The Oldest McDonald’s - Downey, CA

We visited the quintessential fast-food restaurant in Downey, about a 15-minute drive southeast from downtown Los Angeles, CA. This is the oldest McDonald's restaurant in the world.

The sign features one massive yellow parabola coming out of the ground instead of the iconic "Golden Arches."The towering neon chef "Speedee" was McDonald's first mascot and he symbolized fast, efficient service.

This McDonald's was opened in 1953 by Roger Williams and Bud Landon. It was the third restaurant franchised by Richard and Maurice McDonald, who founded the chain in 1948. The Downey restaurant, then, is the fourth oldest McDonald's but remains the oldest still standing today.

There's a large sign in the window above the counter comparing the prices of things in 1955 to those of today; gas used to cost 20 cents per gallon, now it costs $3.40. A loaf of bread used to cost 18 cents, not it's $3.50. The McDonald's hamburger, which used to cost 15 cents, now costs $1.00. 

Then, in big, red, bold letters: "Our $1.00 Hamburger is a better value today than it was in 1955 when it was 15 cents! [sic]"

The building is mid-century style architecture with windows across the front for customers to walk up and place orders Next to it is a building to provide indoor dining and a small museum showing many very early McDonald's historical items. The drive-thru was not added until 1916. The restaurant was open for food sales the day we visited but the indoor dining was closed. However, I was able to take some zoom photos.

About McDonal's see photo below:

When people think "McDonald's" they don't typically think "innovative," but they should. McDonald's paved the way for Americans' obsession with inexpensive, expeditious food. It pioneered the whole red-and-white tile burger-joint aesthetic that California made famous and lives on today in franchises like In-N-Out.

If you're hunger after reading this, go out a get yourself a McDonald's or In-N-Out burger. 

Thanks for traveling with us.

Blessings!

Liberty Sculpture Park, "Fight for Freedom," in Yermo, CA

Driving north from Los Angeles, CA we stopped at the Liberty Sculpture Park off I-15 exit 194 in Yermo, CA. This patch of land is dedicated to art by Weiming Chen, that spreads the message for freedom.

The Park promotes democracy, freedom and human rights by the Chinese overseas, and a memorial ground for communist victims.

As we parked and walked toward the park, the first noticeable sculpture is a 16-foot-tall likeness of Chinese activist Li Wangyang. He was imprisoned for 21 years following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

There by the garish ice cream sundae water tank, is a wired fence with the plaque "Lennon Wall." Here we saw many wooden plaques of individuals stating their opinion/understanding of the Chinese Communist.

The massacre took place on 6/4/1989. The numberers are 6.4 meters tall (20.0094 feet), and they are set at a 64-degree angle and the sculpture is 6,400 miles from the massacre site in Tiananmen Square.

Title "Tank Man," it's a life-size version of the famous photograph of an unidentified man, holding a briefcase, defiantly standing in front of a column of Tiananmen Square tanks. Chen made the men out of 1,300 pounds of bronze-painted concrete. He wanted a real tank, but last-minute delays forced him to build one from scratch out of steel, wood, fiberglass, plaster, and plastic foam.

Staring down the tank in front of Tank Man.

Crazy Horse, is a 15-foot-high head of the Native American leader.

My understanding is that the artist Chen will dedicate one or two sculptures every year at this Liberty Sculpture Park. When we visited there was no one else around, we hope as people drive on I-15 will see the sculptures and stop for knowledge as well as be encouraged to fight for freedom.

Thank you for traveling with us.

Blessings!

Today's Thought - "Our Mind"

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Dr. Martin Luther King once told of riding the bus across town every day to attend high school. In those days blacks were required to sit at the backs of buses while whites sat in the front. Even if there were not any white people on the bus, blacks still could not sit in the front. If all the “black seats” were occupied, riders had to stand over the empty seats reserved for whites. “I would end up having to go to the back of that bus with my body,” said Dr. King, “but every time I got on the back of that bus I left my mind up on the front seat. And I said to myself, ‘One of these days, I’m going to put my body up there where my mind is.’” (Source: Clayborne Carson, ed., The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Warner Books, 1998, p. 9).

Our brains are a complex aspect of God’s creation, and our minds are the fountainhead of our lives. Marcus Aurelius wrote, “The most important things in life are the thoughts you choose to think.” Dale Carnegie, “If I knew what you think, I would know what you are. Our thoughts make us what we are.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” Marcus Aurelius added, “Our life is what our thought make it.” (Source: Keith Hunt, “The Armor of God to Battle Satan #5.” In Keithhunt.com, Apr. 2009).

Every temptation comes to us via our thoughts, making the mind the battleground of the soul. Decartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” Transform your mind by the renewing of your thoughts. The Greek word for “transformed” is metemorpho from which we get our word metamorphosis. We experience an inner metamorphosis as our minds are renewed by God’s Spirit and His Word. 

Have a blessed day!

Coca Cola Store, Las Vegas

Few days ago, we made a trip down to the Las Vegas Strip and enjoyed walking around the Las Vegas Coca Cola Store.

This store has everything imaginable items related to Coca Cola.

From hats to shirts to mugs to glass to magnets to other souvenirs, this store is for the Coca Cola lovers.

We've spent the time simply wandering around this nostalgic store to cool down from a hot Las Vegas day and enjoy Coca Cola items.

Thanks for traveling with us.

Blessings!