A five-question, multiple-choice pop quiz on Newport Beach history. Here are the questions (no Googling before listening):
- Which Newport Harbor island was allegedly won in a high-stakes poker game by a Hollywood celebrity? Note: The seller was a hard-betting horse-racing aficionado, which gives some credence to the popular legend.
- What was the original use of the El Cholo restaurant building in Corona del Mar? If you don’t know, this will surprise you.
- What area of Newport Beach did a mayor in the early 20th Century call “a dump. It was sold by a lot of damn crooks to a lot of damn fools.”
- Here’s a list of five historical sites in Newport Beach. Which one is *not* an official California Historical Landmark.
- Before Corona del Mar Plaza was built at the corner of East Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard, what was planned for that land? Hint: It involved a famed Italian architect, Irvine Company Chairman Donald Bren and a local, national and even international controversy.