Hector Tobar's article for LAT,
"A Trip Through Time to Historic South-Central Los Angeles" relied on "The Green Book" guide. The introduction to The Green Book stated:
"It has been our idea to give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties, embarrassments and to make his trip more enjoyable"
Published starting in 1936, The Green Book at first only covered the New York metropolitan area, but soon covered the entire US plus Canada, Mexico and Bermuda:
The entries were brief, just addresses, but the Los Angeles listings covered hotels, motels, restaurants, beauty parlors, barber shops,
taverns, night clubs, road houses, service stations, garages, automotive, drug stores, tailors and real estate.
(There were, of course, many more businesses besides those listed in The Green Book, which admittedly didn't cover everything).
LA hotels:
Some of these (including the Dunbar, of course) are still around. Here's the Lincoln at 549 Ceres:
gsv
A PDF of The Green Book may be found here. (the LA entries are on pages 7 and 8)
(All I remember from when I was a kid was that Black families traveling east had to get to Lordsburg, NM before sundown.
I don't think I understood why. I thought Lordsburg must be
wonderful)
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