Oh Boy, Do I Love A Big Boy

Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday so we figured the traffic on the freeways would be light and it's a great day to drive to Toluca Lake for the best hamburger on earth at Bob's Big Boy. I grew up on these burgers. My parents took me to one in Glendale that was more of a diner with counter service only. Later, when I was in high school, Bob's drive-in in Van Nuys was THE Saturday night place to be. Then in the 80s, Bob's sold out to Coco's Restaurants and I thought they were all gone. It was only a few years ago that I discovered that one of the original coffee shops still existed...in the Toluca Lake area of Burbank. Since then Big Boy franchises have been popping all over but, in my opinion, this old one is the best.

Are we ordering the usual?

The menu looks different, there's a lot more to choose from and, of course, the prices are higher...okay, a lot higher, but the "Original Double Deck Hamburger" still tastes just the same as it did when I was a little girl. It's their unique red relish that makes it different and better, in my opinion, than any other burger.















Hey, look what booth we're sitting in!

Ah...now that's what I'm talking about!!

This place is usually packed. It must be the Superbowl.

There are all sorts of souvenirs to choose from at check out. We have one of those Big Boys sitting on the kitchen counter.

Hey, car service tonight. We need to come for dinner next time.

The Family Car...or whatever

Taken in 1934 on the move from Chicago to Los Angeles,
my brother, Walker, and my mother, Helen,

are standing in front of the family 1929 Nash Coupe.
My brother rode in the rumble seat for the entire trip.

Here are my dad and Walker somewhere along the highway.

The roads weren't always paved in those days.

This was my cousin, Richard Morgan, posing with his Harley. This photo was taken sometime during WWII. He was deaf in one ear and couldn't get into the military so he became a Merchant Marine with which he remained for the rest of his life.

Here is my dad posing with his 1937 Nash sedan in front of our old house in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles.

Here is Daddy in front of the
Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

And here is Daddy with our 1951 Nash...AKA the yellow whale.
That's my dog, Deacon peeking out the window.

In the background, on the right, is our house in

Woodland Hills that we moved to when I was 13.

This was one of the very last photos of my dad, taken on his 94th birthday in September, 1987.

He passed away five months later. Standing in front of Carlos' 1974 Porsche IROC Carrera are:

My daughter Marlene, my future hubbie Carlos, my dad Leon, my son Eric, my daughter

Danielle and Carlos' daughter Lisa.

Here is the only photo I have of my 1983 Subaru.
This was taken the day after I rode in the 1988
Solvang Century, a one-day 100 mile bike ride.

And finally, this is Carlos with his cool 1939 Chevy hot rod
in front of Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Burbank, California.

When I was little my mother used to laugh that my dad always wanted photos of him by the family car. Unfortunately I bought into that and never cared about such pictures...until many years later.

Picture yourself today standing beside your new Toyota Camry or whatever it happens to be. Doesn't seem very interesting right now, does it? But 20-30 years from now it will really mean a lot. With Thanksgiving coming up next week, check over your camera to make sure the battery is charged and there's plenty of space on the memory card...or, if using film, that you have enough. Then, on that special day, get everyone together and take plenty of pictures...and don't forget to include your car...and your house...and even the street you live on. Before you know it you'll be looking back over the years at these images with fond memories.