Ambassador Hotel Location in Los Angeles

Located at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, the former Ambassador Hotel was one of the preeminent hotels in the city for decades. After opening in 1921, it was the Cocoanut Grove, the Ambassador's nightclub, that regularly attracted headlines as one of Hollywood's early hangouts. From 1930 to 1943, six Academy Award ceremonies were hosted here.

On June 5, 1968 while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the Embassy Ballroom. Five others were also shot that night, but survived. It was shortly after that the Ambassador Hotel began to decline, accelerated by an increase in crime in the surrounding neighborhood.

By 1989 the Ambassador Hotel had closed its doors, but remained popular as a filming location for numerous productions. After much debate, litigation, and public protest to save the structure, it was decided that the former hotel would be demolished in 2005.

One of the original pillars along Wilshire Boulevard still marks the hotel. 

Today a complex comprised of six schools sits on the location of the former hotel, known as the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools. When viewed from Wilshire Boulevard the school has a similar shape to the hotel it replaced, although with exception to the entrance and east wall of the Grove, it is an entirely new structure. 

Along Wilshire the original pillars to the Ambassador Hotel entrance remain, and the Robert F. Kennedy Inspiration Park was constructed. It's quite something to stand in a location that resembles something historic, but recognize how much has actually changed.      

Entrance to the Ambassador Hotel in the 1950's.

Vintage postcard of the Ambassador Hotel.

Vintage postcard of the Ambassador Hotel.

Adrift Hotel in Long Beach, Washington

Our journey south along the coast continued with a night at the Adrift Hotel in Long Beach, Washington. After hiking around some of the coastal cliffs in the area, we came back to hangout at the Pickled Fish - a restaurant on the top floor of the hotel overlooking the ocean.

At the restaurant we caught Hip Hatchet performing, and after a few drinks we had struck up several conversations. Not long after that we were introduced to another bar in Long Beach, and found ourselves sharing stories and playing sloppy games of pool with our new acquaintances. It was a good night. Our stay at the Adrift was brief, but the atmosphere and location really made the experience. We would've stayed longer, but from here it was on to Oregon in the morning. 

Hip Hatchet performing at the Pickled Fish.

Hip Hatchet

Medicine Hat High School Interior: Part 1

Wandering the hallways of my old high school was a trip that brought a lot of memories flooding back. Last year I was contacted by Medicine Hat High School and asked if I could shoot some pictures of the interior to document its character for archival record. This is the old MHHS as so many of us remember it prior to undergoing modernization.


Renovations on this old high school have now started, and some of you may have already heard about the demolition of one of the skywalks. This is just the beginning. My goal in photographing the school, as it is with any location, was to focus on the details. The floor of the gymnasium, the carvings in woodwork, and the colour of the linoleum are all minor things individually, but together they paint a picture of a dynamic space. These are the things that set it apart. 

Over the next several weeks I'll be sharing four unique posts full of images that I captured of Medicine Hat High School, all of which where shot in 2015. I hope the series brings back fond memories or reminds you of things you haven't thought about in years. This is the school frozen in time as so many of us remember it. This is MHHS as it was.

Complete series: PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | EXTERIOR 1 | EXTERIOR 2

That's my Dad's picture on the wall. G. Fandrich.

Inside the tunnel under the school.

That's my Mom's picture on the wall. L. Bjork.

The architect's rendering of the school when it was new.