Immortalized in song by "The Eagles," the Sunset Grill may not look like much, but "the old man from the old world" who made the sandwiches has seen it all. Situated on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Sunset Grill has served everybody who is anybody at least once. The burgers were great, and just being there was too cool.

It was May, 1990. Pictured are John Cochran and Claude Staples, friends from Columbus who just happened to be living two blocks from the hotel I was staying at. They were in guitar school and showed me all the essential ins and outs of "fat city," including lunch at the Sunset Grill.