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By Billy FRieD
One of the great things about living here is the funk . As in , the funkiness , the original OG buildings and businesses that have stood the test of time and escaped the short-fingered vulgarian clutches of developers . Places that have the unmistakable patina of time and make our town different from those cookie cutter , soul crushing communities to the east .
Like the Orange Inn and Penguin Café , favorite local breakfast joints as old school as they get . Grab a newspaper ( while they ’ re still around ), slip into a booth , and soak up the ambiance and vintage signs and pictures .
Then roll over to the Sound
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Spectrum , established in 1968 by Jim Otto and still selling the same stuff : vinyl and hippie memorabilia . The reprints of the 60s psychedelic calendars he commissioned by the great surf artist Bill Ogden are legendary remnants from our past .
If breakfast didn ’ t agree with you , drop into the Laguna Beach Community Clinic - also established in 1968 - to serve the very hippies who were buying Jim ’ s records and perhaps doing too many drugs while listening to them . This phenomenal resource continues to provide free service for those in need to this day , one of only two such clinics left in Orange County .
Once medicated , Uber over to the legendary dive bar Sandpiper ( aka Dirty Bird ) for the smell of a frat house basement and some epic west coast reggae .
Then there are those funky people who uphold our heritage as well . Behold the artist and photographer Douglas Miller as he camps out nightly in his tiny , cramped studio fronting Coast Highway , painting tiny landscapes and archiving the hundreds of thousands of photos he began taking of Laguna in the sixties . And , of course , no paean to Laguna
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funkiness is complete without a shout-out to one of the funkiest men alive - our Greeter , Michael Minutoli . Just seeing him twirl cues visitors that this is a funky-ass town .
Finally , there ’ s sweet little Sweetwater , our locally owned car wash , a freaky mashup of Jurassic Park , Hefner ’ s grotto and Zen monastery , all under that funky old gas station overhang . That massive awning still provides needed shade for the weary , just as it did for travelers to our dusty , desolate seaside village 83 years ago . Yep , that there is an original Atlantic Richfield service station , built during World War II , in a style we can only call Utilitarian Gas Station Chic . Compact . Practical , with perhaps a hint of Art Moderne or Deco under its hood . I ’ ll bet Bette Davis filled up here . Oh , if that awning could talk .
Nowadays , this little gem can bottleneck and take 40 minutes to get your car washed , but so what ? Why are you in a hurry ? Settle down , grab an Indy , and take a seat by the dinosaur ’ s bum . Glance over at the statue of Kwan Yin ( a Buddhist symbol of unconditional love , kindness and mercy ) to quiet your mind . Or meditate on the colorful koi swimming in the pond . Yep , this ain ’ t the Laguna
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Niguel car wash !
Now that you are settled into your mindfulness practice notice all the fancy vehicles being cleaned . Breathe in . Yes , you are super blessed . Breathe out . Be grateful . Take a look around and maybe strike up a conversation with one of your neighbors . Or that fetching stranger reading the New York Times . This is one of the very few places where meeting people in your age and IQ bracket is possible . In fact , some have met here and married . For realz .
Local owner Scott Thompson has been making it happen with his eclectic mix of fun and funky for 30 years . And in the process , your rides have gotten a nice shine without having to venture out of town . He treats his staff like family , too . But now , sadly , those short-fingered vulgarians who own the property want to squeeze every dime of useable space by replacing our beloved car wash with a large , twostory , mixed-use retail / residential blah blah blah that will obliterate any remnants of our past . They live overseas , have absolutely no stake in Laguna , and have no idea who Bette Davis is .
FRIED , PAGE 19
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