California’s last Rainforest Cafe clings to life in an aging mall
An animatronic elephant at Rainforest Cafe in Ontario, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2026. Jessie Alcheh/SFGATE
From SFGate: On a recent Friday, I was enjoying a Korean fried chicken lettuce wrap under a lush canopy of greenery. Stars slowly twinkled overhead. I could hear the sound of tropical birds chirping and monkeys chattering in the distance. After a few minutes, a family of silverback gorillas to my left started to roar — at first quietly, then with intensity as thunder rolled and lightning flashed overhead.
Despite the cacophony, this was just another weekday lunch at California’s last Rainforest Cafe, tucked inside a fluorescent-lit Inland Empire mall, about an hour east of downtown Los Angeles.
This last remaining mall relic sits just steps away from a Jared Vault jewelry store and a Spectrum service center inside Ontario Mills, a 1990s-era indoor mall that still pumps in the air conditioning and pulls in crowds. Ontario, after which the mall is named, is a working-class commuter town known for the Ontario International Airport, the Toyota Arena, and its proximity to the 10, 15 and 60 freeways. No wonder the world’s largest Amazon warehouse is here.
A recently-rediscovered candy store sign harkens back to a sweet part of Phoenix history
Postcards of Donofrio’s candy store in Phoenix. Arizona State Library, Archives And Public Records
From KJZZ: A recently-rediscovered sign harkens back to a sweet part of Phoenix history.
Donofrio’s was a candy store, which also sold ice cream, and later added a bakery and flower shop. It opened in downtown Phoenix in 1887, moved to a different location downtown in 1905 and then again to another spot in the 1920s.
Arizona writer and historian Doug Towne wrote about the discovery of a neon sign from the store.
Towne joined The Show to talk about what was this place about and why it was so special.
Moon Motel Land For Sale In Howell
The Moon Motel’s retro sign in all its glory. (Photo courtesy of Peter Kleeman of Space Age Museum)
From Jersey Shore Online: HOWELL – If you are from Howell, you are likely familiar with the Moon Motel. Whether you remember the motel in its heyday when travelers would stay the night there on their way to south Jersey, or as an abandoned husk sitting on the side of Route 9, or as simply a cool looking retro sign with nothing else surrounding it, most people who have been in Howell are familiar with the Moon Motel. Now it appears that the land that the motel once stood on is up for sale.
The Moon Motel was built in 1966, before Howell experienced its major population booms of the 70s and 80s. Back then it was largely used as an overnight stop for families going down to the Jersey Shore. It was also used a lot by truck drivers who were just trying to find a place to turn in for the night. Several online stories have surfaced, making it clear that the motel played a major role for locals who grew up in the area.
San Diego’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar reclaims historic name as The Brass Rail
A historic photo of The Brass Rail. (Credit: The Brass Rail)
From Fox 5 San Diego: SAN DIEGO — One of San Diego’s most historic LGBTQ+ landmarks is reclaiming its roots — and its name — in a show of local pride for the queer community.
On Thursday evening, San Diego’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar will officially return to its original name, The Brass Rail, restoring a 93-year-old legacy that dates back to 1934. The venue, long known in recent years as The Rail, will unveil its restored sign during a public ceremony at 6 p.m. in Hillcrest.
Historic Boise building set for bar with historic Boise roots
he Cub Tavern sign after restoration. Photo: Courtesy Jade Stacey
From BoiseDev: A long-percolating new bar could open on Main St. in Downtown Boise this year. In a way, it’s a reopening after many decades.
As BoiseDev reported in 2022, the Cub Tavern is planned for the first floor of the Smith Block at 1015 W. Main St. Owner Jade Stacey purchased the building in 2020 and remodeled both the ground floor and second story of the property, which dates to 1903.
Stacey said the plan right now is to open the new bar this June. Permits indicate it will take up about half of the ground-floor retail space formerly occupied by the Art Source Gallery. The bar will accommodate up to 99 people. It joins Tiner’s Alley, Mulligans, Atlas Bar, Barbarian Brewing, and The Olympic Venue, catering to folks who want to enjoy an adult beverage or two on the block.
Palace Grill Up For Sale 2 Years After Fire Forced Its Closure
The Palace Grill is boarded up Feb. 9, 2024 after a fire damaged the famed West Loop restaurant. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
From Block Club Chicago: WEST LOOP — Palace Grill is officially on the market.
Two years after a fire swept through the 80-year-old West Side diner at 1408 W. Madison St., its owner has put it up for sale for an undisclosed amount, confirmed broker Scott Maesal, managing director of SVN Chicago Commercial.
Maesal told Block Club that Palace Grill owner owner George Lemperis was ready to sell the 19,000-square-foot building.
Cracking the mystery of the little hut on San Francisco’s Haight Street
Pedestrians walk past the former Fotomat kiosk on Haight Street in San Francisco, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. Charles Russo/SFGATE
From SFGate: The building is unremarkable. Perched on the edge of an empty parking lot at the intersection of Haight and Shrader streets, it’s painted in a peeling shade of Blue Man Group indigo. Tags cover its concrete surface like stick-and-poke tattoos; a triangular roof, slightly too large for the rest of the structure, is plopped on top, resembling a child’s Lego creation.
A double-decker bus passes by, populated by about a dozen gawking tourists, but they’re either oblivious to the little kiosk on the corner, or they just don’t care. In size it’s comparable to the $625,000 public bathroom city officials planted in Noe Valley a couple of years ago. At one point, someone tried to spruce it up with a speckled red-and-white paint job to make it look like a mushroom. The drive-thru windows are plastered over, leaving the interior sealed off from the rest of the world.
This yurtlike architectural oddity was once a symbol of cutting-edge technology. Now, it sits in the shadow of a billboard heralding “The Future of AI,” with a wad of gum affixed to the roof. But it’s the only one left of its kind: the last standing Fotomat in San Francisco. And the average person doesn’t even know it exists.