Fireworks

Los Angeles is home to at least a dozen big fireworks shows come the Fourth of July.

But in The Wilfair Hotel's city neighborhood? No fireworks. Meaning that Fair and Sutton would need to go to the roof of the hotel to watch pyrotechnics (they could probably see the Hollywood Bowl's show and Exposition Park at USC). Of course, The Wilfair has that slight tilt, so the ladies would have to sit with their chairs against the stairwell door, in order not to slowly slide.

The Motel Fairwil has a pool and all of that lovely outdoor space, so I imagine the Overbove cousins would roll out the barbecue for the guests. Would they hand out sparklers? You bet. Monty seems like a guy who might always have a batch of sparklers on hand.

Now I want Monty and Gomery to go up on The Wilfair's roof, too, for fireworks. Note to self.

Happy fireworks, happy hot dogs, and happy Fourth! (And if you're visiting the blog from abroad, welcome, and thanks for saying hello!)

© Jason Smith | Dreamstime.com

*Post first ran in 2012

Wilfair's Real Neighborhood

The setting of "Wilfair" is real.

The first book takes place at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles -- that's where the book and its hotel get its name -- as well as the art museum and tar pits up the street. There's also a quick visit in the story to Farmers Market, a famous public market.

This older photo shows almost the entire setting of the first book. The intersection of Wilshire and Fairfax is at the very bottom of the photo, slightly to the right (meaning the fictional hotel and motel would be slightly out of frame). Above it? The museum, and above that, the tar pits (the dark lake to the upper right). Wilshire is the long street that runs along the right of the photo.

Farmers Market, where Sutton works, is not pictured. It's a few blocks off to the left.

Oh, and the grocery store that Fair is thinking of when she says people fall in love in Aisle 6, next to the frozen peas? That's real, too. It's at the very upper right.

Have you been to LA? What did you do here?

photo: Remapping LA

Yo What Up

Found in the general Wilshire/Fairfax vicinity.

Monty's Movie Theaters

Movie lover Monty Overbove is lucky enough to live in a city where films are made, meaning there are many fine theaters.

But these two offbeat screens are walking distance from his motel home on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue:

New Beverly Cinema 

(Revivals, double features, and owned by Quentin Tarantino to boot)

The Cinefamily

(Funky films in the old Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax)

photo: New Beverly Cinema

Farmers Market

It's one of the three real locations mentioned in Wilfair. It's where Sutton works. And I love it so.

My pal Charles Coy snapped these superb pics.

*The other two real locations? La Brea Tar Pits and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The Miracle Mile

That's the real nickname for The Wilfair's neighborhood.

It comes from the way-back era when the area near Wilshire and Fairfax served as LA's frou-frou shopping destination. I didn't set the stories on The Miracle Mile because of the nickname -- here's why I chose that corner. But do I love the catchy name and its obvious mystique? I do.

On The Wilfair's Corner

I love love love this building. And it is still on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue! (Photo posted by the wonderful Vintage Los Angeles.)

Palm Tree and Mysterious Moon

What's in a Name: Wilfair

Does your city do this?

Many Los Angeles businesses are "combo named" after their nearest intersection. Probably the most famous is the Wiltern Theater, which is located at Wilshire and Western (hence the "Wil" and "tern").

The intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, however, doesn't have any such businesses. It's long been a mystery to me.











I knew I wanted to write a story set in this intersection's neighborhood, which I happen to think is one of the most magical places on the planet. (Here's why I think that.)

Then I knew I'd name the main business The Wilfair.

Then I knew The Wilfair would be a hotel. I love hotel stories and I grew up in hotels.

Then I knew it needed an antagonist. So I created Motel Fairwil, also a combo-named business.

Then I needed some people living and working in each building who liked each other but didn't feel entirely comfortable with liking each other, due to their businesses being in competition.

Then I needed something for them to fight over. Enter the motel's swimming pool.

Lastly? The series lead is named Fair Finley. (Fair's name comes from Fairfax Avenue.) So, is the title "Wilfair" also a question?

And does that make the motel's name -- Fairwil -- something of an answer?

Questions.

What's in a Setting: Wilfair's Neighborhood

I flat-out, hands-down, forever-and-ever love The Wilfair's real neighborhood.

It's in the middle of Los Angeles. That adds a lot of excitement, yes, but I chose this setting for the Wilfair series for four reasons.

1. I wanted to set a magical hotel at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue and I wanted to name it Wilfair. I wanted to set a magical motel on that very same corner and name it Fairwil. (Okay, that's two reasons.)

2. One of the world's most famous and picturesque fossil sites is walking distance. It's the La Brea Tar Pits, or simply the tar pits to the locals.

3. One of the world's most famous and treasure-filled art museums is walking distance. It's the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA to the locals.

4. One of the world's most famous and beloved public markets is walking distance. It's called the Original Farmers Market, or FM to the locals. (That's what my friends and I call it, anyway, when we're in a rush to get to all the good food.)

I'm prone to hyperbole, I admit it, but I think calling those three locations world-famous is on the money. So a magical hotel and motel seemed a natural fit for the area.

And when Fair and her friends/enemies want to leave their hotel and motel and go out, they've got three amazing, cinematic places to hang, no car required. (Yep, the hotel heiress has a driver, and the motel guys have a van, but they prefer to go on foot in LA's most walkable area.)

I love you, tar pits, LACMA, and FM.

What's in a Name: Fair

Meet Fair Finley, Wilfair's lead.



Fair is fair. She always wants to make the perfect, and perfectly fair, decision. Which means she sometimes postpones the decision entirely.




She's also named after Fairfax Avenue, which is next to The Wilfair. Fairfax is a real Los Angeles thoroughfare.
















The name's third inspiration? Check LA weather, pretty much any time of the year, and you'll probably see a particular word.









Yep. It's usually fair in Los Angeles. Making it, for me, the perfect name for a local heroine.

Gomery and Monty: Real?

I love this tweet asking if Gomery and Monty Overbove are real (actually, it reads "Please tell me Montgomery 1 and/or 2 are real!")

Sarah, smiles. Seriously.

Various incarnations of Monty frequent The Grove. The outdoor shopping center has 1) dancing waters 2) celebrity sightings and 3) the biggest Christmas tree in Los Angeles. The Grove is also a few blocks north of Wilshire and Fairfax. Coincidence?

Monty-type guys walk fast and sport dark hair and untucked shirttails. I suspect a lot of The Grove-based Montys are actors, because they're all dreamboaty and have a delightfully driven air.

I've never seen Gomery. There are a couple of musicians I listen to who could be in Gomery's family tree, appearance-wise, but the man himself? Not yet. Eyes peeled.

I saw Sutton's doppelganger working in the San Francisco's Ferry Building last summer. She sang along to Radiohead's "High and Dry" and flirted with customers. Wilfair had been out a few weeks and I wanted to give her a copy, but, like. That would have been weird. Right? Yeah.

And Fair? The moment I spy a snood and evening gloves out of the corner of my eye I'll report back here.

Anyway. Sarah. You asked after Montgomery #1 and Montgomery #2. Monty is at The Grove, smiling at the ladies. And let's say for now that Gomery's walking down Wilshire, toward the museum, hands in corduroy pockets, thinking about theorems and if he'll possibly get a glance of Fair through the citrus topiaries today.

Magic City

Los Angeles and night. Two of my favorite things.


LA Light from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

Window Hearts

Taken a few blocks from Wilshire and Fairfax.

How a Palm Tree Sounds

I find wind in a palm to be especially beautiful. This pretty tree is near Olympic and Crenshaw. Palms are quite tall, of course, but this guy was on the shorter side, so I was able to reach my arm up and get fairly close. Still, passersby looked at me like, "hi, lady, standing there, are you making an audio recording of a tree?"

Yes. Yes I am.

The Real Places of Wilfair

I like stories flush with magic realism. But I also like them to be set in places I can visit, if possible.

Just my thing.

With that in mind, Wilfair, Redwoodian, and future books will all incorporate at least one or two real California locales.

They are, so far:

Wilfair
La Brea Tar Pits (a tar bubble figures prominently in the story)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Fair, Monty, and Gomery pay a quick visit)
Original Farmers Market (Sutton's fruitcher shop)

Oh, and let us not forget Wilshire and Fairfax. It's a real Los Angeles intersection that's within walking distance of the aforementioned places.












Redwoodian
Owens Valley (it's along Highway 395 near the eastern Sierra)
Alabama Hills near Lone Pine (where the gang stops for coffee)
Sierra Nevada (The Redwoodian and the Stay Awhile Cabins would be in the Mammoth Lakes area)

Tar Pits Art

This tile is outside Clifton's Cafeteria. Not in beautiful condition, but considering it has been occupying a Los Angeles sidewalk for many years, it looks great.

Question: Is it the only Saber-toothed cat to grace a downtown pavement? I'll wager it might be.