Help us save the Whaling Bar from being taken out and transformed into a restaurant -
“If only the walls of this clubby, woody, red-leathery bar could talk. La Jolla’s most famous literary watering hole has boasted an eye-popping list of regulars: Gregory Peck, Mel Ferrer, Dr. Seuss himself (Theodor Geisel), Art Buchwald, Picasso’s lover Françoise Gilot (now the widow of Jonas Salk), and maybe the best-known regular of his time, Raymond Chandler (English-raised creator of the Philip Marlowe detective novels such asThe Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye). There’s something about La Jolla that attracts the celestials as they come down to earth. You might catch one, say Gilot, 85, if she’s not in Paris or New York with daughter Paloma Picasso. (Best night, budgetwise, is Thursday, happy hour.
Seven-dollar martinis but free filet mignon sandwiches.) Chandler, of course, is long gone. He was a confirmed alcoholic but also a damned fascinating conversationalist, as complex as Marlowe himself. The one no-no was to bring up Alfred Hitchcock, whom he hated with a passion. Lean on the same bar, drink the same martinis, think the same noir thoughts. Quote his great noir lines such as, from The Simple Art of Murder, “Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean….” “Raymond Chandler”
Please, if you have to, don’t change it too much, Make it the same but better. (Not that it needs to)
I’d like it to remain the same.
This is a great effort to save a great bar. So much history at this place it would be a shame to do. In fact, if they change it they might as well 86 me from there. Been a loyal customer for 15 years
This is OLD La Jolla and to destroy/change/revamp it in any way is to remove a part of our local culture! I hope that it will be saved…
This is one of the most attractive spots in La Jolla, with a history that few places can match. Lots of friendly ghosts live on those bar stools – please don’t disturb them!
To destroy an institution that has been a part of this town for generations would be a disgrace to La Jolla.
The whaling Bar is known world wide as a meeting place with great memories. Where else are you going to have a Whaler drink but in front of the contreversial painting of the whaling bar. Please don’t destroy a landmark and disappoint visitors and locals that have been long patrons of La V. If you want to improve your business go back to the service of catering to your customer and work on bringing back some of the classic menue items.
The Whaling Bar has not had free filet mignon sandwiches as part of happy hour in god only knows how many years. This inaccuracy only proves that while you may cherish your memories at this great bar you have not frequented it in some time.While you have spent your energy creating this forum, you have yet to take the easiest step of actually going and supporting it financially to keep its door open. If the Whaling Bar was as busy and popular as you all would like to pretend it is, why would anyone think of closing it? The sad truth is nobody goes there anymore. If you want to help keep the bar open go have dinner there.
Name: Mark Dibella
Email: mdibella@lavalencia.com
Comment: As managing director of La Valencia, I greatly respect and appreciate the concerns regarding some of the changes forthcoming for La V. I remain available to discuss in person these plans so that the entire story is properly conveyed.
Our iconic property dates back to 1926 and the past 8 plus decades have included significant changes that have kept La V fresh and in the forefront of Southern California hospitality. Our Mediterranean inspired building first opened as an apartment house in 1926 and our current west wing suites and rooms is the location of the former Hotel Cabrillo dating back to 1908. Our west facing villas and current pool (circa 2000) replaced an out dated pool from the 1950’s which replaced a general manager cottage from the 1920’s. The Mediterranean Room restaurant was originally the location for a tea room and the front patio was a garden for decades. The 10th floor Skyroom restaurant for 4 decades was the hotels roof top sun deck and the Whaling Bar and Café La Rue were originally retail space including a popular yarn shop in the 1920,s 30’s and early 40’s.
The Whaling Bar of today is indeed a great legend but sadly one that sits mostly idle with but a handful of great customers at any given time. Much of La Jolla and the surrounding region has changed over the decades including a host of new hotels, restaurants and bars to draw locals away from La V – we (nor any business) can afford to let such a great location sit empty. Our plans to not call for the destruction of the bar but rather for the next evolution of this special space and a new life. The Bar and Café space will be combined as one larger room and the inspiration for décor is being taken the original Wing Howard paintings depicting lively French scenes from the 1920’s (the decade the hotel was born). I have been speaking with the family of Wing Howard and they are most excited to see the next evolution of their father art take shape with the return of Café La Rue. The venue will have much improved access to the lovely front patio for al fresco dining and we are also integrating our extensive but hidden wine inventory into the rooms design. The bar will be larger with more seats and we are also building desperately needed lobby level ADA public restrooms since currently ladies must venture to the mezzanine level and men must find their way to the lower level – a constant complaint of many guests especially our senior guests.
As our long time waiter David Jones said to me last week “Mark, it is the people that make the room, not the décor” and I could not agree more. The history of the space will never be diminished and the intention is create a room that will once again be a locals favorite filled with life and happy guests. We do hope that our loyal guests will keep an open mind as change is a constant and what makes life exciting and fresh.
Best regards,
Mark Dibella,
Managing Director
We have a bit of family history in that room. My father and his sisters used to walk down there from their home across Torrey Pines to eat dinner at the bar when they were kids. One of those sisters came close to breaking her engagement by pitching a rather sizeable diamond ring at her then-fiancé in a fit of pique (it had a happy ending). Although none of us live nearby, my brothers and I have all stopped in for a meal or at least some vintage scotch every time we’ve been in La Jolla since our parents passed in 2010, and our grown children have been there, too, as have several generations of our LJ-local cousins. It has meant something to me to look across the bar at the same murals my father saw when he was young.
I recall walking along Prospect in the summers, on my way back to my grandmother’s house with damp bathing suit and bare, sandy feet, admiring the bar from the sidewalk when I was far too young (and sandy) to step inside. It’s a tragedy to lose a place beloved by at least 4 generations of our family. I’m glad the murals will stay, and visiting tourists probably won’t care one way or the other about lost history, but the cafe will likely not be a draw for me.
I can’t believe they are so short sighted. This makes my stomach turn.