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But the “The” applies to “tar pits”, not “La Brea”, as in “The Panama Canal” or “The Seattle Seahawks”.

It translates as "The The Tar Tar Pits".

Ah, yeah that makes sense. I just assumed La Brea was a nearby city or area; I didn’t know it translated to “tar”.

I think you may be on to something however - but we do still say “I’m going to drive the El Camino down to the El Camino Real.”