Historic Newport

For today’s Throwback, here is a photo of the old Studio Cafe, where Cabo Cantina now sits at the end of the Balboa Pier. While we don’t have an exact date of the closure of Studio Cafe, but the ABC has a licensing date of Jan 28 2004 for Cabo Cantina, so it is presumable that this is roughly right after …

Christmas time is upon us! Normally, we do a post every year about which restaurants are open for those who don’t have families, or for those whose families don’t trust their cooking abilities. This year is a bit different. While many restaurants are open, we don’t feel it is right to make an easy “kill list” for government officials to …

Fifty years ago, on December 9th, 1967 The Majestic Queen Mary steams past Newport Beach towards her permanent dock at Long Beach, CA. It was estimated that over one million people saw the Queen on the final leg of her farewell voyage from Southhampton, England. She still sits in Long Beach to this day as a hotel and museum.  This …

Throwback Thursdays are coming back! After a long hiatus– and due to popular demand– our most popular feature of SaveNewport is coming back after a mere 20 months of regular absence! 🙂 As we all know, the Bay Arcade is closing down in just 10 more days.  Here are some pictures of it throughout Newport’s history– can you pick out the …

This weekend I took a trek to Newport Island and noticed that a main street there was called Finley Ave, which immediately made me remember the Finley Tract that was recently flooded by a Seawall damaged by a construction company.   Who was this Finley guy, and why is his name all over the place?  Was he a Newport founder? …

Throwback Thursdays are BACK! Do you know Tarzan?  Well he knows Balboa Peninsula!  This photo was taken near the corner of Edgewater and Adams Street on July 16, 1936!   You may not know the name Johnny Weissmuller off the top of your head, but that was the actor who portrayed the Lord of the Jungle– better known to Newport …

Do you remember the Stuft Shirt off PCH? Today, since 2009, it is known as the high-end clothing store A’maree’s, but this building has a rich history of shoreline dining, with the Windows on the Bay (closed in 1996) being the latest restaurant and Cano’s restaurant preceding Stuft Shirt. Do you have memories of this beautiful building?

Christmas on Balboa Island, 1950 It doesn’t look much different than it does today, does it? Do you remember any of these shops?

Many people know the Cannery as a great place for a glass of wine, a date, or an outing with friends– but do you remember when the Cannery was a club? The Cannery area was booming with life and entertainment, until the city shut them down back in the late 90s– until then, Cannery Village one of Orange County’s go-to places: http://articles.latimes.com/1999/aug/17/business/fi-919 So exactly …

Do you remember the OC Airport, before it was renamed John Wayne on June 20, 1979? The famous Delaney’s cafe was on the second floor, where the waitresses wore sailor dresses colored blue and gold (well before the infamous Blue/Gold internet dress).  Delaneys was known for their seafood– specifically their clam chowder– and contained a cafe, dining room, and cocktail lounge.  While …