I’ve always loved cool old signs, especially here in the wild west. So for the past couple of years, I’ve been snapping pics on my iPhone of my favorites in Salinas.
I realize planners and such might consider some of these old signs a form of urban blight, but I think they’re beautiful in their faded glory. Of course, there are a few favorites not shown here — Star Market, Fox Theater, Growers Pub and Valley Bowl, among others — but they’re for another series of nighttime neon.
There’s something about seeing these old signs in the glaring light of day that is both sad and lovely to me — reminders that the past, though fading, has yet to be erased.
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