Nick Carr
@nickcarr.bsky.social
I'm a movie location scout. My job is to explore. This is what I find.
Inquiries / More Posts: www.nickcarr.com
Teamster, Local 399 Hollywood
Inquiries / More Posts: www.nickcarr.com
Teamster, Local 399 Hollywood
With this message scribbled on it: "June 18, 2026: I will return for this bike, leave it here!"
Now I'm preoccupied by two things: whether the mystery bike owner is ever going to return; and that their request has apparently been respected all these months. I too shall abide!
Now I'm preoccupied by two things: whether the mystery bike owner is ever going to return; and that their request has apparently been respected all these months. I too shall abide!
October 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
With this message scribbled on it: "June 18, 2026: I will return for this bike, leave it here!"
Now I'm preoccupied by two things: whether the mystery bike owner is ever going to return; and that their request has apparently been respected all these months. I too shall abide!
Now I'm preoccupied by two things: whether the mystery bike owner is ever going to return; and that their request has apparently been respected all these months. I too shall abide!
I look closer and it's a bike --
October 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
I look closer and it's a bike --
Though it's too contemporary to be considered of much historical interest now, I always wonder if, in a few centuries, historians will point to those arcs of scrub as rare evidence of how the people of yore once sat in their cars to watch that old-fashioned contrivance: a movie.
October 5, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Though it's too contemporary to be considered of much historical interest now, I always wonder if, in a few centuries, historians will point to those arcs of scrub as rare evidence of how the people of yore once sat in their cars to watch that old-fashioned contrivance: a movie.
Able to accommodate 500 cars, the drive-in operated throughout much of Route 66's cultural peak, finally closing in 1968. The screen was still standing in 1980, though in significant disrepair.
October 5, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Able to accommodate 500 cars, the drive-in operated throughout much of Route 66's cultural peak, finally closing in 1968. The screen was still standing in 1980, though in significant disrepair.
A drive-in movie screen! This was once the Bar-Len Drive-in, opened in December 1948 and so-named because it straddled the line between the desert communities of Barstow and Lenwood.
October 5, 2026 at 5:59 PM
A drive-in movie screen! This was once the Bar-Len Drive-in, opened in December 1948 and so-named because it straddled the line between the desert communities of Barstow and Lenwood.
The satellite view makes this more apparent, a series of concentric arcs all focused on one point... But for what purpose??
October 5, 2026 at 5:59 PM
The satellite view makes this more apparent, a series of concentric arcs all focused on one point... But for what purpose??
Standing in the middle of the 7-acre lot, you might just notice that the foliage seems to be growing in oddly parallel arcs...
October 5, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Standing in the middle of the 7-acre lot, you might just notice that the foliage seems to be growing in oddly parallel arcs...
Complete with an inner spiral staircase, its light shines every night across the desert, a wonderfully surreal sight for travelers passing by Hinkley on the 58.
October 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Complete with an inner spiral staircase, its light shines every night across the desert, a wonderfully surreal sight for travelers passing by Hinkley on the 58.
A well-known local landmark, the "Desert Lighthouse" is an art installation by Daniel Hawkins, installed in 2017 after a failed prior attempt and years of planning.
October 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
A well-known local landmark, the "Desert Lighthouse" is an art installation by Daniel Hawkins, installed in 2017 after a failed prior attempt and years of planning.
Nope. It is indeed a fully functional lighthouse in the middle of the Mojave.
October 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Nope. It is indeed a fully functional lighthouse in the middle of the Mojave.
Except that couldn't be. It had to be a cell phone tower or utility pole...right?
October 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Except that couldn't be. It had to be a cell phone tower or utility pole...right?
So funny that these little postcards have wound up playing an immensely valuable historical record of properties that might not otherwise have been documented.
September 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
So funny that these little postcards have wound up playing an immensely valuable historical record of properties that might not otherwise have been documented.
I always get excited when the postcards show interior spaces like restaurants and bars at their prime, a production designer's dream. Sadly, these almost always have been gutted and modernized beyond recognition.
September 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
I always get excited when the postcards show interior spaces like restaurants and bars at their prime, a production designer's dream. Sadly, these almost always have been gutted and modernized beyond recognition.
Other times, it's pretty amazing how little has changed.
September 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Other times, it's pretty amazing how little has changed.
Sometimes, you can't believe you're at the same place.
September 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Sometimes, you can't believe you're at the same place.
They also provide an excellent guide on what cosmetic changes are needed to restore them to an authentic vintage look, usually just painting and some signage.
September 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
They also provide an excellent guide on what cosmetic changes are needed to restore them to an authentic vintage look, usually just painting and some signage.
To find properties that may not even be motels anymore, but still have the bones to be dressed as such.
September 29, 2026 at 4:35 PM
To find properties that may not even be motels anymore, but still have the bones to be dressed as such.
But to this day, it remains one of my deepest regrets that I wasn't able to witness a bunch of drunk idiots attempt to duke it out on a Brooklyn street corner to the funky beats of "Kung Fu Fighting." (Though my wife is convinced I'd have just focused the mob's fury on me).
September 24, 2026 at 5:11 PM
But to this day, it remains one of my deepest regrets that I wasn't able to witness a bunch of drunk idiots attempt to duke it out on a Brooklyn street corner to the funky beats of "Kung Fu Fighting." (Though my wife is convinced I'd have just focused the mob's fury on me).
Sadly, I wasn't quick enough. Just as I was about to hit play, the police showed up (someone in the building must have called), and everyone scattered.
For months after, I kept my amp by the window in case of another fight, but none occurred, and then I moved out of the city.
For months after, I kept my amp by the window in case of another fight, but none occurred, and then I moved out of the city.
September 24, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Sadly, I wasn't quick enough. Just as I was about to hit play, the police showed up (someone in the building must have called), and everyone scattered.
For months after, I kept my amp by the window in case of another fight, but none occurred, and then I moved out of the city.
For months after, I kept my amp by the window in case of another fight, but none occurred, and then I moved out of the city.
Because my theory is, no matter how angry you are, there is absolutely no way anyone can fight and keep up the tough guy bravado while the disco beats of "Everybody was kung fighting!!" are blaring over the neighborhood. Like, legitimately impossible.
September 24, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Because my theory is, no matter how angry you are, there is absolutely no way anyone can fight and keep up the tough guy bravado while the disco beats of "Everybody was kung fighting!!" are blaring over the neighborhood. Like, legitimately impossible.