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)

Pasadena artist Kenton Nelson ... Hipstamatic & Instagram v News ... new voting tech via crowdsourcing ... Giant Rock = Boffo Muz Biz? ... RIP Firesign Theatre's Peter Bergman ...

Blind mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin's new album, "Do You Dream in Color?" ... the music of "John Carter" ... a last Bookmobile ... the Flying Pigeon's bikes for the citizen cyclist ... What is Steam Punk? ...

Assemblyman Mike Gatto proposes cottage food law for home cooks ... why is this man fascinated with Apocalypitc visions of the 1970s ... Materials and Applications intrigues Silverlake, world ... The Jazz Bakery gets a new home, at last ...

Tim Robbins with Off-Ramp host John Rabe, in-depth

Rabe (again) takes up the cause of stopping handicap parking placard abusers ... LA's condom law and its impact on the porn industry ... Autumn de Wilde photos of a pig slaughter in a tasting room? ... the Pasadena Conservatory screens for dedication, not talent ... Tim Robbins and The Actors Gang bring back 1984.

In a special Off-Ramp podcast, John Rabe's (mostly) uncut interview with Cheech Marin about Chicano art, including an exclusive tour of Marin's huge Chicano art collection, and his memories of Cheech&Chong.

Cheech Marin gives Off-Ramp an exclusive tour of his Chicano art ... Lincoln Elementary 5th graders on love and Valentine's Day ... Love among the Bonobos ... Nico Case reborn ... "Finding Nemo's" flexible sexuality ...

Lisa See talking with Off-Ramp host John Rabe about Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy, two bestselling novels about the Chinese-American immigrant experience.