My wife and I took a trip to California (from Texas) for 2 weeks in October 2026. We were going to a convention in Oakland (World Fantasy Convention) and drove out that way along Route 66. Since this is about 3 weeks before the 100th Anniversary of the Mother Road (11/11/2026) we hit a bunch of stops along the way, stopping at a couple of National Parks along the way (Painted Desert/Petrified Forest and Sequoia) before arriving in Oakland.
We spent a couple of days around San Francisco and during that time got together with @Knocktype11 and his wife for dinner, and to show off some of our pencil collection to each other.
After the convention, we headed down to Los Angeles for a couple of days. The last day we went by Pentel of America headquarters in Torrance California, but could not get in to see anybody. Before we left, I had sent a package off to the VP of Sales & Marketing, but was informed that he worked remote from New York or New Jersey, but I got a couple of pictures from outside.
What a wonderful road trip. I’m really peeved with Pentel. For someone like yourself who is so passionate about the brand and has devoted so many thousands of hours into collecting and researching information about Pentel, you’d think that their marketing team would be so grateful. And yet… it doesn’t see like they extend you any special courtesy.
So cool that you got to see the Lucas museum of Narrative art. I saw a short video about it and it’s absolutely amazing. That building reminds me of something… like 1960’s futuristic architecture, something you might see at a major airport like JFK.
This is a shot of the architectural model. The shot I took is from the left side in that open green space. They have plantings on the top. It looks like you can get out on the top walkway, but we did not get up there. I missed one gallery (Maxfield Parrish) that I would have liked to see, but by that time we were worn out, went to see the Cinema gallery (Star Wars), then we left.
Judging from my few brief interactions with Pentel, I figured they would’ve been the type of company to be more welcoming to visitors/enthusiasts. I guess not.. Cool pics though!
