Oct 25, 2008

Phil's Diner

Phil's Diner must have at one point been a local landmark, but by the time I found it, many years ago, it was already half gone. Physically it was still there, closed, but still standing on a scraggly, barbed wire fence spotted side street between Lankershim and Vineland. The neighborhood has gone under a transformation since the NoHo metrolink station opened nearby. The somewhat rough looking streets have been gradually been taken over new development.

The actual structure of Phil's have stayed around for a while, moved off the street to a yet undeveloped yard. Eventually it just disappeared, and now all that's left of Phil's Diner is this mural on Chandler Blvd.

There is good news however according to the Los Angeles Times, the diner will be restored and relocated to a nearby spot. Undoubtedly it will be a hipster place, still I'm looking forward to it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

NoHo has some mean streets, but if it's going to be gentrified, all the more important you capture what's there now.

Vanda said...

It's fascinating to see how everything is changing. In a couple of decades it could look more like Glendale. I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing or bad.

Anonymous said...

Vanda, go visit Palm Adjacent for the Halloween post. There's a Raymond Chandler appreciation, including perhaps his best paragraph ever from the High Window.

Vanda said...

I was without internet. :(

Patrizzi Intergarlictica said...

The boxcar diner fills my head with all sorts of fantasy and stories of the weird. Thanks, Vanda.

  said...

Please keep us informed as to the restoration process.

-Diner News and History