A night view of “Neon Alley” in San Diego, showing the Hula Hut, the Cuckoo Club, and The Spot, 1952. Photo, Charles Phoenix collection.
Along the downtown streets of San Diego during and after WWII, there were dozens of restaurants, clubs, bars, tattoo parlors — all vying for the enlisted man’s paycheck. A high concentration of them existed in what was known as “Neon Alley” or “Sailors’ Row.” Here are a couple of 35mm slides (dated 1952) from the collection of Charles Phoenix, showing a few of these places in all their neon glory. Thank you Charles!
A night view of “Neon Alley” in San Diego, showing the Cuckoo Club, The Spot, and the Aloha Club, 1952. Above the Aloha Club was Sheng How Low Chinese Restaurant. Photo, Charles Phoenix collection.