novels, including The Long Embrace, Violin Dreams, Don't spit on my corner, A Few Good Women, Deep Heet!, and Remain Silent, among many others. In the novel Strange Angel, author George Pendel describes Clifton's as "a bizarre experience", and a "kitsch cafeteria provided millions of low-priced meals to the out-of-work and destitute during the darkest days of the depression", and that it provided a "surreal sanctuary from a broken world". In popular culture Science fiction author Ray Bradbury ate at Clifton's as a struggling writer, often taking advantage of the policy that anyone who couldn't afford to pay didn't have to, and in the 1930s attended meetings of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, which met for years at the restaurant. Author/agent/fan/collector Forrest J Ackerman later wrote, "...we moved to Clifton's Cafeteria, a feature of which was their free limeade and lime juice. Some of the members who didn't have more than a nickel or dime to spend guzzled a lot of that free juice." Bradbury celebrated his 89th birthday at the downtown eatery in 2009. Charles Bukowski mentions Clifton's Cafeteria in his novel Ham on Rye: "Clifton's Cafeteria was nice. If you didn't have much money, they let you pay what you could. And if you didn't have any money, you didn't have to pay. [...] It was owned by some very nice rich old man, a very unusual person." The Distillers mention Clifton's in the song "City of Angels" on the album Sing Sing Death House: "Emptiness never sleeps at Clifton's 6 am, with your bag lady friend and your mind descending." The restaurant was featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 832. Michel Butor's 1962 book Mobile includes text from three Clifton's Cafeteria pamphlets. See also Ransom M. Callicott, partner with Clinton and co-owner of Clifton's List of defunct restaurants of the United States References Further reading External links LA Times: "Panorama: Clifton's Cafeteria " 1931 establishments in California 2018 disestablishments in California Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Restaurants established in 1931 Restaurants disestablished in 2018 Restaurants in Los Angeles Defunct restaurants in Los Angeles