My mom and dad would have a booth of their own. My sister and brother and myself would sit at another booth. This was my folks way of having a "date" without getting a sitter. Reply Delete

Mmmmmm, the Glid'err Inn; cool interior with the old wooden phonebooths inside, great clam chowder, deep fried oysters, and their delicious parslied potatoes! How about the ORIGINAL Knowlwood, back when it was all alone on Imperial; the gravel underfoot, the delicious burgers and ham sandwiches, the cooler holding the soft drinks. That was a big summer night out for my family!
More recently, Sid's steakhouse off Newport Blvd, no sign out front, CHEAP good steaks, and brown sugar carrots. yum! Reply Delete

our family gathering every sunday night at o,garitys irish rest.pos. in bauna park.o great times in the seventies. Reply Delete

any one remember la cocina mex. rest on manchester or jerrys bar b que next to the five fwy.near the(now gone) nabisco plant.gone but will never forget!both were in buena park Reply Delete

O'garity's rest on Lincoln just west of Beach was built and owned by Lou and Dolly O'garity who lived on San Martin Way. They had two sons, Jerry and Richard who both worked as hosts while attending Western High School in the early 60s. They eventually moved to So. Oregon.
Jerry's BBQ was a a staple. The open pit BBQ in the dining room gave the place an authentic feel. They always made a big deal out of their
"Wood Pit BBQ" but if you looked they always had the same two fake logs under the spit.I never saw a real piece of wood in there. They still made a fine sandwich though. Before the Nabisco Plant was built, a huge mountain of dirt was built up on the sight and remained there a year before the plant was actually built. We always figured it had to do with compacting the ground for a good foundation. The plant was quite a large structure. One of the roads just west of the plant was a common place for street racers in the seventies. Ford pre-delivery was back there and most of the young guys working there were muscle car owners. The Tastee Freeze on Western ave just north of Orangethorpe was the scene of one of the weirdest events in Buena Park history. Sometime around 1972-73 The Buena Park Police recieved a call from a hysterical young girl working alone in the Tastee-Freeze. She screamed that "Monks in robes are pounding on the windows". The dispatcher managed to calm her a bit and she went on to describe them as having "Large red crosses on the front and rear of their robes" and "I think ones a hunchback".
From the girls description,the astute dispatcher decided that they weren't monks but probably Crusaders. And that's how the call went out "Crusaders in the parking lot". The Police arrived rather quickly but found no one except a terrified girl hiding behind a fryer trying to call her mom to come pick her up. The police upon seeing the girls condition had no doubt she had been telling the truth. The area was saturated with patrols for the next two hours but nothing out of the ordinary was found or seen.It is still the only report of Crusaders
in the history of Buena Park. Reply Delete

Maybe the were from Crescent Jr High at the Anaheim Buena Park border. Home of the Crusaders. Reply Delete

how about rikios in anaheim it was a japanese resteraunt great food owners were cosco and rikio, marvin was the bartender his drinks were awsome, there was a waitress judy she was crazy but fun Reply Delete

I remember Kono Hawaii, went there a few times. Oddley enough, my mom married a Hawaiian the second time around! The Glider Inn is still there, (plane in the roof and all), now it's called Mahi's, still on PCH. I went there last month to watch a band play. It's very small and more of a pick up place than anyone interested in music. Does anyone remember a restaurant called T.C. Peppercorn's? I used to go there often with my late wife and brother and sister in-law in the late '70s, early '80s. Nice place, like a big house with seperate rooms, most with a fire place. They had good steaks, and cold beer. We went so often and tipped well. We always asked for the same waiter, he would see us on the reservation list and would meet us outdoors to take us in. We always had a blast there. Reply Delete

I LOVED T.C. PEPPERCORNS! My family ate there all the time during the early to mid 80s. They did have awesome steaks and a great atmosphere. I was just a kid then, but I always asked my parents to take us there for dinner. Too bad they are gone. they were AMAZING! Delete

We have cherished the memories created within these walls and the friendships that have blossomed among our staff and patrons alike. It's truly been an honor to serve you all. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our dedicated team members who have worked tirelessly to provide exceptional service and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our guests.

Your hard work and commitment have been invaluable, and we are forever grateful for your contributions. To all our loyal customers, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your years of support. It has been a privilege to be a part of your celebrations, milestones, and everyday moments. The Magic Lamp Inn has been a place of gathering, laughter, and cherished memories. It is difficult to say goodbye to an era, but we will forever treasure the time we've spent together. Though the Magic Lamp Inn has closed its doors, the memories and spirit of this special place will forever live on. We hope that you will carry those memories with you and continue to support local businesses in our community. We extend our sincere well wishes to each and every one of you. May you find joy and happiness in the future and may our paths cross again in different endeavors. Thank you for being a part of the Magic Lamp Inn journey. Warm Regards, The Magic Lamp Inn Team.

Reviews for "Farewell to the Magic Lamp Inn: A Community Mourns its Loss"

1. John - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed to find out that the Magic Lamp Inn had closed permanently. This restaurant was a local favorite and had been a staple in our community for many years. The food was always delicious, the service was top-notch, and the ambiance was cozy and inviting. It's a shame that they couldn't find a way to keep it running. I will definitely miss this place and hope that something equally great will take its place.

2. Sarah - 2 stars - I have fond memories of dining at the Magic Lamp Inn, so it's sad to hear that it has closed its doors permanently. While the food was always decent, I found that the quality had decreased over the past few years. The menu lacked variety and creativity, and the prices were quite high for the overall dining experience. The service was hit or miss, with some waitstaff being friendly and attentive, while others appeared indifferent. It's unfortunate that they couldn't adapt to the changing restaurant scene and ultimately had to close.

3. Rachel - 1 star - It's a shame that the Magic Lamp Inn has closed permanently because it was a true gem in our town. However, I have to admit that the decline in the quality of their food was evident in recent years. The dishes lacked flavor and were often overcooked, leaving a lot to be desired. The service was also subpar, with long waits and disinterested staff. I'm sad to see it go, but I can't say that I will miss the mediocre dining experience it had become.

Magic Lamp Inn Closes its Doors: Reflecting on a Legacy of Memories