There seem to be a lot of Angelenos who fondly remember the old pony rides and amusement park that Beverly Center displaced. Re-creations of it and other long-gone amusements show up as locales in Atari's video game Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. Now there's a website that lets you tour the scenes with descriptions:
Beverly Rides
Nu Pike
Busch Gardens
Venice Amusement Pier 1926
Jungleland
Promised for the future: Marineland and Pacific Ocean Park.