All year long, LAist food editor Gab Chabran travels across SoCal looking for tasty food to share with readers. Here are his favorites for 2024.
Where did he go? It was more like, where didn’t he go? From smash burgers in Newport Beach to a Thai-influenced izakaya dinner in Virgil Village and the backyard paella in Long Beach that took him back to his youth, he never went hungry.
Any only-in-L.A. moments? Yup. How about Michelin-starred sandwiches that can be ordered from DoorDash, a burger that comes with a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce, and a historic lunch-in-a-cone at Disneyland?
What a year for food and drink in SoCal! I encountered so much excellence that narrowing it all down into one list was tough.
I ranged widely across the region, from Newport Beach to Bell Gardens, and Virgil Village to Chinatown. I had upmarket dishes, old school treats, European classics, and Asian comfort food. It was all tasty and all part of the L.A. mosaic.
In the end, I was able to distill it all into one list of my favorite eats, broken down by month. It may inspire you to make your own.
January: Paella at The Paella Concept
A plate from The Paella Concept, served backyard style.
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Mother-and-daughter team Natalie and Maria Curie of The Paella Concept
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I have been privileged to eat paella since I was a child. My parents often prepared it for dinner parties, and when we moved to Madrid in 1999, we ordered it regularly from local restaurants. It meant I developed a special relationship with the dish that I still carry today.
In January, I got to sample The Paella Concept, a pop-up/catering operation from El Coraloense in Bell Gardens. The mouthwatering mix of the seafood, chicken and chorizo, cooked into sticky mounds of yellow, saffron-flavored rice, took me right back to those days in Madrid. It was a perfection concoction, and satisfied the cravings that often creep up on me.
February: Handwich at Disneyland
The chili cone queso features beef chili, cheddar cheese, and corn chips
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I first heard of the handwich and its cult following after watching a YouTube documentary. The Cliff Notes version of the story is that in the late 80s, a concession stand food was introduced at Disney theme parks called the Handwich, a cone-shaped sandwich with a filling. It was seen as the future of theme park food. Enjoy a variety of fillings and still walk around the park!
It lasted until the mid-90s, when it was discontinued for being a commercial failure. In 2012, a revised version was introduced, renamed “Conewich” at California Adventure Park Cars Land's Cozy Cone Motel food stand.
So, on my family’s trip to Disney in February, I made it a point to stop by the Cozy Cone and pay my respects to the temple of the handwich…I mean conewich….whatever.
My family and I shared the chili cone queso, which includes beef chili, cheddar cheese, and corn chips served in a cone bun. Let me tell you: a cone-shaped bun turns out to be a perfect delivery system for getting food into your mouth. It isn’t messy at all and is pretty fun to eat.
As to why it initially failed to capture the hearts and minds of theme park goers, I suspect it was just a little too ahead of its time. I highly recommend it.
March: Smashburger at Mario’s Butcher Shop
The smashburger with added bacon at Mario's Butcher Shop in Newport Beach
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For a while now, my friends living in Orange County have told me about an amazing, no-nonsense smash burger in Newport Beach. So, in March, I finally ventured out to try it.
The perfectly smashed patty maintained its shape, meaning it is not entirely flat, which was a nice touch. The burger’s juiciness paired well with melted American cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles, and diced onions on a soft bun.
I decided to add bacon to my burger, as I have a general rule of thumb: always add bacon whenever it's an option. I'm rarely disappointed by this decision; that day was no exception. The melted cheese enhanced the dialed-in flavors of the patty's seasoning, and the smokiness of the bacon worked exceptionally well. I would easily go out of my way to try this again any day of the week.
April: BBQ Pork Arancini from Shins Pizza
BBQ Pork Arancini from Shins Pizza
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In April, I had the pleasure of attending the second annual L.A. Pizza City Fest, which took place in the parking lot of L.A. Live in downtown L.A.. It was packed with virtually every pizza maker in the city under one tent for two days.
While I had a lot of great pie that day, my favorite thing I ate wasn’t pizza (apologies to all the stand-out pizza makers). Instead, it was the BBQ Pork Arancini from Chef Melissa Lopéz, who cooks at Shins Pizza, and Barra Santos, located next door to each other in Cypress Park.
It’s a fried rice ball stuffed with slow-cooked barbecue pork and seasoned with furikake, a Japanese seasoning. While it's a small bite, the flavors meld beautifully together, making it something memorable. Next time you stop by for a slice at Shins, where it’s on the regular menu, add one to your order. You won’t be sorry.
May: Dinner at Saffy’s
Roasted celery root made with burnt apple harissa, sauerkraut, allium cream, rose petals, curry leaves and cilantro
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Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis's restaurants have followed me through adulthood. Initially, Bestia was an all-out party that served as a last hurrah to my twenties. Then came Bavel, which felt like the next stage, a little more grown up and mature. It was my wife and I's last meal together before we discovered we would have our daughter and decided to move to Long Beach.
Earlier this year, it came full circle when we visited Saffy’s in East Hollywood with our now 6-year-old daughter and another couple with their son, who’s around the same age.
Since Saffy’s is named after Menashe and Gergis's daughter, it felt like the perfect opportunity to bring a few little kids. While they mostly consumed rice and bread, we adults dined on the roasted celery root dish made with a burnt apple harrisa, sauerkraut, topped with rose petals, curry leaves, and cilantro.
The dish was a merry wallop of fresh flavors. containing sweet, tart, and floral notes, highlighted by an earthy creaminess.
We also had the wood-fired shawarma plate, made with lamb and wagyu beef served with tomatoes and cooked onions seasoned with sumac and drizzled with tahini. The harmonious dish danced across your palette with each bite. It was all truly delicious, marking yet another phase in my life.
June: Sandwiches at The Pie Room
Confit duck leg ragu sandwich from The Pie Room in Beverly Hills
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There’s something to be said about a great sandwich, and the offerings at The Pie Room in Beverly Hills are just that. They're typical deli sandwiches, but small and thin, with great care having been taken over their assembly and contents.
You can choose from confit duck ragu pancetta with fennel pollen, arugula, tarragon and parmesan gremolata, or braised beef and mushroom, or slow-cooked chicken.
My favorite was the confit duck, containing decadent and savory flavors with a hint of sweetness. The fresh herbs cut through some of the richness of sandwich, making it extremely well-balanced.
My favorite part about these sandwiches, however, is that you can order them online for delivery. We’d be hard-pressed to think of anywhere else in L.A. where you can get a sandwich from a Michelin-starred restaurant delivered to your door. What are you waiting for?
July: Seiro Soba at Otafuku
Seiro soba and udon noodles with a side of grated Japanese mountain potato and fried shrimp egg rolls
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I received an invite from my friend Luca Servodio, who hosts the LA Food Podcast and the social media account, the LA Countdown, where he documents his food adventures with Herculean challenges, such as eating one hundred noodle dishes, as he did this year.
We met for lunch in Gardena for his number 56 entry on his noodle crawl, where we visited Otafuku, a family-owned Japanese noodle shop known for its fresh homestyle soba and udon. We had their signature Seiro soba, a traditional cold buckwheat noodle dish cooked to a perfect level of al-dente with just the right amount of chew, something I’m always searching for when it comes to noodles.
You also get a side if you order the combo, so we opted for grated Japanese mountain potatoes, known as tororo in Japan, a type of yam. It makes for a starch-on-starch affair as you dip your soba noodles into the grated potato seasoned with soy sauce and shredded seaweed.
The flavor was exceptionally subtle, with the slightest hints of earthiness and umami. However, this was one of the few times on my list where the flavor took a backseat. Instead it became all about the texture: a lush creaminess paired with the slight pliability of the noodles. It was fascinating, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it all this year.
August: Taco Hell Burger at Terrible Burger
The Taco Hell burger from Terrible Burger, a Long Beach pop-up.
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Oh, the friends you make along the way. During LAist's Tournament of Cheeseburgers this year, I learned about the Long Beach pop-up operation Terrible Burger, run by husband-and-wife team Ryan and Nicole Ramirez.
The pair started their burger pop-up during the Hollywood strikes in 2023, which left them both out of work (Nicole works as a caterer on film sets, Ryan is a teamster). Their burgers feature fun, pop culture-inspired takes, like recreating the Big Kahuna burger from Pulp Fiction, not to mention their ongoing series “Will It Burger?” where Ryan takes various odd-ball ingredients such as Slim Jims and Popeye’s Fried Chicken to both horrifying and hilarious results.
All party tricks aside, Terrible Burger makes a great burger. I tried their Taco Hell burger with a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce. It’s made with double patties seasoned with taco seasoning, shredded cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, and Mexican crema. The spicy, creamy burger delivered just the right amount of Taco Bell aura while still maintaining a well-made burger's character. The quality of the burgers at Terrible Burger superseded my expectations, making them worth the drive the next time they pop up in Long Beach.
September: Dinner at Olive & Rose
Aged rib cap with frites & au poivre from Olive & Rose in Long Beach
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I wrote about Heritage, located in Long Beach, earlier this year. The small restaurant won big at the Michelin Awards for California in 2023, earning both a star for its excellent food and a green star for its sustainable business practices and zero-waste cooking style.
Still, the pre-fixe of $150 without the wine pairing can feel a bit steep. So in September, Chef Phil Pretty and his sister and business partner Lauren opened Olive & Rose inside City Center Motel in downtown Long Beach. It has an a la carte menu perfect for when you don’t want to drop big bucks on a meal.
I enjoyed the Iberico pork presa plate, a beautiful mosaic of thin slices of cured Spanish ham, and the aged ribeye cap with fries served in an au poivre sauce . That, with their burnt marshmallow ice cream served with honeycomb, would make for a damn near perfect meal next time I'm there.
October: Lil Tony sandwich at LaSorted’s
The Lil Tony only available at the LaSorted's in Chinatown is city of L.A. in sandwich form.
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Somehow, owner Tommy Brockert timed the opening of his second location of Dodger-themed pizzeria LaSorted’s in Chinatown perfectly as the boys in blue were crushing their way through the post-season.
I was lucky enough to snag a table the night we beat the New York Mets 10-5. That night, there was magic in the air across Los Angeles, as well as inside the restaurant, where every table was packed and every inch of the wall covered in the team’s memorabilia.
While the pizza at LaSorted’s always hits, one new item stole my heart that night: the Lil Tony sandwich. Currently only available in Chinatown, the sandwich features a sesame seed bun piled high with fried mortadella, drizzled with hot mustard from Philippe’s, located just down the street.
The name itself is a double entendre worthy of a Kendrick Lamar lyric. The name Lil Tony references Anthony Bourdain's favorite sandwich, as noted in his 2016 cookbook, Appetites. But it’s also an homage to Little Joe’s, the Italian American restaurant built in 1897 in Chinatown that was a hangout for Hollywood stars and Dodgers fans before a baseball game. This is L.A. food history at its finest.
November: Korean Army Stew at Yuk Dae Jang
LAist Food editor Gab Chabrán enjoys his bounty at Yuk Dae Jang in Koreatown
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When that slight chill hit the air in L.A. last month, it could only mean one thing: soup season. That’s why I decided to visit Yuk Dae Jang's Koreatown location for some Korean Army Stew, in my view one of the best in the game.
First, there was the large helping of soup, and yes, it could feed an army, a spicy broth packed with Spam, tofu, instant noodles, rice cake, and their signature sausage, served with various banchan dishes. Then there was the bossam, a thinly sliced pork shoulder dish, which you're encouraged to pile high with tofu topped with sesame seeds, purple rice, a variety of kimchis and other assorted accoutrements. It all made for a wonderful mouthful of greatness.
December: Dinner at Budonoki
Naem, made with thai pork sausage, crispy rice, and herby slaw
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I can’t say exactly what my expectations were when I visited this Virgil Village neighborhood restaurant. I try to enter a new place without knowing too much about it, for the same reason I don’t like watching film previews — sometimes it can give too much away.
Pretty much all I knew was that it was an izakaya restaurant, a Japanese word meaning “stay-drink-place.” Izakayas usually serve bar snacks that can be enjoyed with beer and cocktails.
That’s precisely what Budonoki does, through a lens that leans more Thai. It's a nod to chef Dan Rabilwongse's upbringing, who grew up in nearby Echo Park in a Thai immigrant household.
Snacks included the DIY spicy tuna rolls over crispy rice with freshly toasted nori to wrap it up in, richly textured agedashi tofu and naem, a Thai pork sausage, served with crispy rice balls, and herby slaw.
The food was excellent, thoughtfully creative, fun, and interactive — I love using my hands in a dining experience. But beyond that, it’s a great hang, with good service and a well-curated playlist. Everything was on point. I hope to be back soon.
A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking the mailing of mifepristone.
Why it matters: Since the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed enforcement of abortion bans, prescriptions by mail has become a major way that abortions are provided — including to states where bans are in place.
Why now: A panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is requiring that the abortion pill be distributed only in-person at clinics.
What's next: Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, the two makers of mifepristone, have directly asked the Supreme Court to grant them emergency relief, to allow mifepristone to remain available through telemedicine as the case continues.
A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking the mailing of mifepristone.
A panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is requiring that the abortion pill be distributed only in-person at clinics.
Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, the two makers of mifepristone, have directly asked the Supreme Court to grant them emergency relief, to allow mifepristone to remain available through telemedicine as the case continues.
"The Fifth Circuit's order has unleashed regulatory chaos," reads the GenBioPro emergency application to the Supreme Court. The brief also points out that access via pharmacies is restricted by the new order. "Today, patients who planned to pick up a mifepristone prescription at their local pharmacy may no longer be able to do so, regardless of which state they live in."
Since the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed enforcement of abortion bans, prescriptions by mail has become a major way that abortions are provided — including to states where bans are in place.
"Every abortion facilitated by FDA's action cancels Louisiana's ban on medical abortions and undermines its policy that 'every unborn child is human being from the moment of conception and is, therefore, a legal person,'" the ruling states.
Judges have long deferred to the Food and Drug Administration's judgments on the safety and appropriate regulation of drugs.
FDA officials under President Donald Trump have repeatedly stated the agency is conducting a new review of mifepristone's safety, at the direction of the president.
The appeals court judges noted in their ruling that FDA "could not say when that review might be complete and admitted it was still collecting data."
In a court filing, Louisiana's attorney general and a woman who says she was coerced into taking abortion pills requested that the FDA rules be rolled back to when the pills were allowed to be prescribed and dispensed only in person.
A Louisiana-based federal judge last month ruled that those allowances undermined the state's abortion ban but stopped short of undoing the regulations immediately.
"This is going to affect patients' access to abortion and miscarriage care in every state in the nation," said Julia Kaye, an ACLU lawyer. "When telemedicine is restricted, rural communities, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, survivors of intimate partner violence and communities of color suffer the most."
Mifepristone was approved in 2000 as a safe and effective way to end early pregnancies. It is typically used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.
Misoprostol is an older medication that is also used to treat gastric ulcers. It can be used alone to induce abortion and may remain available via telemedicine. The two-drug regimen is preferred because it generally causes less cramping and bleeding for most patients.
When mifepristone was approved in 2000, the FDA initially imposed strict limits on who could prescribe and distribute the pill — only specially certified physicians and only after an in-person appointment where the person would receive the pill.
Both those requirements were dropped during the COVID-19 years. At the time, FDA officials under President Joe Biden said that after more than 20 years of monitoring mifepristone use, and reviewing dozens of studies involving thousands of women, it was clear that women could safely use the pill without direct supervision.
The conservative-majority high court overturned abortion as a nationwide right in 2022 but unanimously preserved access to mifepristone two years later.
That 2024 decision sidestepped the core issues, however, by ruling that the anti-abortion doctors behind the case didn't have legal standing to sue.
NPR staff Selena Simmons-Duffin and Diane Webber contributed to to this report. Copyright 2026 NPR
Exterior of the SAG-AFTRA Labor union building on Wilshire boulevard in Los Angeles, CA.
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Topline:
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors, reached a tentative agreement with major studios yesterday Saturday on a new contract covering films, scripted TV dramas, and streaming content.
Why it matters: The tentative agreement still needs to be approved by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, which the union says will meet in the coming days to review the terms. Details of the new contract won’t be released before then.
The backstory: The actors'union began negotiating with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in February. In 2023, actors went on a four-month strike along with Hollywood writers after negotiations for their respective contracts fell through. In late April, the Writers Guild of America approved their new labor contract.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rule changes for the 99th Oscars, including AI protections for actors and writers as well as expanded eligibility for international films.
Details: Among the most noteworthy changes, the Academy now explicitly states that only roles, "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" are eligible for Acting awards. In other words, AI creations like the much-hyped Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a Best Actress Oscar anytime soon.
Why now: In a statement to NPR, the Academy on Saturday said the changes are in response to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rule changes for the 99th Oscars, including AI protections for actors and writers as well as expanded eligibility for international films.
In a statement to NPR, the Academy on Saturday said the changes are in response to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process.
The Academy added that its rules and eligibility standards have always evolved alongside technologies such as sound, color, and CGI, and that AI is no different. Awards rules and guidelines are reviewed and refined each year.
A blow for Tilly Norwood
Among the most noteworthy changes, the Academy now explicitly states that only roles, "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" are eligible for Acting awards. In other words, AI creations like the much-hyped Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a Best Actress Oscar anytime soon.
Particle6, the production company behind Norwood, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment on Saturday about its creations' ban from consideration. In March, Norwood commented, "Can't wait to go to the Oscars!" in an Instagram post announcing its newly released music video.
The Academy also requires screenplays to be "human-authored" and said it reserved the right to investigate the use of generative AI in any submission.
Meanwhile, qualifying flesh-and-blood human actors can now be nominated for multiple performances in the same category if those performances get enough votes to land in the top five. So, someone like Anne Hathaway, who has five major movies scheduled for release in 2026, could now theoretically sweep the nominations – though that outcome seems extremely unlikely.
"If an actor has an extremely prolific year, might we even see someone swallow up three of the five nominations?," wrote Deadline's awards columnist and chief film critic Pete Hammond about the changes. "Probably won't happen, but it's now possible."
Under previous rules, an actor could only receive one nomination per category. If they had two high-ranking performances in Best Actor, for example, only the one with the most votes would move forward.
International films prioritizes filmmakers over countries
While international films can still be the official selection of their countries, now they can qualify by winning the top prize at a major international festival such as the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, or the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Historically, countries "owned" the nomination, and only one film per country was allowed. The new rules allow multiple films from the same country to compete if they are critically acclaimed, and it shifts the honor from a geopolitical entity to the filmmakers themselves.
Largely positive response
The changes have prompted a largely positive reaction from the film community on social media, such as on the popular The Shade Room entertainment and celebrity-focused Instagram feed, where commenters widely praised the "human-only" move to protect creative jobs.
The Academy's Awards Committee oversees the rules in tandem with branch executive committees, the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee.
The rules are scheduled to go into effect next year, covering films released in 2026.
Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published May 3, 2026 5:00 AM
The main structure of the Verdugo Lodge.
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Kadletz Family Archives
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Topline:
Even in rapidly changing and often paved over L.A., there are still places where you can find ruins that tell a tale. Take the Verdugo Lodge: a long-forgotten speakeasy for old Hollywood near La Crescenta.
The background: According to Mike Lawler of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, the timeline isn’t perfectly clear, but some of the compound was built in the 1920s. It was set up kind of like a timeshare where people bought 10 x 10 foot "tent lots" that gave them access to on-site amenities. There was a golf course, stables, trout stream, a swimming pool... and a lodge with gambling and alcohol.
From speakeasy to 'Mountain Oaks': Sometime around the early 1930s, the tawdry Verdugo Lodge and the surrounding land were purchased and then renamed Mountain Oaks by the Kadletzes — an entrepreneurial family who had run everything from a Turkish bath to a mini golf course. Over the next few decades, the family would rent the place out to local groups for recreational retreats.
Los Angeles changes fast, and oftentimes that means some of the architectural relics of our shared past get swept up and paved over in all the "progress." (RIP Garden of Allah.)
But there are still places where you can find ruins that tell a tale, like a long-forgotten speakeasy reputedly for old Hollywood near La Crescenta.
The ruins are still there
On a recent afternoon, author and local historian Mike Lawler led me just beyond the boundary of Crescenta Valley Park. Joggers like me might have seen an old, towering stone arch shrouded by bushes there — and wondered what lies beyond.
Turns out there was once a place called the Verdugo Lodge back there and Lawler has spent years excavating its history.
A car speeds away from the lodge onto New York Avenue. The stone archway that still stands can be seen in the background.
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“It was a very high-end speakeasy for a time,” Lawler, who also helps run the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, said. “An amazing thing. And all the ruins are still here, just like this arch.”
Lawler said we don’t know exactly when the lodge was built, but we do have some of the picture starting in the late 1920s. The place was set up kind of like a timeshare where people bought 10 x 10 foot ‘tent lots’ that gave them access to on-site amenities. There was a golf course, stables, trout stream, a swimming pool — and a lodge with gambling and alcohol.
“The Crescenta Valley in the teens and '20s was a hotbed of moonshine, prostitution, all that stuff," Lawler said. "It was a quiet little community. But in all these canyons up here, stuff was going on. Illegal stuff!”
We don’t have a full guest list, but Lawler said it’s likely at least a few Hollywood types had gone up to the lodge to circumvent Prohibition era laws.
In some ways, it was kind of like the original glamping. Lawler said patrons probably weren’t doing much sleeping, though.
“They might have been unconscious!” he said with a chuckle.
Lawler led me to a road that swooped around a meadow. We passed by a massive swimming pool nestled into the hillside.
Once known as the “Crystal Pool,” it’s now empty and fenced off, with pitch black locker rooms below.
The exterior of the locker rooms for the old Crystal Pool.
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We continued our journey up the hill and eventually arrived at a cascading stone stairway.
And at the top, the big show: overgrown with orange monkey flowers and goliath agaves lies the foundation of the old Verdugo Lodge, with lofty stone fireplaces the only guardians keeping the surrounding oak trees at bay.
Lawler takes out a floorplan that one of the former owners drew up for him.
“This is what it was laid out like on the inside. So a dancehall, and band stand on that side... And then upstairs was the gambling,” Lawler said.
Lawler had in hand a copy of a Los Angeles Times article from 1933 he found. The headline reads: “Revelers Flee in Lodge Raid.”
“The police that raided it were here at 3 o'clock in the morning. And there were still 500 people here. And they said it was the classiest joint they had ever raided... Anyway, people were diving out of windows and everything,” Lawler explained.
In a ruin like this, covered with moss and overgrowth, the imagination can run wild, too.
The archway that still stands outside of what's now known as Mountain Oaks.
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Lawler pointed out a questionable door jam below the old dancefloor that’s been cemented over.
“That is a door. So what is behind there? So there’s a room in there that got walled in for some reason,” he said.
What we do know is that, sometime after the raid, the tawdry Verdugo Lodge and the surrounding land were purchased and then renamed Mountain Oaks by the Kadletzes — an entrepreneurial family who had run everything from a Turkish bath to a mini golf course. Over the next few decades, the family would rent the place out to local groups for recreational retreats.
The future of Mountain Oaks
After they sold it in the ‘60s, Lawler said Mountain Oaks faced a “nightmare” of development threats. Over the years, some of the subdivided "tent lots" had been combined and sold off, Lawler said. A dozen private homes now stand on these pieces of land, next to the ruins of the Verdugo Lodge.
A map showing the Mountain Oaks public property acquired by The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA).
Paul Edelman, MRCA's director of natural resources and planning, said his group will continue to manage the land, doing things like brush clearance, trash pickup and sign maintenance. And he said there are no current plans to remove the ruins or make any major changes to the property.
“If somebody comes up with a grand idea where they can find some funding for us to do something to enhance it, we’re always open to it,” Edelman said.
The purchase was good news for local preservationist Joanna Linkchorst.
“I grew up directly up the hill. But I always saw the sign that said ‘private property’ and didn’t really think about it until several years ago when I finally asked Mike. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, we got a resort speakeasy down the street,’” Linkchorst said standing among the oaks and overgrowth.
“There’s almost like these little ghosts in your head as you imagine what it was like when there was a beautiful wood floor and there was a second floor that people came jumping out of,” Linkchorst said.
