Hunting Down the Honeymoon Hotel: A Genealogical Adventure

My parents got hitched on Sept. 1, 1957, in a Russian Orthodox Wedding, in Claremont, Ca..

They didn't get around to the Honeymoon until the following summer.

This story is one of the reasons I care so much about Genealogy, and is my latest answer to the question discussed in my last post.

My Mother always said it was at the beach, but I don't remember her ever saying what beach and when.

However, in an evelope along with the receipt from the County Clerks office, and the Laboratory Report Forms for each of them, saying they each passed the Mazzini, and V.D.B.L. Tests with flying colors, thus certifying it was safe for them to get married, hop in the sack and do what comes natural-like so as to produce yours truly, and my sisters, there was a Hotel Receipt singed by my Dad.

It showed that he paid $43 for a 6 day stay at the Ocean Front Hotel, in July 1958.

The coast of Southern California covers a lot of ground, and my parents, not being car drivers, needed their Honeymoon Haven to be accessable by bus, any bus! ;-D

My search required access to phone books and city directories of the 1950's so, since I was going to Los Angeles anyway I stopped in at the Genealogy and History Department at the Main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

I found an Orange County Directory, from 1936, that placed the hotel at 2304 1/2 Ocean Ave., in Newport Beach, Ca., and one from 1960 that placed it at 2304 W. Ocean Front Ave. Newport Beach, CA..

What's a fraction among Business Partners, right? ;-D

The next morning I went to the Library of the South Orange County CA. Genealogical Society, at the Mission Viejo Public Library looking for a 1958 phone book, or city directory, as final confirmation.

They did not have any but suggested I go to the Sherman Historical Library and Gardens, in Corona Del Mar, adjacent to Newport Beach.

They had one, but would not allow me to make a copy of the pages I needed due to a fear of damaging the old books.

I spent some time looking through old history books for pictures of the hotel, but found none.

I then went over to the Newport Beach Main Library, and found the books, took pictures, and made copies of the pages I needed.

The 2nd and 3rd Annual editions of the Newport Harbor Yearbook and Business Directory, coveing the years 1957 to 1959, and the 1958 Luskey's Official Newport Beach and Costa Mesa CrissCross City Directory had the place listed as 2306 W. Ocean Front Ave..

Notice the crowd at the beach, on one page, and the listing on the opposite page,in this Yearbook listing.

Notice the panoramic aerial view of the coast, and the hotel listing in this directory.

After tracking the hotel over the years, in other directories, and learning that it appeared to have closed in 1980, then re-opened under the name of the Portofino Beach Hotel, I was able to establish tat it was still under that name in 1993.

Since the Library had no other 90's era directories it was time for me to see what was on that corner on a nice summer evening in 2008. ;-D

The street runs north to south, parallel to the Promenade, and the sandy beach itself, and the location I was looking for was a few blocks north of the historic Pier.

Hell, just about every building down there, and in nearby downtown Balboa, is historic, with many going back to 1904, and a few even older, but some have been converted into apartments popular with the summer vacation crowd.

I got off the bus, walked 2 blocks, stopped in my tracks, and stared in joy and wonder.

There it was.

It is now called the Newport Beachwalk Hotel (New Owners Renovated the 15 room establishment in 2006.).

The building dates to 1904, and has probably been a Hotel since well before the 1936 lisitng, I found for it, maybe even from the beginning in 1904.

As the website states this place has long been "Newport's Closest Hotel to the Beach", and "provides the amenities of a luxury hotel with a unique beachside cottage ambiance and comfort.

It is sort of a Bed and Breakfast, steeped in the atmosphere of its antique structure, and furnishings, and is still popular with Honeymooners.

I walked inside, stood looking around, with my whole body just tingling with awe, then approached the ancient front desk and, waving my old receipt, asked the nice young lady behind the counter if she wanted to see a bit of history. ;-D

Her eyes got big, and she smiled when I told her that was my parents honeymoon receipt. ;-D

I asked her how much 1 night in a standard room would now cost, and she said $175. ;-D

The place may be small, but it's fancy. ;-D

Standing there, in the same place where my parents had spent 6 happy days of their young lives, I felt a closeness to them, and a sense of accomplishemnt at nailing down the exact location of their little Idyll. ;-D

Comments

[Bill West]

Kiril,

I don't know for sure where my folks honeymooned but suspect it was someplace in Maine so Mom could meet Dad's family.

I wish I'd asked.

Great post!

[Ivan]

Very nice post.

Sounds like something I would do too. :-P

[Dawn Thurston]

I love this inspiring post and admire your tenacity in tracking down this bit of family history.

I can imagine how satisfying it was to solve this little mystery.

I'm from Orange County and know that general area.

Dawn
www.MemoirMentor.com/blog