Sorry, my pesky day-job has really gotten in the way of my final post!  Gotta earn that gas money.  It’s hovering around $4 here in SoCal — and Sparkle is a bit of a guzzler.  But I’ll make the wait worth it I hope with a double dose of photos.  No photos of the dogs on this trip.  It was just way too hot to be fooling with them much.  I saw some  photo-ops but the pavement was way too hot to torture them.  I ran them in the early morning and end of the day.  It’s so nice to be home at the foggy beach!

If it’s rusty crusty signs that you like, I’ve got plenty of them.  Let’s start with a couple from La Verne.  This is now Fairplex Liquor but the sign still hovers in the background:

 

The La Verne entrance to the Pomona fairgrounds:

 

Back to Pomona — a still-operating trailer park.  Although the neon’s gone, the sign still has a lot of class:

 

The Mr. Milkbottle sign in Pomona is still there — missing some letters and neon:

 

From Upland.  The text panel’s a bore — but, oh, that arrow!

 

I was happy to FINALLY check this place out in Rancho Cucamonga.   It’s been on my list for years.  Around 2005, Victoria Gardens, a modern kinda upscale shopping center, was built.  To create a sense of “layered history”, they installed a dozen or so vintage signs here and there.  I have no idea who collected the signs or where they came from.  They’re installed high enough so as not to confuse customers about what is sold in what store.  But being up-high presented photo-taking challenges because of trees and the angle of the sun.  I’ll give you a few here and then the rest of the collection at my website in a month or so.

x

 

Onward to Riverside,  I’d love to know what was in those circles.  And some of the holes at the top of the sign don’t match the tubing for George’s — so probably another name originally:

George’s has a BIG canopy:

 

More Riverside.  Looks like the Square Dance Center adapted this CowTown USA sign.

 

Tio’s Tacos.  Known for not only its Mexican food — but for the incredible sculpture garden.  Fun stuff!!  This is just a tiny sampling.  For more about the place, check out this link:
http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/riverside/tios-tacos-riversides-folk-art-wonderland.html

There are two structures at Tio’s Tacos built out of bottles.  This is the chapel:

A detail of the bottle butts from the exterior:

and an interior shot showing the bottle necks & other stuff:

If you like bottle houses, I’ve got a bunch over at my website here:
http://www.agilitynut.com/h/bh.html

 

Still in Riverside.  A crusty but wonderful Shakey’s sign.  The red has faded to pink.  Sssshhh — don’t let “corporate” know about it!  Notice the neon that spells out “Shakey’s” on the side of the sign.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.  This photo link shows that the sign was lit in 2009 — so it might still be now:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11705373@N03/3218847691/

 

The weekend’s most adorable discovery — still Riverside.  A barn-shaped sign…

 

…with barn-shaped units.  Looks like probably apartments (or less) now.  A forbidding gate around the property:

 

I’ve seen a few of these giant old Stater Bros. supermarket signs in SoCal.   But most of the stores have updated them with modern boring signs.  This one in Riverside had TWO of these older neon signs:

 

On to Rialto.  A nice, long-legged fella.  When a canopy gets this big, is it a roof?  A Canoof?

 

And now we’re in San Bernardino for the duration of this post.  This one’s got lots of nuances — so give it more than a glance.  Note the way the sign post splits from the top.  The irregular shape of the “San Bernardino” part, the angle of the roof, etc.

 

Dib’s has been around since 1926!  I don’t know how old the sign is.

 

This is a fancy “used car” lot — with all restored classic cars.  Appropriately, a fenced lot — and the place was closed on a late Sunday which made this the only angle I could shoot this sign at:

 

A fun building — no idea of the original use:

 

and the next door neighbor:

 

Previously (and probably originally) the Sharene Motel (the tubing holes seem to match):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caveman_92223/4154699348/

But I think I like this wild paint job better:

 

And finally, this nice complex design ends our tour:

 

 

I hope you enjoyed tagging along.  The dogs and I will be back on the road for another weekend in a couple of weeks.  Probably more Orange County stuff.  Til then — enjoy what’s left of summer!

Oh, and don’t forget to check out some other photos from this trip over at Ipernity:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/roadsidearchitecture

Today was a very long day of driving and shooting.  High volume of photos despite a stressful “glitch” here in Pomona.  I have a nice big batch of photos for you to tide you over til probably Tuesday when I catch-up with life, go back to work & am able to get Sunday’s sampling of photos uploaded here.

The glitch & then we’ll get going with the photos.  I pulled over in Pomona next to a nice big park around 5pm when it was cool enough to let the dogs get some running in.  We came back to the van (aka “Sparkle”) & I turned the key — nothing.  Not even that clickety click you normally get when something dies.   Called AAA and the big truck came within 10 mins.  That’s a record!  Especially since Sparkle needs a flatbed with her All-Wheel-Drive.  Off to Pep Boys we went.  Miracle #2 — there was no waiting.  Three mechanics got right on it.  Sure enough, a dead battery.  Honestly, I think Sparkle has had the same battery since I got her in 2006.  $150 and we were on our way.   I think the whole breakdown & repair took only an hour and a half.

On with the photos.  Starting with Hollywood.  This sign has been standing here near Griffith Park for years.  I’m not sure where it came from or what the plans are.  If any.  The “Hotel” part of the “Californian Hotel” is tumbled over in the background.  By the way, for those of you that are new to my blog — I should mention that all my photos are “clickable” (larger size by clicking — particularly useful for horizontally-oriented photos).

 

From Glendale.  A quirky assortment of statues at “Oil Paintings Warehouse” which sells you-name-it.

From San Gabriel.  The Goody’s Coffee Shop sign has been repurposed for Jeff’s Sporting Goods:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/roadsidearchitecture/21657757

I swung by today to see if they had opened.  Yup, on Monday.  Here’s the counter which was saved from the restaurant.  Actually, the counter is new — but the terrazzo foot rest and the hardware and stools were saved.  It appears only the butt-touching parts of the seats were reupholstered.  The counter will be used for order-taking & such.  Here’s a shot of the counter/stools from when it was Goody’s:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92136363@N00/459685635/

One of the booth benches was saved and is now installed in a fitting room:

 

From Pasadena — an entry terrazzo floor — no longer Karl’s there:

 

Also Pasadena — a nifty sign — the bar still there.  These metal cylinders with holes would have had bulbs inside (maybe they still do?):

 

A couple more signs from Pasadena.  A homemade wooden sign at this lumber place.  Love the funky font, no?

 

And “R Place”.  Maybe repurposed — maybe not:

 

This Howard Johnson Motor Lodge (now Regency Inn) was given a makeover for the Mad Men TV show.  More about that here:
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/04/mad-men-makes-a-howard-johnson-motor-lodge-pit-stop.html

It doesn’t look like they had to do that much — here’s a 2008 photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94896382@N00/2193445439/

The Lamplighter & steeple were already there:

 

The not-so-lucky former Howard Johnson restaurant next door:

 

Can we take a nature break?  Not that kind.  How can you not be happy looking at palm trees and clouds?

 

And today’s mystery tree.  It seems to be infinite spring here in SoCal.  Heads-up you flora experts — what is this pink flowering wonder?  I’m seeing them every day right now:

 

On to Pomona.  Land of the lightning fast tow truck drivers and mechanics.  Too bad the sun was not in my favor for this one:

 

An unusual Alta Dena drive-thru with a Polynesian look rather than the barn style look:

 

It was brutally hot at this point so I made a pit-stop there for my first sugar fix in months.  Back in NYC, we had FrozFruit ice cream bars — which were pretty awesome.  This company appears to do the same sort of packaging & flavors.  But I’ve never seen Walnut before.  It was a good choice.  Think maple walnut but without the maple.  Creamy with little flecks of walnuts.

 

This sign is similar to the “Auto Park” sign I gave you last night.  Note that the tin border details are now just painted on:

 

Formerly Kirby’s Shoes — now an antiques store:

 

An unusual YMCA sign:

 

A terracotta detail from the YMCA Building:

 

Uh-oh.  Apparently, this flower store has bit the dust.   I’m fearful for the sign and building:

 

Here’s exactly where we had our little breakdown tonight:

 

But luckily, we were back on the road in no time and I got another batch of good neon signs.  Still in Pomona:

 

I left the cropping wide to give you some sunset flavor:

 

From Claremont:

 

From Upland.  One of The Hat’s newer locations — but how could I resist:

 

 

1am here — time to join those snoozing pooches.  I’ll get you tomorrow’s batch soon.

Hi there!  The dogs and I are taking a break — off to the L.A. area for a couple days.  The plan is for stuff from Hollywood to San Bernardino-ish.  I made an ambitious list for after work Friday to shoot some neon.  It was a killer bit of haul-ass driving and kept me busy until 11:30 pm.  So, I’m starting the trip already exhausted.  But now I’m sitting here at 9:30am waiting for the clouds to go away, I’ll get in a mini post now.  And maybe take a nap after that.  It’s supposed to clear but I don’t see the sun making any effort.

From Culver City — the Medical Office Building from 1964.  I’ve always loved the glass on this one:

A closeup so you can see the stairs — and desks and maybe filing cabinets if you stare long enough:

 

On to Santa Monica — the still-open Sears:

 

Sort of have to include the pier sign.  It was really hopping last night:

 

From South L.A.  It’s really “King’s” but I like it better partially lit as “Ing’s”:

 

Downtown L.A. – a modern sign, but lovely.  And huge.  For context, by day:
http://www.agilitynut.com/12/11/bwaybar.jpg

 

Also downtown — an oldie — probably from the 1920s or 1930s.  That’s when they made those cool rope-y borders from tin (you chose the design you wanted).  And the letters were installed on top of the sign panels and then neon on top of that.  Possibly ripple tin (textured panel surface) — hard to say since it’s probably been painted over a few hundred times.  These signs may be just text — but they are so rare and wonderful.  And seldom still lit.

 

From L.A. near the Fairfax District.  A skeleton (window) sign at Roberto’s Shoe Repair.  Simple and amazingly wonderful in my opinion:

 

Still L.A.  I was really looking forward to finally seeing the Stephan’s Plumbing signs at night.  I’ve read that the signs were still lit — and with animated “dripping” and “pouring”  But alas, the only thing lit were a few letters of the “pouring sign”.  No animation.  Everything else completely dark.  Major bummer.  Here’s a photo I took in 2008 of the sign by day:

 

On to North Hollywood for the Circus Liquors sign — another semi-disappointment.  The other side was pretty much the same amount of unlit-ness.  A daytime shot I took in November for context of what’s missing:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/roadsidearchitecture/16308223

 

Ah well.  I did get some other nice neon shots — some of which are over at Ipernity if you care to have a peek:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/roadsidearchitecture

More tonight… no signs of sun yet.

Wrapping up our quickie weekend trip.  I got the kids a good run first thing at Huntington Beach.  And then the fog lifted around 10 am as we moved inland a bit.

Lots of signs for you today.  These two from Garden Grove.  I haven’t seen night photos of either one so I assume they’re not lit:

 

At Chappy’s Liquor — it was prettier in pink:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41757488@N00/381524369/

 

On to Orange.  Selman Chevrolet has been around since 1952.  I don’t know if the top panel on this sign was originally neon or when this towering sign was built.   Probably 1950s or 1960s — when people were just goofier:
http://annualmobiles.blogspot.com/2012/07/selman-chevrolet_14.html

 

Still in Orange — another one of these rustic, cottage-y Alta Dena Dairy drive-thrus:

 

On to Anaheim:

 

Also Anaheim.  This is one of the oldest El Tacos that I know of.  Probably 1960s.  Complete with embossed plastic sign (most of the surviving locations have flat plastic signs):

The building design included room for tables under the canopy on the right — and two drive-thru windows on left and far right.  I assume one window for placing orders and one for receiving them.  The canopies next to those windows are too small for today’s massive SUVs and such so I don’t think they’re used any more.  I can’t find any vintage photos to show if there were more signs or what-not on the roof in those arches:

 

A repurposed Pioneer Chicken sign.  For reference, here’s an intact one:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/roadsidearchitecture/16311735

 

Too many signs for you?  How about some 1960s era bowling alley buildings.  This one from 1960 when the La Habra 300 Bowl opened.    I don’t know what the “300” refers to.  Not the number of lanes:  there are only 32.  The address is actually 370 E. Whittier (La Habra) — but close enough I guess.  From left to right:  the coffee shop, the bar, and the bowling alley itself.

 

From Whittier:  a detail from the AMF Friendly Hills Lanes.  I can’t pinpoint a date.

 

The playground sculptures at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area have been on my list for a while.  The six sculptures are pretty far spaced apart so I took the dogs along to shoot them.  It was hot — felt like 80s — and I managed to find a quiet spot to get them in one of the lakes for some swimming and wading.  This sculpture has stairs inside the mouth (behind my dogs) to climb up and slide down the fish’s back.  Too bad this one was in the shade:

 

So, that’s it for now.  I’ll take another little weekender in July sometime.  Back to work on my website — working on Wyoming stuff right now.  I still have lots of Orange County (the more southerly part) to shoot.   Don’t forget, the Ipernity photos from this weekend are here:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/roadsidearchitecture/

Hi there!  The gang and I went down to Culver City for Nik’s eyeball check.  Things are looking okay with that.  Keep giving drops and hoping that the lens will drop into the bottom of his eye and maybe, just maybe, he’ll be able to see better.  Right now, he’s working on about 2% vision with one dead eye and one full, inoperable cataract-ed lens in the other.  Not that it’s slowing him down or impacting his manic zest for life any.  He’s still running 60 mph chasing his ball using his hearing and sense of smell — and with my assistance (lefts and rights).

Friday night after work, I got a little bit of neon shooting in.  This one’s just west of downtown Los Angeles.  I think it’s still unknown what this sign originally advertised for.  And I was surprised to see it lit:

 

 

I haven’t been to L.A.’s Chinatown in ages:

 

 

On to this morning — from Redondo Beach.  I don’t know how old this sign really is.  Certainly, the paint job appears to be non-vintage — but still…. fun sign:

 

 

Still Redondo Beach.  Next to Joe Oliveri Hair Design.  This head is BIG.  The “hair” is fake (not real living greenery):

 

 

The Golden Donut in Torrance… now a Mexican Food restaurant.  Long live the sign!

 

 

Also in Torrance — the Carson Plaza shopping center:

 

 

In Wilmington — Lucky Star Chinese.  I have no idea what this building housed originally.  It doesn’t match up with any of the A-frame restaurant chains that I’m familiar with:

 

 

From San Pedro.  According to the counter guys, this was originally the Hamburger Hut — established in 1936.   And you can see some ghosting on this sign and holes for the neon that might match that name.  But I’m suspicious that this was a hot dog place with the Dachshund featured so prominently.  A San Pedro on-line source does show a Hamburger Hut at this address in the 1950s — so maybe the guys are right about that.  This sign is more typical of the 1950s than 1930s.

 

 

Also San Pedro:

 

 

Exhausted by mid-afternoon — thank god!   It was a VERY noisy morning (mucho barking).  An over-the-shoulder, at a red light shot of the new kid (Griz) and Grem.

 

 

Last one from San Pedro:

 

 

Moving on to Long Beach:

 

 

The Walter Pyramid at Cal State University Long Beach — built in 1994.  This one would probably shoot better on a cloudy day.  But it’s very mirage-like that blue on blue:

 

 

Still Long Beach — on the former Owl Drug building (now Olives Gourmet Grocer):

 

 

A couple more shots from Long Beach:

 

 

At day’s end, the dogs were treated to the huge, LEGAL dog beach in Huntington Beach.  After that, too late to shoot anything else.  But I thought you might like the sunset silhouette of the Naked Surfer statue:

 

More Orange County tomorrow — but I’ll have to cut off in the afternoon since I’ve got to work on Monday morning.  I’ll probably make you wait for the blog post and photos until Tuesday or Wednesday.  Stay tuned…

Sorry for the delay in this final installment.  I was really exhausted from such a short trip and then life got in the way.  Anyhow, I got through my list and wrapped up around 3pm and beat the holiday traffic.  The day was spent shooting stuff in Hollywood and “The Valley”.

A typical Hollywood scene — I assume you pay & pose with these guys.  They are right in front of the Chinese Theatre.  This was always called “Grauman’s Chinese” when I was growing up — but now it’s the “TCL Chinese” which doesn’t have quite the ring.

 

Biggest mistake of the trip.  While I’m still eating dairy and I do love grilled cheese, I thought I’d give this a try.  I debated between the plain and the “Mission” which promised pepper jack on sourdough and I opted for the portabella mushroom addition.  Total $7.96 — ouch.

I was psyched.  But it turned out to be jack cheese with giant slices of jalapeno peppers all throughout it.  Gobs of them.  Three bites and I was gulping my Diet Coke for relief.  It was completely inedible.  I might have taken it back had I not already been many blocks away.  I can’t imagine anyone actually eating something like this.  I’d better just stick with ice cream and burritos from now on.  Pretty hard to screw them up.

 

Not much old stuff left in Hollywood.  This is as rusty/crusty as it gets:

 

This sign has been spiffed up a bit recently.  The neon removed and replaced with backlit plastic.  Here’s what it used to look like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmoneyla/3247681243/

 

The neon’s gone on this sign, too.  But the place still has some character:

 

Sorry about the sun flare.  There was originally a neon rose between “Parisian” and “Florist” on the orange sign — see this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonspecs/1112720670/

 

I don’t know how vintage or “retro” these signs are — but I will always stop and shoot an animated hammer.  Here’s a night shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7623944@N03/4735516753/

 

This sign was starting to get some rust and had a bit of peeling paint when I shot it last in 2008.  And things are only going to get worse now that the store’s closed.  Maybe being installed on the roof will protect it from whatever newcomers move into the store below?  Let’s hope.  I don’t know if the spokes were ever animated:

 

Moving on to The Valley.

Much sadness from Burbank.   It kills me to see Papoo’s Hot Dog Show closed.  I knew about it when it happened but it’s so much worse to see it in person.   Here’s what the dog with angel wings above the door used to look like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/classymis/3800730140/

and an article about the place:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2011/08/papoos-in-toluca-lake-is-closing.html

The good news is that the dog and parts of the pole sign were saved by MONA (the Museum of Neon Art) and will be displayed at their new digs in Glendale eventually.

 

From North Hollywood.  When I last shot the barrel-shaped La Caña restaurant in 2008, it looked like this:

This article covers the place’s history and has a nice vintage photo:
http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com/index.php/north-hollywood-news/item/696-farewell-la-ca%C3%B1a#.UaY3EtJO-So

 

I have read in news reports that restoration plans were in the works since at least 2011.  However, things must be moving slowly since this is how it looked this weekend:

 

From Van Nuys.  An Atlas statue originally from a Jack LaLanne’s European Health Spa.  This one adapted for the Duk Su Jang Restaurant and installed on the roof.  There are still a number of these statues left around the country — though I don’t think any of them are associated with fitness centers any more.  Here’s one I shot in Columbus, OH in better shape — advertising for Atlas Construction:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/6984097814/

 

From Sherman Oaks.  A couple of diamond-topped jewelry store signs — just a few doors apart:

Another sign on the same block:

 

And lastly, from Northridge.   Who could not love the happy, drunken jug:

And on top of the pole sign:

 

 

So, that’s a wrap.  I’ll be down in Culver City again in a couple of weeks to get Nik’s eyeball rechecked.  I’ll probably get some more photos for you then if the weather is good.

Don’t forget, there are other photos from this trip at Ipernity:
http://www.ipernity.com/home/roadsidearchitecture

Hi there — another big day all over the L.A. area.  I accomplished a lot but still have Hollywood and Valley stuff to do tomorrow.  I’m thoroughly exhausted from being up really late two nights in a row.  What kills me time-wise is the night-time shooting.  I had a couple of things I wanted to shoot tonight — but now way, another time, too trashed.

Let’s start with this ghost billboard sign.  Somewhere on the Imperial Highway east of Hawthorne:

 

In Inglewood, there’s a little statue and doggie drinking fountain with a tribute to Penelope.  It appears that Penelope was a Sheltie:

Here’s the inscription:

And for scale, here’s the very first group family portrait with the new kid.  Left to right:  Sputnik, Fix, Griswold & Gremlin.  Oh and Sparkle is there on the far right — chugging along nicely on this trip with 342,000 miles now:

 

Another old Pep Boys sign — this one in Inglewood — and this store had the same terrazzo entrance.  So maybe that was common at Pep Boys stores in California?  I don’t remember seeing it at the ones in Pennsylvania.

 

Today’s big heartbreak.  I took this photo in 2008:

The sign was knocked over by high winds in 2010 and could not be repaired.  The sign shop and owner decided to build a replica sign.  I was told it would cost about $30,000 and that it would look just like the old one.  Well, I don’t know what happened — but this is what I found today.  Just not the same at all…

 

This sign on Fairfax in L.A. at the Solid One Gallery tattoo studio & art gallery looks like it might have been a Norge Ball with the band removed:
http://www.agilitynut.com/signs/norge.html

The size looks right — it could have been painted.  But, then again, it might just be a new plastic ball.

 

The former Darkroom is a heckuva lot easier to shoot now that the City came down on them for having tables & umbrellas on the sidewalk.   The City wanted them to get a permit for $6,000 — which they won’t do.  The facade’s giant camera is faced with black vitrolite (glass tiles).  More about the Darkroom’s history here:
http://www.yesterland.com/darkroom.html

 

Stunning, Islamic Revival apartments in West Hollywood from 1925:

 

A rooftop ghost sign in downtown L.A.  I have no idea what it said other than “Loan Co” and later “[something] Club”:

 

I made a pit stop for lunch in Echo Park.  I’ve seen dozens of these Los Burritos stands around L.A. but I don’t think I’ve ever eaten at one.  This one was adorably tiny so I pulled over and got my usual:   a chile relleno burrito.

Sorry to report, I can only give this one a “C”.  Pretty bland, watery beans, the cheese in the chile not gooey enough. But it was nice and filling and the dogs thought it was certainly great.  Griz was a fussy eater a couple of weeks ago — but now he’s game for anything I offer him.  Maybe he only knew dog food before.

 

This sign is at the Carpet Village in Hollywood.  It’s pretty tiny and way high up — but I shoot just about anything with crowns:

 

Last one for the night — also in Hollywood.  I went to check on the giant Easter Island Heads (or Moai, if you prefer).  The prop house had a fire and these guys got scorched a bit but they are now safe behind the chain link fencing.

 

Tomorrow (Monday/Memorial Day), I’ll try to wrap things up by the afternoon to avoid getting bogged down in traffic heading home.  I might be too beat to do the final blog post tomorrow night.  So, that might have to wait until Tuesday.   Til then — nighty night.

Three days off?  Hell yeah — let’s take some pictures!  So I’m off to L.A. again with a big list and a big map — and a new addition to the family.  Are ya’ll ready to tag along?  Well, you’re probably all at the beach or hanging with friends and family so you won’t have quite the virtual experience.

First off — let’s meet the new kid.  Not to worry, I have PLENTY of roadside photos for you, too.  After moping around for a few months after losing Grip, I found myself drawn to Petfinder and came across this dog which I couldn’t put out of my mind.  I emailed and had hoped that he’d been adopted but nope.  They’d had him a couple of months and no inquiries.  So, off to the desert I went to meet him — and that was that.  I’m back to a pack of four dogs.  I’ve had the guy about two weeks and he’s blended in well.  He’s about 10 pounds and probably around 10 months old.  Most likely a Rat Terrier — though this much black is pretty unusual.  He was “Pappy” at the shelter and then “Ulysses” at his foster home.   I’ve named him “Griz”, short for “Griswold”.

At the beach:

Lining up for dinner at home:

 

And from his first roadtrip (as far as I know) from today.  Two dogs in my lap on window duty (Grem & Griz):

 

Grem may be six years old but she’s still got enough spunk & energy to wrestle for hours a day with this young whipper snapper.  He’s a little bigger but she’s definitely in charge.  An over the shoulder shot while driving today:

 

As the day progressed, Griz’s eyes got smaller and smaller.  This roadtrip stuff is exhausting!

 

OK then — on with the show!   I drove down to L.A. after work & got some night shots for you.  From Culver City:

 

From Hollywood — Crossroads of the World:

 

The Winchell’s Donut sign in West Hollywood.  Some info about it here:
http://www.insidesocal.com/davidallen/2011/10/07/upland-winchells-sign-is-now-a/

 

On with today’s photos.  A former Alta Dena Dairy drive-thru store in Compton:

 

From Pico Rivera.  The mortar & pestle, top left, used to have neon as well:

 

This trip was a little more complicated than the last one — so I went back to my old ways of a printed map (vs. that free phone app) and my list.  This was old big handmade folding map I made with taped together Google maps — the pushpins from Google & just the street number written next to them to jive with the chronological printed list.  Does that make sense to anyone but me?

 

An old Pep Boys in L.A. (on Atlantic, north of Beverly):

 

It comes with a terrazzo “apron”.  I’ve never seen that at a Pep Boys before — maybe I need to start looking:

 

I’m still dumbstruck by the native SoCal foliage.  Purple trees?  OK, back east we have lilacs & wisteria — but this just doesn’t seem possible.  I’ve figured this one out — jacaranda trees, right?  And they are all over the place right now.  With piles of purple on the ground, too:

 

From Alhambra.  I would guess that this was another drive-thru dairy store — now dolled up with some retro lettering and serving as a water store:

 

I’ve been to this Foster’s Freeze in L.A. at least two times — always crappy weather til today:

 

What’s unusual about this Foster’s sign is the ice cream part.  The metal seems to have been cut out and a plastic piece inserted — which I assume was backlit.   For more Foster’s buildings and signs, I’ve got this page at my site:
http://agilitynut.com/eateries/fosters.html

 

And yes, I indulged.  I only allow myself sugary stuff on roadtrips — so this was it.  A small triple berry sundae.  I think strawberry & raspberry — don’t know what the third was.  Thumbs and paws up from me and the kids:

 

More signs — a couple from L.A.:

 

From South Gate — this one probably from the 1930s or 1940s with its Deco-y shape:

 

There’s lots of Art Deco & Streamline Moderne in Huntington Park — here’s an unidentified building:

and another, unfortunately, tarted up with signs:

 

This one in L.A. really intrigues me.  The waffle cone patterning reminds me of a Twistee Treat — though entirely the wrong shape.  More like a teapot — but no spout.  The building is round — or, more accurately, conical.  The hideous door has to be a later addition:

 

I went to check up on this sign in L.A. — this shot from 2008:

and was horrified to see what it looked like today:

 

And let’s close out with some neon from Pasadena.  This is a nice rooftop sign.  Here it is by day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/calamity_hane/3599967702/

 

A giant rooftop sign — previously Bekins Storage:

 

 

From Gus’s Barbeque:

I was thinking when I shot this that the white neon was an arrow — but now I realize that it was a white chicken.

 

 

For more details of the Gus’s signs, see my photos over at ipernity.  I’m done with Flickr.  They’ve changed their format into something absolutely horrible (slow and ugly).  I’ve copied all my Flickr photos there and will only be uploading the new stuff to ipernity.  So, here’s the link (more & different photos from today):

http://www.ipernity.com/home/roadsidearchitecture/

It’s exactly 2am — so nighty night — more tomorrow!