The Retro Blog

I live in on the far SW side of San Francisco, which is practically Daly City. Most people think Daly City is decidedly uncool, but I beg to differ. On my occasional trips to Trader Joe’s I’m always finding myself wondering what people hate so much about Daly City. It has far more awesome retro houses than anything you see in San Francisco. A perfectly planned suburban community, the “little boxes” of Daly City feature bright 50’s colors, sharp, interesting angles, abstract garage door art, and creative atomic landscaping. Retro Renovations recently did a post on the topic, which brought my attention to the “little boxes” flickr photo pool as well as a book devoted to the subject. I’ve found myself contemplating giving up on city life altogether to get myself into one of these babies.

If you’re ever in the Bay Area you can take a drive through the quaint little Westlake neighborhood and stop at Joe’s of Westlake, a restaurant that serves spaghetti and meatballs to the gummy mouths of the same exact customers as it did in the 50’s.

There’s even a song about the homes, “Little Boxes” by Malvina Reynolds. More recently, the song has been used as the opening theme for the television series Weeds.