View allAll Photos Tagged SignGeeks,
Covina, CA
I went online to double-check the spelling of "Clippinger" and decided to do a google streetview ..... and discovered that this wonderful neon sign, that was in the corner of their lot, is gone. Another one bites the dust.
Shoot 'em while you can, folks.
Warrenton, VA
The neon is missing from both the sign and Rip (the motel has other signage, not visible in this photo, where the neon is still intact) but that doesn't take away any of the charm. The motel started out in the 1930s, and I found a postcard for sale online from the 1950s that featured a different sign, so I'm guessing this sign originated around the 1960s.
Quincy, MA
I was delighted when I was able to cross this Massachusetts sign, in the Boston suburb of Quincy, off my must-shoot bucket list. It features the same "eskimo girl" as one of my favourite-ever signs and one I hold near and dear: the Dairy Queen sign in Grafton, WV (have a look in my "we all scream" or "west virginia" album, among others, to have a look). All that's different is the colours of the ice cream cone.
According to the ever-helpful Roadside Architecture web site, Dairy Freeze was established in the '50s and moved to this location in Quincy in 1963 and brought this sign with them when they moved.
I am so happy this decades-old sign still exists and has been maintained so well!
Pasadena, CA
The Glass House, on E. Walnut Street, has been serving Pasadena and the surrounding communities since 1945. That's a lot of glass!
Four shot vertical panorama. It's what you do when the light is great and you have a 135 f/2 on your camera.
Jacksonville, FL
This was a tricky sign to shoot. This photograph is an interstate drive-by, shot as we drove along I-10. It was the only way. We parked at the base of this sign and I took numerous shots, from every vantage point available, but this old sign is SO TALL that the angle just wasn't working for me given the bright sunshine I had to deal with. Nothing I shot looked good. So back up along the highway and -- ta-da! -- I got the shot I wanted. Thank goodness it's right beside the highway!
From the excellent Roadside Architecture site, here is the scoop on this oh-so-cool sign:
"Peninsular Pest Control Service was founded in 1954. While the bottom panel of this sign exclaims "Home Office", there never were any other locations. This sign was built in 1966 and is visible from I-10. The height of the sign including the poles is 161 feet. The text panels are about 20 feet wide. The word "Peninsular" is composed of incandescent bulbs and is outlined with neon. The other letters on the panels are lit with neon. On top of the text panels, there is an animated depiction of a man firing spray at a bug. The company calls him the "Penny Man." His arm operates the spray gun in three-part animation. The spray itself is also animated. The bug is composed of neon tubing installed on a metal grid. When the revolving man faces the bug, the bug's neon turns off indicating that it has been killed. The company had to fight keep the sign when the local sign ordinance changed. The sign is serviced every month or so to keep it in full working order."
Windsor Hills, Los Angeles
California
We were on W. Slauson Avenue, not too far from LAX, when I spotted this cool old motel sign -- the neon crown confuses me a little though, since "Jet Inn" is certainly not a regal name. It must be a relic from the past life of this motel.
all that remains of a whiting bros. truck stop and motel are the vintage signs along route 66 / interstate 40 in yucca, az. nikon D7000 + nikkor 18-200mm, photoshop CS6 + nik color efex pro.
Oceanside, CA
I particularly liked the neon starburst on this sign, and the circles behind each neon letter. Fun design.
Toronto, ON
First of all, PLEASE forgive me for the low quality of this shot. It was taken almost 10 years ago with my first iPhone, a 3GS. I was so happy to finally have an iPhone back then. Seems like ancient technology now, right? lol
I recently found this photo, on my computer buried in a folder within a folder within another folder. And I was SO stoked to find it! We used to live just a couple of blocks from here and would walk over to pick up our take-out chinese food. This was one of those old signs that we just took for granted, likely because it was local and so familiar. I don't know how long International Chop Suey was on Kingston Road, but I know it was a long time. I'm sure I remember this place from back in my high school days.
Well, the sign and the restaurant are long-gone now. This is a piece of Beaches history and, quality of the photo aside, I'm really pleased I took the shot -- and found it! -- and that I'm able to share it. I did a little photoshop editing to try to improve it, and I'm not sure I was all that successful, but it's still a treasure to me. Toronto has lost a lot of its old neon signage and so documentation of what we had is, I think, important.
on the carnival midway at the 71st annual carrot festival in california's imperial valley. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 400. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
derelict water tanker in the fading town of ludlow along old route 66 in the middle of california's mojave desert. polaroid spectra pro instant camera + impossible project blackframe B&W film.
Niagara Falls, NY
This gem is right on Niagara Falls Blvd in Niagara Falls, NY. It looked charming, well-maintained, and on the summer evening I was out looking for neon at night, their parking lot was almost full. A real nostalgic road trip blast-from-the-past.
US 22
Huntingdon, PA
Sadly, another wonderful old location that has now permanently closed. Top's Diner opened in 1949 but after a fire in 1959, moved to this location. In 2020, the current owner shut it down. Unfortunately, it appears this was a pandemic-related closure.
You can read more here:
www.huntingdondailynews.com/tops-diner-owner-announces-cl...
abandoned truck stop on the arizona-california border.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Jacksonville, FL
In the fall of 2014, on one of our many road trips down to Florida, we took a side trip into Jacksonville specifically so I could shoot this amazing neon sign. It's huge! Big chunky letters (about 10 feet tall) and that coffee cup with its animated neon drips -- good to the last drop! Those letters date back to 1955 and used to be on another side of the building until they were moved to this side in 1971. And the porcelain enamel cup is 45 feet tall!
I learned all these details from the always helpful Roadside Architecture web site. I also learned that, in 2016, the sign was repainted and the red neon tubing on the cup and letters was replaced with LED tubing. The drips are no longer animated. I'm very glad I shot this back in 2014.
In March 2020 we were in Jacksonville again and drove near here and, for some reason, I decided to skip going back to shoot it. You know, I'm kind of glad I did. I would have been disappointed, I think. At least now, the next time I see it, I'll be prepared.
North Wildwood, NJ
Look at the happy couple, lounging around in their giant neon suitcase, giving us a wave! I wonder what the sign looked like before they updated the main portion of it ... was it as charming as the top?
Iroquois, ON
The neon's been stripped away and it looks like the paint job was fairly fresh. They may have a fancy WiFi symbol now but it's still an old-time motel along Hwy 2 in eastern Ontario.
Sherman Oaks, CA
I love this towering sign for the Valley Beverage Company .... that great bulb arrow, neon liquor bottle, the "fine" in neon script, and those fabulous corrugated metal triangles with the chunky neon letters. Sure, it's rusty and crusty -- that gives it character!
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4. + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Boston, MA
They have a terrific sign; I bet it looked amazing, especially at night, when the bulbs were all still there. Unfortunately, I checked on Yelp and Trip Advisor and read some not-so-terrific reviews.
On Route 66
Pasadena, CA
A night shot of the wonderful fish-shaped neon sign at Cameron's Seafood on Colorado Blvd (route 66) in Pasadena.
As I mentioned on the daytime shot (have a look in my California album if you want to have a look), twice in the past few years we made plans to have dinner here and, twice, our plans had to change. And since I read earlier this year (January 2021) that they've permanently closed their doors, now we never will.
I'm thankful I have photographs, but I wish I'd had dinner too.
Here is the article on the closure:
Given the good condition of the bottom three-quarters of this ghost sign, I'm betting it was uncovered during the demolition of whatever building used to be in the empty lot.
Syracuse, NY
recently processed film. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Petersburg, VA
Really fun storefront and signage, from the neon "furniture" sign to the cool Philco sign with its funky shape and, if you look close, you'll see the king too!
Whittier, CA
We were driving around the Los Angeles area, sign hunting, and came across this rusty old sign. Just the type of sign I love to discover! Given its condition, I'm not surprised to learn this decades-old sign is no longer there, and am very pleased to learn it was saved and is now in the capable hands of the Valley Relics Museum in Van Nuys, California.
mamiya 6MF 75mm f/3.5 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Grafton, WV
Sometimes it seems coke signs are everywhere; I'm sure I've missed many of them just because they're so familiar, they don't get noticed.
Arthur, ON
You can still get a Sprite at the Village Variety store in Arthur, Ontario, but this plastic-fantastic sign no longer will entice you to come in and buy one. The store's still there but this cheery, bubbly sign is gone.
Hamilton, ON
Maybe my fellow Canadians can help me out? I think the "Royal Oak" in the sign refers to the company that provides us with all those bags of charcoal for our barbecues? But I'm not sure because I can't find any reference to that particular logo. It's an old sign so I'm guessing the logo could be retired, but you'd think I'd be able to find something. All the logos I can find online have a crown, not an acorn.