"From the cesspools of excitement, where Jim Morrison once stood..." go lyrics from the Frank Zappa song "Tinseltown Rebellion." Not a cesspool, but equpped with a swimming pool, the Tropicana Motel, at 8585 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, California, was a place where Morrison stood, ate, and did other rock-star things. Other rockers favored the location as well. The median strip is the former right of way of the Pasadena and Pacific Railway, later the Pacific Electric Santa Monica Boulevard/West Hollywood line, and finally the Southern Pacific West Los Angeles branch. The motel was torn down within two years after this photo was taken. 4/7/1985"
From The Infamous Tropicana Motel Hollywoods's Facebook pages:
The Tropicana Motel
At one point, this hotel/motel was the property of baseball great Sandy Koufax. Sadly, it was torn down in 1988 and an unattractive Ramada Inn built on the site.
In the 1960's and '70's, the Trop was the West Coast base of many musicians. It was often the first hotel sort of place many band members stayed at on their first trips to Los Angeles. There were several bungalow [sic] behind the motel that offered more private lodging.
The Tropicana was basic and affordable. It was located on Santa Monica Boulevard close to the clubs in West Hollywood and the west side.
There are many stories of long, late-night parties going on there in the '60's and '70'. Jim Morrison of the Doors lived there, and would often spend days sleeping off his party binges. Chuck E. Weiss, Tom Waits were residents too. Frequent guests included Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Bruce Springstein, Eddie Cochran, the Beach Boys, Jim McGuinn of the Byrds, Led Zeppelin, Guns and Roses, Martha and the Vandellas, and Frank Zappa, whose "freak-outs" were legendary. It was a first stop on the way up the rock and roll ladder, as well as a place to stay once you'd made it. The big record companies grew on Santa Monica Boulevard and the Sunset Strip during this era, and made LA the rock and roll recording center of America.
info source: LA Time Machines
Dukes Coffee Shop was located at the Tropicana motel on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
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