For the first Off-Ramp podcast episode, let's go back to that amazing day in 2013 when my friend Chris sent me a message:

"Hey, John. My sister and her husband just bought a home in the Valley with a fallout shelter that hasn't been touched in decades. Wanna do an Off-Ramp piece about it?" 

Would I? Should you wear a sport coat to Musso & Frank? Are horizontal fence slats getting old? Are you legally required to take visiting relatives to The Huntington? Yes!

The piece you're about to listen to was probably the most popular one we ever did, in no small part due to the great photos by Mae Ryan. 

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

Welcome from host John Rabe, a public radio veteran and bon vivant who turned exploring Southern California into a radio art form on KPCC's Off-Ramp. Now, he's sharing stories from the Off-Ramp archive - in a lead-lined vault deep beneath Mt Wilson - with you!

Check your feed every Friday, then sit back, listen, enjoy ... and then get out and make your own SoCal adventures!

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios)

The backstory to THE sign spinning company, in NoHo ... Easter Eggs in animated films ... Brains On, the science podcast for kids, and what the brain sounds like ... the Griffith of Griffith Park was a very nasty man ... Alex Israel and Brett Easton Ellis collaborate, and our critic hates it

Mel Haber tells us about starting Melvyn's, his landmark Palm Springs eatery ... we prep you for WonderCon, coming to LA for the first time ... Marc Haefele makes us wistful for Black Mountain College ... whither Mariachi Plaza?

Joe DiMaggio's last car up for sale in Woodland Hills, and we drive in it ... seeing the Larry King murder through a clinical psychologist's eyes ... DubLab's "weird" and calming presence in Union Station ... Yacht Rock returns to LA ... Hauser Wirth + Schimmel preview ...

KB Homes is building 450 homes next to the Santa Susanna Nuclear Test Lab ... Fowler Museum opens exhibit of 2,000 pieces by Chicano Movement icon Jose Montoya ... at Otium, the prices are high, but the service is slow ... Remembering Octavia Butler ...

Music writer Alex Ross on John Williams' legacy as the composer receives his 50th Oscar nomination ... the Hidden History of Los Angeles ... Brains On takes us to the International Space Station and starts a Kickstarter campaign ... 5 Every Week gives you five cool things to do this week ...

From the corner booth at the historic Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood, we talk the biggest night in Hollywood with critics, writers and more!

Balancing love and commuting ... TiGeorge's George LaGuerre writes his memoir ... 5 Every Week takes us to MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary for the LA Art Book Fair ... What kids know about true love: everything.

Catherine Opie's portrait of Elizabeth Taylor's home says a lot about the star ... Why is Modernism Week in Palm Springs? ... 5 Every Week gives you the ways and the means to explore SoCal ... Goodbye Jubilee