CLIFTON'S!!!

Courtesy of Blogging L.A.

Recently, it was brought to my attention that every time I drove or walked by Clifton's Cafeteria I would exclaim the name. Apparently, some people find this to be an annoying habit. Now, I silently scream it with childlike glee to myself when I pass the landmark on my way to or from work on a "walking day."

My mother grew up in Torrance. During my childhood, she would often tell stories of going to downtown Los Angeles on the Harbor Freeway with her mother and sister to buy clothes from the jobbers. After the clothing was purchased, they would be rewarded with a meal from Clifton's Cafeteria, where they had the infamous Treasure Chest filled with toys.  Having not grown up in Southern California, when I came to Los Angeles for school, the excitement and fondness with which my mother spoke of Clifton's had worn off on the family. Although, we still did not quite understand why she was so giddy over a cafeteria and treasure chest, the happiness and excitement was contagious.


It was not until after 8 years of living in Southern California and discussing moving to downtown that my mother, father and I visited the infamous Clifton's on one of their visits down South. I was absolutely blown away. It reminded me of Disneyland. I felt like a child being awe-struck. The little chapel cracked me up. It was a playland and would have been even more impressive had I seen it through the eyes of a child. To top it off, we found that they had kept the treasure chest and my mother was reunited with its glory.


You can imagine my excitement when I discovered Andrew Meieran had purchased Clifton's and was revamping it! I only have to wait like 2 and 1/2 more year for its completion! 


Recently, the original facade was unveiled and I snapped a photo on my way home. I figured it was a good time to reveal my acquired/transferred love of Clifton's (and Broadway).

Original building unveiled February 2012