The dogs and I got away for Memorial Day Weekend.  Loads of traffic, of course, but worth the pain.  Long days with all day sun and I racked up a few hundred photos (and blew nearly $300 on gas).  I haven’t been north of San Francisco since 2008 so it was a real treat to shoot the stuff on my list and reshoot stuff I haven’t seen since then.

Let’s get to it!  The Monterey Lanes, naturally, in Monterey:

From San Jose:

I don’t know what the original tenant was at what is now “Emmy’s” — but I’m glad at least a few owners have let the sign live on.  From San Francisco:

This flower shop in San Francisco is long gone but this ripple tin sign remains:

A few more signs from San Francisco:

These two signs at the same parking garage:

 

A recently uncovered bank mosaic in Sausalito thought to be gone — the story:
http://www.marinij.com/article/ZZ/20140103/NEWS/140109073

From Mill Valley:

And, lastly, from Vallejo:

Lots more to come from last weekend later tonight or tomorrow.  In the meantime, I’ve just uploaded some other photos at Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

Bye fer now,

Debra Jane

 

Last night, I went back down to Glendale for the Grand Opening of MONA (Museum of Neon Art)’s second exhibit.  This one featured a sampling of the museum’s vintage sign collection and photos from the sign-crazy, nationwide “club” known as the Sign Geeks.  It was quite a special event.  I got to meet lots of folks who share my passion for signs, buildings, etc.

Both of these signs were originally displayed at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona — now part of MONA’s collection:

This parking sign is a recent acquisition from downtown L.A.:

This sign is from the former Papoo’s Hot Dog Show in Burbank — gone now but MONA saved at least two of the signs:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/79761301@N00/6119604986/

I don’t know where this one came from. Killer:

A couple of sweet advertising signs:

Some unlit beauties were also displayed:

I was so happy to see this opal glass & applied letter sign from downtown L.A.  A replica of this sign was created and now hangs on the Bendix Building in its place:

The photographers’ stuff was all displayed on identically-sized canvases, 3 per photog with a little identifier next to each column.

More than 50 photographers were represented.  I think most of them came to the event.  I met folks from Texas, Tucson, Connecticut, Northern California, and elsewhere.  I wish I could have talked to all of them.  Here’s one person that I’ve known from Flickr for about 10 years — Devil Doll:

I really enjoyed watching the photographers doing what they love doing best:  taking photos:

OK — just a couple of other signs before we move on.  This cocktail glass is owned by MONA’s VP and super nice guy, Eric Evavold:

I don’t know where this BBQ sign came from but the flashing bulbs are crazy wonderful.  I stood next to it for far too long yapping with someone and felt like a pig roasting on a spit.  Those bulbs put out a LOT of heat:

If you’d like to read more about the show, here’s a little article from the Opening:

http://thelosangelesbeat.com/2016/03/offbeat-l-a-big-city-lights-an-enchanting-exhibit-of-neon-sign-photography-sign-geeks-do-mona/

Okay, put on your sunglasses and let’s go outside.  I took some photos in Orange County and elsewhere before heading home today.  This sign in Anaheim originally advertised for a Lucky supermarket.  Too bad about the backlit plastic letters and, no, the panels on top no longer revolve.  But that rocket-shaped sign post is still wonderful:

How about a couple of religious rockets?  Here’s the Salvation Army in Long Beach:

… and the Judson Baptist Church in Carson:

I love this top-heavy roof at Martha’s Donuts in Lakewood.  I don’t know what was here originally but the little strip mall behind it has a similar hat-too-big look:

I didn’t have donuts there but I did stop in at this place in Redondo Beach.  I remember Handel’s Ice Cream from roadtrips in Ohio.  The company now has 3 locations in California.  This is the Heavenly Hash which was fairly heavenly on a summer-like spring day.  Since I’m vegan in my “real life”, I think the ice cream that I allow myself on roadtrips tastes even better than it did in years past.  I hear Ben & Jerry’s is making vegan ice cream now — but I can’t imagine how you can replicate the marshmallow goo & creaminess:

I’ve wanted to shoot this silly guy for years but never found myself in the Valley at the right time of day.  Finally!  This topiary, ivy Poodle Arch is in North Hills:

Speaking of dogs… Yes, I know I haven’t tortured you with any photos of my beasts lately.  So, how about this.  My pal Geoff took this slow-mo video with his drone in Carpinteria last weekend.   My 16+ year old dog, Fixie, doesn’t do these long beach walks anymore so she’s not present.  But my other three kids enjoyed themselves chasing and barking at that motorized alien in the sky:

 

Alright, I’ll close out with two more signs from Long Beach.  This one’s for all you fans of crazy green (I am!) and Comic Sans.  Not sure what biz was here originally but at least the mammoth steel panels are still there:

I’m a sucker for shoe-shaped signs.  I’ll have to do an SCA article about them one of these days.  But here’s a nice home-spun shoe AND key at Mill’s Shoe Repair.  The key was wood and the shoe might have been as well.  The hand-painted sign also a plus:

If you want more signs, more buildings, click over to my Flickr stream where I’ve posted some other photos from last night and today:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

I’m not sure when the next roadtrip will be but I’m hoping to get a couple of weeks off this summer.  Probably a little 3-day weekend trip before that though.  Stay tuned.

Happy trails,

dj & the dogs
RoadsideArchitecture.com

OK, I’m back with the conclusion to last weekend.  I forgot to include this night shot of the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA to the Saturday post:

I tried to shoot the sputnik on top of the tower but the neon was flashing so quickly that I only got blurry or partially lit photos.  So, I’ll just drop in this photo which I took during the day in 2012:

 

I’ve got a thing for “Happy Bear” signs.  If you’d like to see loads of them & info about the bears, have a look at this page which I created a few months ago:
http://www.roadarch.com/signs/bear.html

This is just a small one in Corona.  I was a bit disappointed that the palm trees were shading it — will have to reshoot in the afternoon sometime:

This location certainly takes pride in their Bear mascot with these sweet painted window signs:

Time to throw a couple of mid-century modern buildings into the mix, no?  These great canopy marks the entrance to the Continental Arcadia Apartments (in Arcadia):

The Sepulveda Medical Building in Los Angeles is visually overshadowed by the still fairly glorious, former Loyola Theatre next door.  But it has noteworthy mcm details — including a nice mosaic caduceus which covers a door:

 

The El Coyote in Los Angeles has been around since 1931.  The restaurant moved to this location in 1951 and these well-maintained signs are from then:

The Del Rio Lanes in Downey opened in the late 1950s.   Sure, the sign has been crapped up with backlit plastic and that LED message board.  But you can still imagine the neon that was there originally.  Glass half full.

 

I believe this intact beauty in Azusa dates to 1967:

One of the highlights of the day was getting to see the restored interior of Clifton’s Cafeteria in downtown L.A.  Part of Clifford Clinton’s chain of theme restaurants, this one was built in 1935 and is the sole survivor.  If you search on-line, you’ll find loads of articles about this place’s history and vintage postcards of the incredible interior and exterior.  So, I’ll just throw in a few photos here to entice you:

Lots of taxidermied animals, a waterfall, a giant meteorite… I could go on:

and incredible terrazzo in front of the restaurant:

I’ll end this little “sampler” blog post here and get back to adding some of these and lots of other photos to my website.  I’ll be doing a little Long Beach area trip soon.  I’m not sure where I’ll be heading for this summer’s vacation yet.  Stay tuned!

dj & the dogs

I took a little drive to the L.A. area this past weekend to take some photos and attend the Grand Reopening of MONA (the Museum of Neon Art) in Glendale, CA.  I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted.  Although I haven’t been taking many pictures this winter, I’ve been busy behind the curtain working on the website (RoadsideArchitecture.com).  I finished adding maps throughout my website.  I’m also adding loads of links to things that I haven’t gotten around to shooting yet. So, if you have favorite sections, you might want to check them out so that you can add more stuff to your own to shoot lists.  You’ll find lots of blue boxes full of links all over the place.

On with the show!  Here are some highlights from Saturday.  Sunday will be the next post.  I got around to shooting a Mrs. Chapman’s Angel Food Do-Nuts that’s escaped me until now.  I have three other examples at my website here:
http://www.roadarch.com/sca/donuts.html

This one looked much like the others (yellowish) until last July when it got a makeover for 4th of July which has become permanent:

Next door to this place is a former ice cream stand which became a taqueria between 2008 and 2011.  I’m so glad they kept the cone!  I’m pretty sure from the building design that this was a Dairy Queen:

Here’s what the sign looked like in 2008:

This Green Forest Car Wash is located south of downtown Los Angeles.  I understand the chain has other locations with dinosaur statues.  I drove by a smaller one somewhere this weekend and noticed one of the dinos had an animatronic neck:

Although the letters are now backlit plastic, at least the great shapes of the sign have been preserved:

 

Here’s another place that’s been on my list for awhile.  This is a former Famous Amos cookie store in Studio City:

Here’s a vintage photo of what the locations looked like originally:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43174745@N08/4002115836/

There’s another former Famous Amos location (the first) in Hollywood but it’s pretty boxed up and unrecognizable (Bossa Nova).

 

Signs.  I know you’re waiting for the signs.  Here’s one that’s basically impossible to shoot since you have to shoot from a distance and it never sees the sun — the Fox Normandie Apartments which is west of downtown L.A.  The sunny side of the sign doesn’t have neon.

This business was south of downtown L.A. — long gone but the sign remains:

This is the original El Cholo restaurant sign from 1931 inside the Santa Monica location:

This beauty is in L.A., just east of Beverly Hills:

It is accompanied by this nice A-frame:

These two are on the same building — also in L.A., just south of West Hollywood.  The businesses are long gone.  The sign on the right which has, unfortunately, been messed with originally advertised for the Spanish Kitchen:

Now, on to the day’s main event:  MONA’s big Glendale debut.  Yes, that’s a replica diver on the roof and a replica of the Clayton Plumbers sign on the right — both which, I think I’ve covered at this blog before.  If you want more info, I cover the diver sign at my website here:
http://www.roadarch.com/signs/ca.html

and the Clayton sign here:
http://www.roadarch.com/sca/plumbing.html#Clayton

Inside, you’ll be greeted by the former Green Frog Market sign from Bakersfield.  The double-sided sign is animated.  The frog tips his hat and the text flashes between “Howdy” and “Folks”.
http://www.roadarch.com/sca/extension2.html#Howdy

This camera sign was originally located in the Little Toyko neighborhood in downtown L.A.:

While there were several vintage signs on display, the focus of this opening exhibit was on modern, sculptural neon from many different artists:

I’ll be back on Saturday with a Part 2 post with some more goodies from L.A.  In the meantime, I have also posted some other photos at Flickr from this day’s shooting:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

dj & the dogs

The last day of the trip.  For those of you that are into stats & facts, there were 16 days on the road which included the two days of grueling nothingness all the way up to Oregon and then back home from Washington.  I drove about 5,500 miles on this trip and I spent about $1,260 on gas.  My gas mileage was probably even worse than usual due to running the A/C all day, nearly every day.  Poor Sparkle.  Gas was nearly a dollar cheaper in Oregon & Washington than it is in California. So, that helped a little.  I took about 1,800 photos which will find their way to my website over the next few months.  What I post to this blog and Flickr is just a sampling of the photos taken each day.

Let’s start this final batch of photos in Ellensburg.  This sign is lit and animated at night with “Auto Glass” and “Seat Covers” flashing sequentially:

Also in Ellensburg — the former New York Cafe, a Chinese restaurant:

I believe this place in Gleed was built last year.  While not vintage, I’m always thrilled to see the tradition of giant stuff is still alive.  I’ve got loads of giant coffee pots at my website here:
http://www.roadarch.com/vessels/coffee.html

I stopped by the Yakima Valley Museum in Yakima to see if there had been any new additions to the Neon Garden.  There were a couple of new vintage signs — but what really caught my eye was this guy.  Earlier in this trip, I was stunned to find that the three giant cow heads in Puyallup were gone.  Evidently, the Fairgrounds remodeled the entrance around 2012 and the cows disappeared.  I was hoping that this was one of the missing statues.  It’s a dead match.  However, it seems this guy came from a place in Yakima.  For a variety of cow heads like this, there are more at my website:
http://www.roadarch.com/critters/cows1.html

While I was at the museum, my pal Andy showed me a photo of one of the signs in storage.  It’s a blurry photo since I just shot it from his computer screen.  But you can see what a giant stunner this is.  It was originally located in Yakima.  The fish are installed over a metal grid meant to simulate a net.  The boat is a mechanical element.  It is separate from the text panels and physically rocked back and forth over the neon waves.  Andy has been working with the city to find a place to install it, nothing definite yet, since it’s too large to install at the museum.

Yakima still has lots of wonderful old signs.  These Bear Alignment signs are still scattered all over the country.  This one is a little crude looking,  I kinda like his Mickey Mouse ears.  For info about these signs and more examples (larger and neon examples), I’ve got a bunch at this page:
http://www.roadarch.com/signs/ca14.html

More signs in Yakima:

Still Yakima — a modern sign but still wonderful:

Still in Yakima:

Moving on to Union Gap.  This sign was restored sometime after 2010:

These giant shaved ice Tropical Sno stands used to be all over in Washington, Idaho, Utah — and maybe elsewhere.  Now, they are far and few between.  I believe there are still several in Spokane but I didn’t get to check up on them on this trip since I didn’t make it that far East.   This one is in Richland:

These two signs are also in Richland:

This adapted Norge Ball is also in Richland — at the Uptown Cleaners.  I’ve got a couple of pages of Norge Balls from around the country here:
http://www.roadarch.com/signs/norge.html

This repurposed A&W Drive-in is in Pasco:

Also in Pasco:

At this point in the trip, it was Friday afternoon and I was due back at work on Monday morning.  I was ambitiously still heading north and east to Spokane when Sparkle developed her misfire issue.  So, that changed everything and I turned right around and began my journey home.  Most of Saturday was spent killing time at the Firestone in Kennewick.  But the new plugs & wires resolved nothing and we were bucking through most of Oregon.  Then the symptoms went away and we had a smooth 800+ mile trip home.  Go figure. Saturday night’s goal was to get our butts into California.  Several coffees later, I stopped in Yreka for a four hour nap.  I was thrilled to find two of my favorite signs there still lit even though it was the wee hours of the morning.  This one is is a Federal Electric sectional sign from the early 1900s.  More about these signs at my page here:
http://www.roadarch.com/sca/federal.html

I shot this sign at the beginning of the trip during the day:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/19633606469/

So, that’s it!  I hope you enjoyed tagging along on this trip.  Don’t forget there are still loads of signs & other stuff in addition to these posts over at my Flickr account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

I’m going to hunker down for a few months getting all the photos from this trip up at my website.  So, worry not if you don’t hear from me until next year.

Happy trails,

dj & the dogs

The killer heat continued — but with blue skies & sun, I really didn’t mind it.  Let’s start with a couple of signs from Everett.  This one is located at Everett Used Cars:

The nicely weathered Everett Motel sign:

From Anacortes:

I’m puzzled by this neon sign in Marysville.  Is that a hand holding something which is creating sparks or what?  I don’t know if this sign is associated with the Widow Maker Custom Motorcycle Fabricating business or not:

From Oak Harbor — this sign still had neon tubing in 2012:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/williams-images/8028778868/

That’s cheap LED tubing on the sign now.  They didn’t bother adding it to the arrow:

This sign is at Mom’s Cafe in Burlington.  Mom’s is closed now — let’s pray this backlit plastic monkey is adopted by the next tenant:

It looks like “Some Place” under “Mom’s” but there must have been another name before that:

From Bellingham which is far, far from any real palm trees:

From Lynden:

After a lengthy and thorough search of my van by border personnel, some interrogation and overly personal questions, trauma to the dogs (being locked in a crate in 100 degree temps), we arrived in Canada — a little later than planned.  The light was already waning — so, here’s the best I could do for the incredible Rickshaw sign in Surrey:

This one is in New Westminster:

Until just a few years ago, there were lots of old Safeway signs in Canada.  Now, it’s down to a handful.  This one’s in Coquitlam:

Two more posts from this trip to go!

dj

Most of the day was spent zipping around Seattle — grateful to have sunshine!

This former gas station housed the Station Bistro restaurant when I shot it in 2008:

In 2009, the building was further transformed (disguised?) as the Shelter Lounge.  Here’s what it looks like now:

Hattie’s Hat has been around since 1904.  This sign is obviously from much later — 1960s?

The exterior features vitrolite and these cool mid-century modern looking tiles:

The interior is loaded with ambiance:

A modern sign, but awfully nice, at the 2 Bit Saloon which closed last year.  Hopefully, the place will reopen or at least the sign will stay:

There used to be so many wonderful motel signs on Auburn Ave.   This is one of only a handful that are left:

Simply glorious!

There are six Dick’s Drive-ins in the Seattle area.  This is the original, in Seattle, from 1954.  The top panel still spins:

This flower shop is gone.  But the space is now occupied by “Flowers Bar & Restaurant” which has kept the sign:

Bick’s opened in the late 1990s and this sign is obviously modern.  That’s apparently a steak that the chef is flipping.  It must have been inspired by one of the pancake-flipping chef signs — but I don’t know which one:
http://www.roadarch.com/sca/pancakes.html

Sometime between 2011 and 2014, the Way West Motel sign was painted over for a marijuana store.  Here’s a link to a “before” photo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cmaceachen/2641665805/

Aurora Plumbing was established in 1960.  This sign might be from then:

Moving on to Lynnwood for these last two shots.  Best Auto Parts opened in 1958.  This sign looks 1960s:

A House of Clocks has been around since 1963:

Three more days & posts to go.  If I don’t catch up tonight, I’ll get ’em done tomorrow.

dj

I finally got a break with the weather.  I learned on the trip that when the forecast is for clouds, it can just about anything.  It can mean horrid grey stuff with not a trace of sun from the start to finish.  Or it can mean, those wondrous white puffies that make photos of the blandest of subjects seem monumental.

For example, this triple arrow sign in Auburn:

and this former Safeway sign in Kent:

Two shots from the Kent Bowl in Kent:

The Des Moines Cinema (in Des Moines) has been closed for at least a few years.  Evidently, it was sold earlier this year and work was going on when I was taking this photo.  I don’t know if this will reopen as a theatre or something else.  They’d better not touch this sign!

From Renton.  This unique Burger King building will only be around another month.  I got the bad news from the manager who said that BK has never been happy with this building’s non-conformance.  It will be just another boring box soon:

There are six Burgermaster locations in the Seattle area.  This one’s in Bellevue:

This Seattle sign’s transformation is heartbreaking.  Well, at least the bulb curve is still there.  Here’s how it looked in 2008 when the sign still advertised for the former Kettells Grocery & Lounge:

Around 2013, the sign was adapted for the new tenant.  I hope someone saved the owl:

It seems uncomfortable but Griz likes to keep an eye on me when I’m shooting — wedged between the windshield and the dash:

Time for a little night neon in Seattle.  I suspect this one at the Java Bean is a vintage sign that was re-texted at some point.  The sign came from The Shack which was a burger place — but I don’t know how old.  It was from this part of town — but I don’t know if it was at this location or moved from somewhere else.

This sign at the Dahlia Lounge is modern.  The fish’s tail moves in three-part animation:

Another modern sign — not animated:

More modern signs — this scaffold sign features a somersaulting girl in three-part animation.  Click this link for a quickie video that I shot of the sign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59JKcH8IoJU

The Olympic Athletic Club — I know the diving woman is modern but the clock appears to be vintage:

Another modern diving woman — at the High Dive bar:

More posts tomorrow night!

dj

Since another grey day was predicted, and no time to wait it out, I spent most of the day shooting remote stuff on my list for the Olympic Peninsula.

I started the day in Bremerton, WA.  I can’t resist a pizza chef sign — I’ve got a page of them at my website here:
http://www.roadarch.com/sca/pizza.html

From Bainbridge Island — this sign was demolished at the end of last year since it was deteriorating and considered unsafe. The neon letters were saved and installed on this tower-like sign which looks just like the old one:
http://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/286597371.html

In Port Townsend, there’s the Eaglemount Rockery Cottages which have lots of little folk art, miniature buildings and statues. Apparently, this cute dinosaur can no longer support himself and leans into the shrubbery and cemented rocks.  There’s no way to shoot him to show both his face and body:

The human statues all look like this blacksmith — with life-sized doll-like heads and stuffed looking bodies:

By Port Angeles, the clouds had really won.  This sign is at the DuPuis Restaurant:

More coming!

dj