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)

Take THAT, Ira! RH Greene's Off-Ramp doc "Vampira and Me" is now a movie. Plus, the man who pitched a foetus, Crenshaw kids' summer plans, and Jerry's junk.

A man who built his own bronze foundry, a new documentary about a Tijuana crime reporter, steve mARTin, and something about the Kings and Father's Day.

Merry Lepper, first US woman to run a marathon, did it in Culver City, 1963; Langers' anniversary; how one woman learned to face death and helped others do the same.

We'll take you to The Other Side for one more round & one more song, visit two performances you'll want to catch, & ask why Molly is live Tweeting the War of 1812.

For Memorial Day: Who was Oskar Schindler, really? What happened the night the U.S.S. Indianapolis sunk? What difference can a photo make for a military family?

Typing on Andy Rooney's typewriter, Pasadena's newest wine store, Really Old Jews Tell Jokes, and the logistics of bringing in the space shuttle.

Peter Mac as Judy Garland celebrates the arrival of Mother's Day, Middle School Students act out real life drama, Pogues's expat tells all.

Rob Schmitz on China and Apple, Richard Chamberlain in The Heiress at the Pasadena Playhouse; Bookman David Kipen on Expo Line; Merv Griffin's historic TV archive