View allAll Photos Tagged SignGeeks,
On US 1 in Waldoboro, Maine
Everything was wonderful -- the sign, the service, our dinner, even the cookbook I bought.
the abandoned wells fine cars dealership on old highway 99 in selma, ca. shot with an iphone 5s, processed with various desktop apps.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Route/US 17
Warrenton, VA
This is where the locals went to get a good steak, for years. Decades. Sadly, it closed down several years ago.
Writes Todd Middleton in FauquierNow, back in 2013:
"What's missing in the Warrenton area is a talented, motivated, passionate chef and owner. Someone with a creative, fresh approve (sic) to the food service industry. Where it's missing is the location: 6806 James Madison Highway, Warrenton, Va.
Ben and Mary's Steakhouse in days past was not only a larger than life landmark, but the owners provided great food, even better service and consistency in their product. It's where everyone went to get a great steak and a good drink for a family night out.
That type of restaurant never goes out of style and will thrive even in poor economic times. I hope someone out there is reading and listening to this and accepts the challenge of opening a real restaurant in a great location. In the mean time, I'll fire up my backyard grill to cook my own steaks . . . and wait."
I'm not positive, but all these years later, I think the former Ben & Mary's is still sitting empty.
Wildwood, NJ
Since 1926, Laura's Fudge has been keeping Wildwood visitors sweet....sweet, like this charming rooftop sign. If only all the neon was working.
On Colorado Blvd (Route 66); Pasadena, CA
Being a fan of The Big Bang Theory, I was delighted to be able to walk to this train store -- Sheldon's favourite, maybe lol -- from our hotel during our stay in Pasadena in 2016. It's a fantastic sign and the neon train even lights up like it's moving! Definitely worth seeing in person for all neon lovers.
The sign is encased in plexiglass, no doubt as protection. I was charmed by the neon butterfly.
North Providence, Rhode Island
Cincinnati, OH
Wonderful old skyscraper-shaped sign -- a little rusty and crusty around the edges and missing neon, but overall I think it's fabulous.
Every year I check....always glad to see this old friend still standing. Will always be one of my favourite finds!
Savannah, GA
the landmark kentile floors sign in the brooklyn neighborhood of gowanus is no more. originally photographed in 2004, processed with various desktop apps 2014.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Richmond, VA
This animated bulb-only scaffold sign on the roof of the C.F. Sauer Company's headquarters is one of the most magnificent signs I've come across. I was mesmerized by this huge beauty, watching the chef pour his vanilla into the mixing bowl and stir it in. Amazing!
The sign is almost 100 years old, dating back to 1925.
Sherman Oaks, CA
Baxter Northup is the oldest continuously operating music store in California -- it was founded by Harry Baxter and Ray Northup about 115 years ago!
derelict water tanker in the fading town of ludlow along old route 66 / interstate 40 in the middle of california's mojave desert. polaroid spectra pro instant camera + impossible project B&W film.
Pembroke, GA
Until we came across this ghost sign, I had never heard of Obelisk flour.
I discovered two things online. First, this, from The Society of Architectural Historians: "The Ballard and Ballard Company was established in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1880 by Samuel and Charles T. Ballard. Their chief product was Obelisk Flour, which they advertised through painted signs that are still visible on the sides of old buildings from Georgia to Maine. The company ceased production under its own name when Pillsbury acquired it in 1951."
And, if you're into banjo music, there is an instrumental by Lewis, Scruggs, & Long titled "Obelisk Flour". Give a listen here: music.youtube.com/watch?v=_I325CIp0L0&list=RDAMVM_I32...
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Columbus, OH
What a great old sign -- there's an old clock, neon script, chunky neon letters, plus bulbs!
Still owned by the Lisska family, the bar opened up in the 1930s. Reading reviews online, it seems the food at this classic dive bar is pretty good. They have homemade desserts! Now I wish we'd ventured inside. Next time.
at 6am, all of the tweakers are finally curling up to sleep. the rundown and wind-blown queens motel sits on the edge of the open desert, the last stop for many who are down and out.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
a weathered billboard on the western fringes of barstow. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Columbus, Ohio
When we went on our Ohio/Kentucky road trip, I had a list of must-shoot signs from a friend who grew up in the area; this was one of them. It didn't disappoint.
It's time-ravaged for sure, but still such a marvellous sign.
Gainesville, FL
UPDATE: Sadly, this motel and its amazing sign are gone.
former location of gaston's cafe where leonard knight of salvation mountain fame would drink his morning coffee. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Richmond, VA
Doesn't this old building have marvellous detail!? Built in 1928, this was previously the home of The Berry-Burk Company, a clothing store. Imagine shopping for clothes here!
The store is long gone and the building has been repurposed to apartments.
As a bonus, I also captured a second, partially-hidden scaffold sign too!
Route/US 30 (Lincoln Highway)
Jennerstown, PA
Sadly, this sign is gone. The sign's frame stands but everything else has been stripped away. I discovered this in the fall of 2019, when last we drove along here. Tied on the frame was a canvas sign proclaiming "Future administrative home of the Mountain Playhouse".
I really liked the corrugated plastic sign and the small neon arrow. And yes, there was a small wishing well set back on the lawn. I wonder if that's still there.
Sherman Oaks, CA
Two signs for the price of one LOL:
Casa Vega Restaurant, and Sherman Oaks Village -- and that nifty arrow!
Belleville, ON
These old Kentucky Fried Chicken locations, with the Scott's Chicken Villa signage, are a disappearing sight here in Ontario.
Columbus, OH
Carl Zipf Lock Shop used to have a very old, very beat up neon key-shaped sign. I wish I could have photographed it, but it was removed a year or so before we went on a sign-hunting expedition in Columbus -- this is the sign that replaced it. I appreciate that they didn't replace it with something boring but instead chose a modernized version of their old sign.
Lynn, MA
This wonderful old shoe sign has a neon lassie on this side and, you guessed it, a lad on the other.
This sign is part of an installation of neon signs in Lynn, a suburb of Boston. In 2018, Lynn started to light up its streets with a collection of vintage neon signs. The project was supposed to run for three years; I don't know if the signs are still up, but I sure hope they are! This is one of them.
Here's an article about the project:
We just returned from an amazing three-week vacation on the west coast of Canada and the US. I FINALLY was able to shoot Circus Liquor at night.....another item scratched off my bucket list!
North Hollywood, CA
Columbus, OH
This iconic neon scaffold sign that graces Capitol Square and downtown Columbus, Ohio, went up back in 1958. The banner was added in 1971. And this year, 2021, marked both the 50th anniversary of that banner, plus the 150th year of the newspaper. As you might guess, other signs preceded this one too.
To learn more, have a look here:
www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2021/07/01/iconic-dispa...
Route 66,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
This Route 66 classic is such a beautiful sign. And, notice the charring on the lamp spout? That's because it shoots out flames! I have not had the good fortune to see it at night....yet. I sure hope to, one day.
Once again (as always, it seems!) the wonderful Roadside Architecture web site has the history of this Southern California historic sign:
"The Magic Lamp Inn sign is believed to be the only one in the country featuring a real gas flame. Lucy and John's Italian restaurant was built in 1941. It closed in 1955 after a devastating fire. The building was then sold to John Clearman, famous later on for his North Woods Inn chain in Southern California. Three of these restaurants with faux snow-covered roofs are still operating. Clearman took the burnt shell of the Lucy and John's building, remodeled it, and opened it as the Magic Lamp Inn in 1957. The building was faced with brick and Spanish tile was added to the roof. The interior was styled as a Bavarian steakhouse with dark wood and upholstered booths. The Lucy and John's rooftop sign was adapted with the new name. The new sign in the shape of an Aladdin's lamp was installed. Instead of the steel oil lamp's spout springing forth a genie, it features an actual gas flame. The sign is inspected annually by the fire department for gas leaks and safety. The sign is turned on and off manually each night with two switches: one for the neon and the other for the flame."