Time travel: 3rd Street (Promenade) in 1949

Before Santa Monica's 3rd Street shopping district hit the skids and was re-imagined as a pedestrian mall, it was the busy center of town. This photo was posted Sunday at the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. The Fox Criterion theater is still on the 3rd Street Promenade, now an AMC house.

Also on the Promenade these days: lots and lots of tourists, and locals too. From a recent weekend:

Current photos: LA Observed