SOLD OUT: SCA 2026 Road Trip – Los Angeles!

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No place in America has had more influence on the roadside architecture of the 20th century than Los Angeles. Thirty years after SCA first visited this mecca of neon and diners, we invite you to join us July 10-13, 2026, for a four-day event touring the architectural gems across Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Route 66, and beyond! There’s so much to see on these hallowed streets that we have created a fun-packed 3 full days of touring (for the first time in SCA history!), plus an opening reception, filled with special access tours to many venues with local experts.

Friday, July 10, 4:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Opening Reception

Our opening reception will be classic LA. We’ll be boarding buses from the conference hotel in the late afternoon to drive to the Valley Relics Museum, where we will not only be able to peruse the great neon signs and other artifacts—we’ll have a fabulous presentation by none other than Charles Phoenix, the well-known mid-century pop culture expert, all while enjoying burgers and more from the iconic In-n-Out food truck and desserts from a delicious local bakery. On the way back from the reception, we’ll see some great neon signs in the San Fernando Valley.

Saturday, July 11

Downtown Los Angeles

The first full day of touring will include the roots of Los Angeles, walking through its history with our very own Kevin Patrick, along with other expert guides throughout the tour, including theater historian Escott Norton. We’ll walk through Olvera Street, the oldest street in LA, established in 1858 and considered the birthplace of LA, and tour Chinatown, which became a commercial center for Chinese and Asian businesses in 1938. We’ll also visit the historic Union Station, opened in May 1939, which combines Art Deco, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne styles. We’ll ride the historic Angel’s Flight funicular railway that has transported residents up and down the hill since 1901. From there, we explore the amazing and varied architecture of Downtown LA (or DTLA as it’s known by locals), including the Edison, an Art Deco building designed in 1931, which, not surprisingly, was one of the first electrically lit buildings in the western US. DTLA has about a dozen historic movie palaces built between 1910 and 1931 – we’ll be able to see the exteriors of some and the interiors of a few. We’ll also see a wide range of architectural styles, including the Streamline Moderne Coca-Cola Bottling Company, built in 1937 to look like an ocean liner.

We’ll be having lunch at Philippe’s, which was established in 1908 and claims to have invented the French Dipped Sandwich. We’ll have a short talk with the 4th-generation owner while enjoying our delicious sandwiches. Dinner will be on your own at LA’s original food hall, Grand Central Market. For those joining the optional Neon Tour, we will depart from here–those who aren’t can enjoy an evening dip in the pool back at the Safari Inn, or explore on their own.

Don’t forget to purchase tickets from us when registering for the road trip if you want to experience the Optional Neon Tour.

Saturday, July 11, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Evening Downtown LA Neon Bus Tour

Optional Tour: Extra fee; limited to first 50 people who register for this
On Saturday evening, there will be an optional neon tour of LA with the Museum of Neon Art led by local expert Eric Lyxwiler, riding on the top of a double-decker bus. This tour is limited to approximately 50 people, so don’t delay registering if you’re interested!

Sunday, July 12

Hollywood to Santa Monica

Our second day will start in Hollywood, seeing the beautiful live and movie theaters, including a special tour of the famous Chinese Theatre with the hand and footprints of famous Hollywood Stars, the El Capitan, the restored Egyptian, and other theaters. We’ll see the famous Capitol Records building, the Cinerama Dome, and more.

Throughout the tour, we’ll be seeing famous drive-ins and eateries, including the original Bob’s Big Boy, Tail O’ the Pup, and others. We’ll also see the historic Wilshire/Fairfax area, including Johnie’s Coffee Shop with its Googie architecture, and the current Academy Museum, which retained some architectural elements of the original 1939 May Company building.

We’ll have an early dinner at the iconic Googie coffee shop Pann’s, which will be serving us after-hours to accommodate our group. We’ll follow dinner with dessert at the famous Randy’s Donuts.

We’ll end the day at the terminus of Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this historic highway with author Jamie Jensen.

Monday, July 13

San Fernando Valley, Beverly Hills, and Closing Reception

On our final day, we’ll tour the San Fernando Valley (or The Valley, as it’s known locally), much of which was annexed by the city of Los Angeles in 1915, leading to its rapid urbanization. Although each “city” has its unique personality (Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, etc.), many are actually neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles. Following the annexation, the area became the home to major motion picture and television studios, such as Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios. Our final day of touring will include author and preservationist Chris Nichols (who planned the original SCA LA tour in the 1990s!) and includes driving by the Brady Bunch house, Mel’s Drive-In, and the continuously operating Casa de Cadillac, a Mid-Century Modern Cadillac showroom built in 1948. We’ll be meeting architect, author, and historian Alan Hess at the original Corky’s Coffee Shop to discuss the new renovation of Corky’s into a Chik-Fil-A. There are wonderful examples of Googie and mid-century architecture throughout the Valley and Beverly Hills, where we’ll have lunch on our own around Rodeo Drive.

Our closing reception will be at the iconic Idle Hour in North Hollywood, a spectacular example of programmatic or “California crazy” architecture shaped like a trio of whiskey barrels, where we’ll dine in the outdoor patio next to a reproduction Bulldog Cafe (shaped, of course, like a bulldog) to celebrate the end of an amazing tour through LA.

We’ll see these sights and many more, exploring the rich and varied architectural gems of LA, while enjoying the unique culture of Southern California.

We look forward to seeing you!

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Committee:

Janice Rohn — Chair
Jeremy Ebersole
Emily Schricker
Kevin Patrick
Mike Carsten
Steve Spiegel
Michael Hirsch

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JOIN WAITLIST!

Refund Policy

Be sure to register no later than June 1. Space is limited, and we expect the tour to fill up. The SCA is unable to offer any refunds after June 9, and Eventbrite fees are non-refundable (approximately $52 for the basic registration). If you have registered for the hotel, remember to contact them to cancel your registration.