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)

Off-Ramp TemperaTour(TM); This Old Thing?; The Best Milkshake in Riverside; Belmont Fiasco; Gronk's Takes on Film; Senator Craig Finds Sympathy with Older Gay Men; Domanick on Pelicano; MacArthur Park is Alive with the Sound of Music; Listener Call

Some Pig; Bob Baker's Marionette Theater; Mid-Century Chimes; Cattle Call; Deep Beef; The ABC's of BBQ; Domanick on Spector; Songs of Protest; The Big Picture; Letters

L.A. Appetites; Sushi Zen; Hot Ramen; I Eat Ramen, Hear Me Roar!; El Pollo Chino; Would You Eat Granny?; Some botanas, por favor; Urban Survivalist; Tree of Life

A Last Goodbye; Hello Tiki-Ti ; Tiki Tribute; Ghost in the Machine; It's Not a Knack; Dad's in Jail; Santee Alley; Eden's Edge; Bahooka; Web Extra

Phantograms; Keystone-Mast Collection; Projecting 3-D Ain't Free; Leaves of Photographs; Humble Art; D.I.Y. 3-D; Reel-D; LA's First Family Of Photography; Julius Shulman; Take My Picture; Shooting History

Kinky in Los Angeles; The Unsung Pelon; Armenian Melodies; Re-Gifting Sound; Cello Fellow; A Little Night Music; Rock En Spanglish; These Kids are Alright; Harper Woods

Doo Dah Surf

Armenian Melodies; Deep Beef; Safer Cities Initiative: One Year Later; Mimislist; Craigslist Considered; Strings Theory; The Mayor of Gladys Park; Skid Row Redux; Sex Abuse; Sapphic Poet