Photo By Gail

Sometimes, a single Los Angeles street corner can tell several stories at once. When I snapped this photo in December 2025, the giant billboard overhead was promoting Jaws: The Exhibition at the nearby Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (just outside the frame to the right). The blockbuster exhibition celebrated the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s legendary thriller and ran for more than six months before closing at the end of July. If you missed it, you’ll have to wait and hope it resurfaces somewhere else.

The billboard also happens to loom over another Hollywood landmark: the iconic Johnie’s Coffee Shop at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. Although the restaurant has been closed for years, its unmistakable 1950s Googie architecture has earned it a permanent place in pop culture. The diner has appeared in numerous films and music videos, including Miracle Mile, The Big Lebowski, American History X, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ video for “Swingin'”.

More recently, the building found new life as an art space when artist Gary Baseman transformed it into the site of his restaurant-themed solo exhibition, Off the Menu, which opened this past May. Friends of mine in Los Angeles were lucky enough to visit the show. I love it when travel photos capture more than what first catches your eye. In this case, one frame includes a famous movie exhibition, an architectural landmark, a beloved film location, and a contemporary art installation — all at one unforgettable Los Angeles intersection.