Why do they call old-time-soda-fountain clerks “jerks”? Was Lana Turner really discovered in a drugstore? And what's a phosphate? You may not learn the answers to these and other important old-timey-drugstore questions at the timeless Fair Oaks Pharmacy & Soda in South Pasadena, but you definitely will get a taste of the good ol' days. FOP&S was built in 1915 and features quintessential tin ceilings, hexagonal-tile floors and genuine décor and fixtures, some specially brought in from the American Midwest. More importantly, its jerks — yes, they actually call them that — make truly authentic malts, shakes, egg creams and phosphates. Specialty sundaes, with names like the Huntington Heath, the Banana Blitz and the All-American Banana Split (as if “Banana Split” sounded too foreign to begin with), sound more like events in a power-eating contest than simple desserts, but folks weren't as calorie-conscious in the 1910s. You can also revel in their amazing collection of Hollywood-kitsch gifts and even pick up some (legal) drugs. 1526 Mission St., South Pasadena. (626) 799-1414, fairoakspharmacy.net. —Adam Gropman

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