Honolulu California

Not a juxtaposition but an actual location. Antiquated shops and restaurants can be found on a street named Honolulu in a little town called Montrose, California.

Out of curiosity, I wondered what types of shops were on that street? Little images of tiki torches, vintage hula dancer lamps, and iconic aloha shirts danced in my imagination.

So, I decided to do a little search and here's what I found: The most popular thing to do on Honolulu Ave is attend the weekly Harvest Market (a farmer's market mixed with artist stalls, petting zoos, food booths and other 80 sellers). It's located on the corner of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean Avenue. {Strange street names for a city that's only 6 miles from the Angeles National Forest.} Live jazz music and fresh food shopping make it a nice afternoon.

Montrose is a cute little town with an antiquated feel--as if you never left the 1950 and 60s. A few movies have been filmed here for this reason. Montrose is also home of an anuual Arts & Crafts Festival (June 6-7th this year) and a Christmas parade that attracts 10,000 people luring them with vintage cars, marching bands, and all of those old time Christmas parade feel-goods.

The scoop:

For more on Honolulu Ave in Montrose visit the city's visitors site Black Cow Cafe, Montrose Bakery and Coffee Bean are popular eateries that add to the area's charm.

Honolulu Harvest Market: Sundays, 9am-2pm (Honolulu/Ocean Avenues)

For Other Famers Market locations in So Cal see: www.farmernet.com

{ photo by babyastrid}