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)

Special Off-Ramp Podcast - Interview with TCM's Ben Mankiewicz

The chips are fine -- it's the bag that's too noisy ... SoCal Noir with Marc Haefele ... CyberFrequencies on The Entryway ... Annual Roses & Lemon Award goes to AEG and ugly government buildings ...

EatLA on Gastropubs ... Dinner Party Download ... Photos by one of The Minutemen ... Larry Mantle interviewed by John Rabe ... The Voice of Bambi - Donnie Dunagan ... The Secret of Kells ... Poverty in Armenia.

A parable from Father Greg Boyle from his book, "Tattoos on the Heart."

Passover in the Desert ... CyberFrequencies talks with a woman who tried to scam the email scammers ... Marimbist Naoko Takada ... Anna Russell's twenty-minute Ring Cycle.

Jeff Mallett on Diagnosis: Triathlete ... Riding the Angels Flight once again ... Father Boyle's big idea: give gangstas an alternative besides jail ... Dinner Party Download makes you smarter, sweetens your breath ... and so much more.

CyberFrequencies talks to the woman who started a Debtors Revolt on YouTube... 1960s music icon Donovan sings and plays for Off-Ramp ... we send a real-life couple to the big travel expo to look for a honeymoon package ... Kevin Ferguson reports on female musicians' tributes bands dedicated to the music of male rock bands.

60s icon Donovan and his guitar in studio!