Vintage neon signs

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[1mach1]

Richmond VA

Returned home for Christmas. Went for a nice walk downtown. Some good stuff still remains. These are all on Broad Street.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[Fading Fast]

Richmond VA

Returned home for Christmas. Went for a nice walk downtown. Some good stuff still remains. These are all on Broad Street.

Wow, a lot of good signs but this one ⇧ is incredible. Must be awesome lit up at night.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[1mach1]

Wow, a lot of good signs but this one ⇧ is incredible. Must be awesome lit up at night.

It is super fantastic at night. The chefs hands (mixing and pouring) move and drops of "vanilla" pour out of the bottle. Shortly after, the vanilla word lights up slowly from left to right. Its a sight for sure.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Fading Fast]

It is super fantastic at night. The chefs hands (mixing and pouring) move and drops of "vanilla" pour out of the bottle. Shortly after, the vanilla word lights up slowly from left to right. Its a sight for sure.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Couldn't stop thinking about it, so youtube to the rescue:

 

[Fading Fast]

1mach1, I thought your Richmond VA post felt familiar and then I remembered that SGF and I went to a friend's wedding in Richmond about a decade ago. The town has incredible GE architecture (as you captured well).

I also remember that bank you posted over in Vintage Roadside as it is a stunning Art Deco building. We stayed at the Jefferson Hotel which had been "remuddled" a bit, but still had outstanding classic architecture including a "lower" lobby that was insane:

We also went to an old diner in town that was right out of Fedora Lounge and that had insanely good biscuits, but I don't remember its name and Google didn't help. It was on a (or the) main street sandwiched between other stores in a slightly depressed part of town.

 

[1mach1]

1mach1, I thought your Richmond VA post felt familiar and then I remembered that SGF and I went to a friend's wedding in Richmond about a decade ago. The town has incredible GE architecture (as you captured well).

I also remember that bank you posted over in Vintage Roadside as it is a stunning Art Deco building. We stayed at the Jefferson Hotel which had been "remuddled" a bit, but still had outstanding classic architecture including a "lower" lobby that was insane:

View attachment 99385

We also went to an old diner in town that was right out of Fedora Lounge and that had insanely good biscuits, but I don't remember its name and Google didn't help. It was on a (or the) main street sandwiched between other stores in a slightly depressed part of town.

Richmond is a great town with plenty of old architecture and "once grand" buildings. The Jefferson is super cool for sure. Glad you've been!

Perhaps the restaurant you are thinking about is Perlys? Let me know.

https://www.perlysrichmond.com

 

[Fading Fast]

Richmond is a great town with plenty of old architecture and "once grand" buildings. The Jefferson is super cool for sure. Glad you've been!

Perhaps the restaurant you are thinking about is Perlys? Let me know.

https://www.perlysrichmond.com

Cool looking place but that's not the one. I'm embarrassed that I don't remember more. The place was an old style diner / restaurant with a decent amount of wood (could have been out of the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" or "Driving Miss Daisy). It was (as yours is above) sandwiched between other storefronts on a main or busy street.

The staff at The Jefferson said it was a not-fancy (spot on), "good eats" place, near by with outstanding biscuits. The funny thing is, I could find it if I was at The Jefferson, but neither SGF or I can remember the name.

 

[BobHufford]

The funny thing is, I could find it if I was at The Jefferson, but neither SGF or I can remember the name.

Go to The Jefferson on Google Earth Street View and start walking around until you find it.

 

[Fading Fast]

Go to The Jefferson on Google Earth Street View and start walking around until you find it.

Great advice and I took it. I think (could be wrong) it's on E Broad Street but I couldn't find it - it wasn't more than a ten minute walk from the hotel. I'm thinking it might have closed, but it seemed to have been there a long time, but also, it was in a not thriving part of town, so who knows.

All that said, I could be off by one or two street. For those familiar with downtown Richmond VA, it was an old diner or luncheonette - with a classic old wood look and feel - that was not "discovered" or "gentrified" but still served old-style diner food. It was on one of those double wide streets (several lanes of traffic both ways) and was tucked in amongst other storefronts.

Now it's driving me nuts, but I can't think of what else I can do.

 

[1mach1]

Great advice and I took it. I think (could be wrong) it's on E Broad Street but I couldn't find it - it wasn't more than a ten minute walk from the hotel. I'm thinking it might have closed, but it seemed to have been there a long time, but also, it was in a not thriving part of town, so who knows.

All that said, I could be off by one or two street. For those familiar with downtown Richmond VA, it was an old diner or luncheonette - with a classic old wood look and feel - that was not "discovered" or "gentrified" but still served old-style diner food. It was on one of those double wide streets (several lanes of traffic both ways) and was tucked in amongst other storefronts.

Now it's driving me nuts, but I can't think of what else I can do.

Could it have been the Third Street Diner? Lots of wood in there, and its been a Richmond staple for a very very long time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Fading Fast]

Could it have been the Third Street Diner? Lots of wood in there, and its been a Richmond staple for a very very long time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I'm embarrassed. I don't "think" that's it for two reasons. One, I remember the place not being on a corner and I thought it had different name. But the place did look similar. I have Googled my fingers to the bone (don't I live a tough life) and still haven't found it (but have found several biscuit placed I want to try if we ever get back).

If it helps at all, it was a pretty big place once you got inside - no hole in the wall and was there a long time (we were told and it looked it).

 

[1mach1]

I'm embarrassed. I don't "think" that's it for two reasons. One, I remember the place not being on a corner and I thought it had different name. But the place did look similar. I have Googled my fingers to the bone (don't I live a tough life) and still haven't found it (but have found several biscuit placed I want to try if we ever get back).

If it helps at all, it was a pretty big place once you got inside - no hole in the wall and was there a long time (we were told and it looked it).

You know, in the past decade or so, Richmond has undergone a hipster revitalization downtown thanks to VCU and the millinieal crowd that has stayed and settled there. Great for the city, since it was murder capitol of the US when I grew up there. Downtown has been reclaimed by several new restaurants, art galleries, quirky hotels and shops. Could be that the great place you remember is no more. Sadly, many Richmond icons have gone by the wayside.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Fading Fast]

You know, in the past decade or so, Richmond has undergone a hipster revitalization downtown thanks to VCU and the millinieal crowd that has stayed and settled there. Great for the city, since it was murder capitol of the US when I grew up there. Downtown has been reclaimed by several new restaurants, art galleries, quirky hotels and shops. Could be that the great place you remember is no more. Sadly, many Richmond icons have gone by the wayside.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Based on my virtual Google walk, I think you are probably right as it seemed to be gone from where I thought it was. It's a shame because that was the real-deal type of place the Hipsters / Millennials claim to love.

 

[ChazfromCali]

Nowadays I just don't see as much neon as when I was a little kid in the mid to late 60's, and what I see is somehow off. Not quite right. Why would something as simple as an open/closed sign be (both) in red? Closed should be red of course but if you have a neon sign that tells customers your establishment is open shouldn't it be in green neon? Is green more expensive? I don't see anything creative either. It's a lost art I guess.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Rob

 

[Fading Fast]

Rob

My girlfriend and I were both born in the '60s and can compare Howard Johnson's stories. She said her favorite meal was the fried clams (first on board above); whereas, I remember the burger, the hotdogs and the french fries. But what I really remember was the ice-cream. While that picture - based on the cars - is early than when I was going, that style sign and building were still very common into the '70s.

I didn't get to choose where we ate if we were going somewhere - we were not a kid-centric family, fewer were back then - but I did a little internal jump for joy whenever my dad said we'd be stopping at Howard Johnson's.

 

[Frunobulax]

My girlfriend and I were both born in the '60s and can compare Howard Johnson's stories. She said her favorite meal was the fried clams (first on board above); whereas, I remember the burger, the hotdogs and the french fries. But what I really remember was the ice-cream. While that picture - based on the cars - is early than when I was going, that style sign and building were still very common into the '70s.

I didn't get to choose where we ate if we were going somewhere - we were not a kid-centric family, fewer were back then - but I did a little internal jump for joy whenever my dad said we'd be stopping at Howard Johnson's.

My parents would indulge me on vacations. Tuesdays were all-you-can-eat clams at HoJo. So if we were on the road on a Tuesday and there was a HoJo around, they'd let me get my fill.

Mmmmm...clams.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.