Los Angeles Door Tour Part V and Part III Update

The Doors were in downtown LA taking pictures for the, "Morrison Hotel", album. The day was December 17, 1969 and photographer Henry Diltz just finished taking pictures at the actual, "Morrison Hotel," on Stanhope Street. 

Needing the quench his thirst, Jim suggested they head to a bar in Skid Row. They popped into the, aptly named,  Hard Rock Cafe. Diltz photographed them drinking, hanging out, and interacting with the other patrons. The photos from Morrison Hotel were used on the front cover of the album and the photos from the Hard Rock Cafe were used on the inner sleeve and the back of the album.

Years later, The Doors received a call from two gentlemen in London asking permission to use, "Hard Rock Cafe", for a chain of restaurants. The rest is history. A side note; someone was smart enough to place The Doors star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of The Hard Rock Cafe.

Photo Source: The Selvedge Yard

Photo Source: The Selvedge Yard

This is what the Hard Rock Cafe looks like today.

In Part IV, I made it to downtown LA, but I went to the West end of 5th St, not the East end. Last time I did not have a rental car, this time I did. I plugged the correct address into my iPhone and drove there. As I was getting close, I started to look for a place to park. As I got closer and closer, I realized while looking for a place to park, I passed the location. No problem, I will just loop around, find a place to park, find the location, and walk back to the car I told myself. As I was driving and looking to find a place to park, I started noticing the condition of the neighborhood and the people who lived there. At this point, I made sure all the doors were locked. Unbeknownst to me, I was smack dab in the middle of Skid Row. Living in San Francisco for almost three years, I was exposed to extreme poverty, but this was on a level I had never seen. The only way I can describe the homeless people is walking dead. These were not human beings; only shells of their former selves. The streets were filled with detritus, filth, and homeless encampments. Was I in America or some Third World country that I was instantly transported to? I was in such shock, I abandoned my plan of getting out of the car in this battlefield and drove back to Hollywood (I know that sounds so bourgeoisie). 

South Broadway appears to be the main economic drag but its grittiness was still painfully apparent. South Main Street is the geographic line that separates west from east and the geography changes very quickly when you head towards the setting sun. 

What tales could the storefronts and architecture of Downtown tell from the last 100 years of its existence?

The second stop on the tour is Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana. This is the final resting place of Pamela Susan Courson, the longtime girlfriend of Jim Morrison. Although they were never officially married she insisted on the surname of Morrison. Jim, however, was married in an unofficial Celtic ceremony in 1970 to on-and-off girlfriend Patricia Kennealy. Interesting fact from the Park's website, Pam was listed to be buried in Pere-Lachaise with Jim. Unfortunately, the massive amount of red tape to transport a dead body to another country convinced the family to have her interred here. 

To say Jim and Pam's relationship was tumultuous is an understatement. Unfaithfulness and rampant drug use on both sides only fueled the passion of their 5 year relationship. No matter how bad it got between them, they also ended up back together...for the time being!

The influence of The Doors has reached into the popular culture of today. Two of the central characters of The Office are named Jim and Pam. I submit any two names could have been chosen, but it was decided on these. 

Other notable people who are buried here are Leo Fender, Bob Nieman, who is the only MLB player to hit consecutive home runs in his first two major league at-bats, and C.J. "Pappy" Hart, who has been credited with starting the sport of drag racing. 

To say Jim and Pam's relationship was tumultuous is an understatement. Unfaithfulness and rampant drug use on both sides only fueled the passion of their 5 year relationship. No matter how bad it got between them, they also ended up back together...for the time being!

The influence of The Doors has reached into the popular culture of today. Two of the central characters of The Office are named Jim and Pam. I submit any two names could have been chosen, but it was decided on these.