Day 30 - Kirin and Sushi -Let's Celebrate!

I just love this neon sign!!!  When I came across it I just knew I'd take it for my last day's image!  I figured I started with beer, and might as well end with it, since the beer neons are so interesting in themselves.  But I also got a kick out of the image.  It first looked to me like a little R2D2 on wheels with orange eyes and straws sticking out of its mouth.  Only after looking more closely, and after reading "sushi" (which I figured they must have put in because other people didn't get it either), did I realize that it's not a little monster/robot, but a footed plate with chopsticks, some shrimp sushi, and two slices of sushi rolls.  Heck, maybe they're even California rolls!  Regardless, I still look at it and see a little rolling character!

So, Maggie, sorry, it's not a neon with my hometown immortalized; I hope you're not too disappointed!

I want to sincerely thank all of you who have stopped by during the 30-day challenge and  those of you took the time to leave a comment.  I looked forward to reading them and they did keep me going.  My neon quests were fun, but dragging myself out sometimes wasn't! 

I will post more neons that I took on various days that didn't make it in because they didn't fit the evolving theme, and I will continue to go out and look for more fun neon signs to add.  It's really been an eye-opener to discover signs that I've passed many times and never noticed.  I hope you will also become more aware of the neon art in your own areas!

Day 29 - Custom Wheels

This tire store actually has two identical neon signs that I saw - one in the front window and one in the side window.  The store/garage itself is a free-standing structure in a corner of the parking lot of a large mall, so people can see it coming from various directions.  For all I know, since I only took the picture of the sign on the side window because it was the easiest to access, there could have been one or more signs on the other sides of the building as well!  But I knew this one was there from prior reconnaissance and I just went back, pulled into the lot, got out of my car, took the picture, got back in and came back home!   The design with the horizontal lines is designed to show speed, I think, but I can't figure out why the two words are not parallel.  Things like that catch my eye.

Sprinting toward the finish, or should I say "racing" on my custom wheels to the finish.  Only one more day to go!!!

Day 28 - Pack and Ship

When I saw this sign in a dark mail business window, its colors and brightness really caught my eye.  I can't really figure out if the white lines have an identifiable design purpose, but I just loved the colors, and the slanting red letters are obviously designed to indicate speed.   I like the simple and effective design, and the sign is fairly close to my home, so here it is!  Only two days left, and I already know which signs you'll be seeing.  But I'm not telling..... (just in case the neon burns out between now and then).

Day 27 - In-N-Out Burgers for Ratbar!

Ask and ye shall receive!   Rick mentioned missing In-N-Out burgers, so I went out last night and got one for him.  Or at least the neon sign!  Funny thing - I knew our In-N-Out did not have a massive neon sign, but as I drove into the shopping center (I knew there was some neon inside the restaurant), I actually saw this neon sign on the side of the building, where cars line up for their drive-thru service!  What a surprise!  We've been going to that particular In-N-Out for at least 10 years and I NEVER noticed the neon sign on the side of the building, even as I went through the drive-thru!

For those of you without access to this burger chain, In-N-Out burgers are about the best commercial burgers out there.  They consistently come in at the top of all surveys.  They're not huge burgers, but are made-to-order with all fresh ingredients, including lots of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and cheese on super fresh buns!   Here is a picture of an actual In-N-Out burger I took for my first 30-Day Challenge back in 2008!  In-N-Out Double-Double Burger with Fries   Try not to drool!

Day 26 - Electra in Red

This is such a well-designed and built sign!  It is located on the back wall of a bicycle shop.  I actually walked by it a week or so ago, during the day, and noticed it, but wasn't sure if it would be lit at night after the store closed, but I put it on my "list" of potential neons.  When I went back to see if it was on, I was delighted to see that not only was it on, but that it was the only light inside the store!  I love the lines - they represent a cruiser bike so well!  This may be my favorite neon so far.

Day 25 - TK Burgers

I loved this sign when I passed it.  Alas, like many of my other signs, this sign is in a location I pass from time to time, maybe 10 - 15 minutes from my house, and I have never noticed it!  Actually I've never stopped in at TK Burgers either because it's a bit difficult to get to unless you're walking, and it's not a place I'd make a destination.  It's more of a beach burger joint, easily walkable to from the sand.  But the sign is wonderful!  I love seeing the hint of lettuce, tomato and cheese on the bun, but I sort of wonder where the burger is!

I am enjoying taking photos of neon, but I can honestly say I am thrilled to be on the last "line" of my poster!  I am definitely going to take more pics, and add them to my blog, but I am sure it will be more fun without the daily pressure!

Day 24 - Johnny Rockets

Ok, before anyone jumps all over me for today's title, Johnny Rockets does NOT have an apostrophe!  I even Googled it to make sure that the logo/sign here didn't have one on purpose.  So there!

Johnny Rockets is a burger joint, that, according to my Googling, is worldwide now, though it started in my home town, Los Angeles.  Burgers, fries, malts, shakes.  They've got 'em.  Chrome, vinyl, jukeboxes, check.   And they've got the neon, too - a true throwback to the Neon Age of yore.

Day 23 - Surfing Budweiser

I am just amazed at the number of customized advertising signs for beer that we have in our city!  Sure, the Budweiser logo is recognized, but the surfer is clearly there because we live in a community renowned for its surfing.  I thought the earlier Pacifica beer logo with the surfer woodie wagon was clever, and the bikini-clad Miller Draft sign with the Corona del Mar name added made it personal to our city, but seeing this surfer now has me intrigued.  I never noticed this before.  Ok, people far and wide, tell me what customization you have on your liquor store beer signs.  I'm especially interested in those not from ocean/surfing areas!

Day 22 - Pho

Since I was watching TV last night (the new season started this week), I decided I didn’t want to go out really late to take pics for today’s post after two hours of Dancing With the Stars and another hour of NCIS Los Angeles.   The going out at night part is not bad, but I did not factor in all the season premieres in September of the TV shows I watch would cut into my nighttime neon quests.  This picture was actually taken during afternoon hours, so it required a lot of darkening to match the format of the other days’ neons.

A little about this particular neon.  Orange County has a very large Vietnamese community, and there are a lot of small mom-and-pop restaurants, as well as larger ones.  This is one of the former.  For those unfamiliar, Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a traditional Vietnamese soup made with broth and rice noodles, bean sprouts, lime, lots of cilantro, and some meat strips and/or vegetables added in.  It’s a hearty one dish meal.  I’ve noticed that many of the pho restaurants have numbers with their name, as in this Pho 89, so I used this opportunity to Google and find out why there are numbers in so many of these restaurant names.  Sure enough, there was an answer to this very question.  Often they're lucky numbers.  In some Asian cultures, eight is associated with wealth or prosperity.  Sometimes it marks a date in Vietnamese history, or in the owners' personal life.  I couldn’t find anything specific to 89, but it could be the year the owners emigrated to the US, for example. 

No, I didn’t order a bowl of pho, but they did sell boba drinks, which I love, so I got a mango slushy with boba balls in it.  And for those of you who don’t know about boba drinks either, here is more info on them:  http://www.suite101.com/content/boba-tea-a209379 

I probably should have taken a picture of my boba drink, too, but I was too busy drinking it and chewing on the boba balls to even think about taking a picture, once I got the neon sign. 

Oh, and I realized too late that this neon is probably too similar to yesterday’s in   terms of how it fits in the overall poster, but that’s just the way it goes. 

Day 21 - Hot Coffee!

I found this sign a little 'odd' in that the colors of the coffee cup are cool colors, yet they are there to portray warm coffee.  The combination of the cool blue and magenta didn't seem to be a 'fit' with the warm red of the letters in the word open, either.   Maybe that's what attracted my attention - the clash and tension of the colors?  No matter, since I liked the graphics of the sign and continue to be amazed by the simple lines that create an apparent 3-D image.

The posting is a little late (16 minutes) because I've been watching Dancing With The Stars opening week!  But not to worry, I'm already out of contention for the HxH at the end of the 30 days.   :)

Day 20 - Dansko

Though simpler than some of the prior neons, this sign caught my attention because of its very bright color and contemporary style logo font.  I've not worn their shoes before, but they look very comfortable!

In answer to some of the prior days' questions:

1.  No, I did not get to try Bad Ass Coffee so I don't know if it is bad ass.

2.  Eury was correct regarding the Coca-Cola sign.  That little line through the "l" appears to be part of the company logo, but the part attaching that squiggle to the "C" in Cola is missing.  I grossly lightened my original photo to see if maybe a section of the neon was "out" but, alas, there is no connecting link of neon between the "C" and the squiggle.  Maybe because it's not an "official" licensed sign? 

3.  Yes, it is getting harder and harder to find interesting neon nearby my house.  I live in a relatively newer and more of a master-planned community, so I have had to venture out to more outlying (6-10 miles) areas to find some of the signs I've used.  I have noted locations of various signs that I've seen during my travels around, and made a list that I refer to at night as I get ready to head out. What I'm trying to do now, since that's how my blog started to evolve, is to include some sort of graphic element along with the words of the signs.  From my list I try to find a logo that I think will look good in that day's position in the poster.

I can't promise this format will continue this way for the rest of the month, but I'm sure going to try!  I do think I will keep trying to take pictures of interesting and/or colorful neon signs after this month is over, though.  I'm really enjoying looking at them in more depth since September 1!

Day 19 - Bad Ass Coffee

This was a tough sign to get!  The first day we saw it, the shop was crammed with people and some of their heads blocked part of the sign.  The second time we went by, the shop was closed and dark.  The neon was lit, but the inside of the sign was difficult to see.  And, since this sign was located on the back wall of the shop (not in the front window as most of my signs have been), I had to shoot through the paned glass front door and try to lighten up the middle of the picture for posting here.

The photo shows the sign in its true orientation.  You can see the electric cord at the bottom (I didn't clone it out).  The sign is just so uneven that it really sort of bugs me, but I didn't want to change the orientation because even rotated, it still didn't look right! 

But since the sign made me do a double take, I figured I had to include it in my gallery!

Day 18 - Love Your Pet

Also located on the main street in old town Park City is this sign.  The main street isn't very big, so we cruised by each day to see what was going on, go window shopping, look for neon and to eat.  This sign is located in a window near the beginning of the street.  I had to stand almost against a parked car to be able to get the whole neon sign into the image, but it was so worth it!  I love the sign, and the colors!  Again, the sign was over my head a bit, so you see some of the reflection well below the main neon.  I wonder what happened to the neon at the bottom of the "T" at the end.  It's just fairly dark where there should be color.

Day 17 - Bubbly Coca Cola

I got back from my short vacation tonight, and after unpacking the suitcase and having a small dinner, immediately came to my computer to get my photos ready for my blog!  How dedicated (read crazy) is that?

The main street in Park City, Utah has a lot of old and funky buildings, with some very interesting signs, both neon and non-neon.  I loved this sign.  It's not a regular sign, per se.  The little effervescent bubbles light up sequentially over and over again.  It took me about three shots to get them all lit up at the same time!  It's a neat sign, and I really loved watching the bubbles (I'm easily amused), but I still can't figure out what that line in the middle of the "l" in cola is for!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

For those of you blog watchers who may be wondering where my pictures are for a few days, don't worry, I've not dropped out!  I'm out of town for three days with no computer access to work on my images and/or upload them.  I will dutifully take my daily pictures, though, hopefully of some different kinds of neon signs in a different area, and upload them on my return.  Thanks for stopping by, and for any comments you leave.  See you soon!

Day 16 - Shock Top

This was a quickie trip last night, as there was a new TV show on I wanted to watch!  So I went to a nearby liquor store and took a photo of the Shock Top neon sign in the window!  I guess I tend to stick to the same type of beers when I buy, since this name didn't ring a bell to me, either (see Day 1).  

I love the design!  Just a few lines can convey so much; I'm really enjoying the art aspect of these signs.

Day 15 - Taqueria Ole!

I got a kick out of this neon sign.  It was on the window of a small market.  For those who don't speak Spanish, a taqueria is a little taco shop.  I didn't go inside for a sample since the market was closed, but I'll bet it was good!  Heck, if they can make neon squiggles look like lettuce, tomato and queso fresco (white cheese), and a closed yellow "s" look like a taco shell, the tacos have to be good, right? 

The sign was several feet over my head, which accounts for the large gap in the reflected wording.

Well, today marks the halfway point in the Challenge!  It's been fun, and I hope it continues to be!  Ole!  (I wish I knew how to type the 'e' with the accent mark over it.)

Day 14 - Bluewater Grill



Last night I went to my photo club meeting.  We meet about 12-13 miles from my house and people come from a fairly wide area.  After the meeting I asked some of the people if they knew where some fun neon signs might be located (I was looking for areas I don't usually go to close to my home).  I got several suggestions, so after the meeting, I spent about an hour and a half driving around, looking for and noting locations of neon signs!  I had the time, fortunately, so I figured 'why not?" and just drove!  I found quite a few, which I will try to get to before the end of the challenge. 

I really underestimated the time looking for neon would take after the first week or so, so I think advance reconnaissance will cut down a lot of the nightly driving in all directions looking for something suitable!  Besides, now I have some ideas of designs and colors, so with any luck I can work out something which not only looks fun on a daily basis, but fits well into my final collage.  And, save gas in the process!

Today's image is from Bluewater Grill, a chain of seafood restaurants that I think is nationwide.  All of their logo signs are the same, but not all of them are neon.  This sign is from a restaurant different from the one we've gone to close by our home.  It's a little further, but it's neon, and our closer one isn't!

Day 13 - Overnight Delivery

This sign was in the window of a closed and darkened store, allowing at least part of the reflection of the neon to really show through. This is another neon, not too far from my house, that I never noticed before. I got a kick out of the moon, since it almost looks like a giant mouth eating the words, but for the context.

I'm posting this very early today (I go 9 pm - 9pm local time), as my day is full and I may not be back until after my deadline for posting. So, if you didn't get to see the fun and funky "Tanning" neon from yesterday, please take a look (below).

Day 12 - Tanning Salon

Tonight's image was fairly easy.  No long driving trips because we'd passed by this little strip mall last night and seen several colorful neon signs in the distance.  We didn't stop then, just noted where some signs could be found.  So tonight it was a matter of driving for about 5 - 10 minutes to get to the location.  I was pleasantly surprised by the actual sign, since I'd just seen some vague colors last night.  The graphics look like they could have been lifted from a child's drawing of a sun, a palm tree and a bird!  It's been a real eye opener to notice the difference in the sophistication of various signs.  I just never paid particular attention to them before.

Day 11 - Tastee Freez

My husband played hookey from work yesterday afternoon, so we decided to play some golf.  Of course, I didn't feel like cooking dinner after that, so we went out for a quick dinner.  And of course, I used that opportunity to bring my camera along (part of my scheme to get him to go out looking for neon with me).  After dinner, we drove around, looking for some neon signs.  At one little strip mall, things looked a bit promising, so we stopped in.  There was a Weinerschnitzel fast food restaurant there that had some neon writing on the side which I wanted to take (I did, but the lighting was just too weird and it didn't come out well).  Meanwhile he went inside because he saw there was also a Tastee-Freez soft serve ice cream concession inside.  He was inside for just a minute when he came out and told me there was a neon Tastee-Freez sign inside!  So in I went and took this picture.  It was a strange set-up, though, since the sign was not 'freestanding' but was rather located behind some blackish glass.  Nevertheless I got the shot, but if it looks more 'flat' than usual, that is the reason.  But I liked the picture of the ice cream cone and the colors are good, so it's today's image for the challenge.  Oh, and no, I didn't get an ice cream cone, but my husband did, and I did taste some of it.

Day 10 - Bikini Beer

Well, last night was a tough one for neon. I drove to a different area than where I've been looking so far.  I thought since it was an arty area (Laguna Beach) I might find some neat neon.  But, alas, it was not to be.  I may not have driven far enough past the touristy area, but it was getting late and I was getting tired.  I figure I put about 15 miles on my odometer in a fruitless search.  Fortunately on my way home, I saw a liquor store with this neon sign.  It appears to be custom made for Corona del Mar (beach town where I live) because of the bikini babe and the name of the town added, so I figured it would be good for my challenge.  So there you have it, as if you didn't know, sex sells beer!

Day 9 - Bottled Water

I'm sorry, but this was just too weird!!   This sign wasn't located at a bottled water company.  This appears in the window of a strip mall mini-mart.  You'd think they'd advertise beer, or ice cream, or other products.  But nooo!  A giant neon sign advertising bottled water for sale.   I just was so surprised to find this.  I'd never seen (or at least noticed) anything like it before I started my neon quest.  But the colors are nice, and refreshing!  (...I'm still shaking my head in amazement though...)

Day 8 - King's Fish House

So it was my mother-in-law's birthday yesterday and we took her out for dinner.  She wanted lobster, so we went to King's Fish House, near where she lives.  I had my camera with me, because I figured we'd be finished eating in time for me to take my shot for today.  I left it in the car when we went in to eat, and I immediately noticed some neon signs inside the restaurant, and commented.  But I didn't want to take any pictures inside.  When we finished our dinner and went to the car, I just figured we could just keep our eyes open for signs we might see in her neighborhood, which is about 12-13 miles from our house.

Lo and behold, when we got into the car, I noticed some bright red behind a tree that separated our car in the parking lot from the brick wall of the restaurant. I hadn't seen it when we arrived. "Wait!" I shouted. My husband dutifully put the car back in park, and said to his mother, "It'll only be about 10 minutes." But no! Even trying a couple of different settings, I only took about 3 minutes and jumped back into the car, showing my mother-in-law the picture in my camera's display. That, of course, led to a discussion of why I was taking pictures of neon signs, and well, you all know the rest. :)

Day 7 - Birthday Flowers

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday.  Imagine my surprise last night while driving back home from finding and taking a picture of another sign, I saw this very small neon sign in a small side window of a very small flower shop!   It was one of those things that if you didn't happen to be looking to the side at just the right time, you would miss it.  Actually, I thought it was one of the ubiquitous 'closed' signs I've been seeing so frequently at night, but the bit of bright green caught my eye and piqued my interest.  So I doubled back and went into the parking lot.  I don't think the sign is more than 15 - 18 inches wide, sort of squooshed actually, but realizing the fortuity of the find, considering I'd be posting today on her birthday, I just had to scuttle my plans for my prior image and take a picture of this sign! 

Not to worry, I will go back and re-take the original shot I took last night for another day.

Can't let a good sign go to waste!

I'm posting early today because we're going out for dinner and I don't want to miss the deadline.

Day 6 - Ice Cream for Labor Day

Today is Labor Day, a national holiday in the U.S.  It traditionally marks the end of summer, and often families and friends gather for picnics, barbecues, block parties and the like.  Lots of fun and games and food, and sometimes even home-made ice cream.

This year, alas, we didn't do the barbecue thing, but when I saw the Haagen-Dazs neon sign, I thought it would be perfect for a Labor Day post.  And I didn't even consider the red, white and blue colors until after I took the picture!

I found this sign on the window of a closed shop, dark inside, so it just looked like it was beckoning me to take the picture!

Day 5 - Foot Reflexology

What does a normal couple do on a Saturday date night?  Why, we went driving around looking for interesting neon signs!  Actually, we decided to leave our neighborhood and go out to dinner, so of course I brought my camera with me so I wouldn't have to go out alone later on!  After we ate (sadly the Vietnamese restaurant we ate at had no neon), we drove around trying to find something interesting.  Actually we saw quite a few neon signs, and we dutifully committed their locations to memory as we sped by, in the middle of heavy traffic!

We finally pulled into a small strip mall and saw this sign in a storefront window.  The business was closed of course, with very dim lighting within.  The sign was pretty high up, and I couldn't raise my camera high enough to try to minimize the neon reflection in the window.  I tried shooting several over my head, but the results were less than spectacular, so there is a lot of displaced reflection of the letters and shapes.  There is no reflection on the bottom of the word reflexology because the ledge of the window was there, cutting it off.

I hope you enjoy the little round toesies as much as I did!

Day 4 - Westcliff Optometry

I guess I never noticed this one, either!  I used to live two blocks away from this business about 30 years ago.  The business was probably there, and it may have even had the neon sign.  What caught my eye this time, though, in the darkness, was the purple design, which really stands out brightly at night.  It forms an eye and eyebrow, which I discovered is the business logo when I Googled the business for any interesting tidbits.  http://www.westcliffoptometry.com/

The script is white, and stands out against the black outline of the words painted on the stucco of the building. You can see that quite a bit of the paint has deteriorated behind the letter W and to a lesser degree behind some of the others.

Someone mentioned yesterday that they hoped to see some of the neon signs in more context.  It probably won't happen during this challenge.  I'm really trying to show only the neon structure, design and lighting.  Personally I find the letter formation and connections sort of interesting, and as some of my outtake images show, the signage loses some of its distinction and detail if I try for a more contextual shot.  Also, the lighting is tricky when I try to expose for the neon at night.  What I may try to do is include links to the signs, so you can, if you want, see them in their natural environment, which I've done today.  (Click on the Contact Us of their webpage if you want to see their sign.)  Hope this helps!

Day 3 - A is for Arches

This letter A was part of the signage for a locally renowned restaurant, The Arches, that used to be located at this site.  It was a longtime landmark in the city of Newport Beach, built in 1925, and the restaurant and its bar were for decades the favorites of Old Hollywood celebrities such as Shirley Temple, Gary Cooper, Howard Hughes, Humphrey Bogart, and of course John Wayne, who lived nearby. When The Arches recently lost its lease and moved to a nearby location, the site was taken over and reopened as A Restaurant (yep, that's the name), keeping the iconic and easily recognizable A from the original restaurant.  Upon close inspection, I found it interesting to note how the signmaker connected the main illuminated part of the letter A with the interior triangles. 

Day 2 - Shoe Repair

Last night it started to get a bit damp and foggy fairly early.  Add that to the darkness of the evening and not a lot of traffic out at 10:30, and I was provided a great opportunity to spot bright neon signs in windows of stores I'd passed many times without ever taking notice!  (I'm guessing some of them will be future subjects, now I know where they are.)   I've brought my shoes into this repair store before and never paid attention to the neon sign above the door!  This actually looks like a three-dimensional box with another row of neon outlining a shoe on the other side, but of course, being night-time, the store was closed so I couldn't investigate further.

Those four little rectangular shapes below the word "REPAIR" are actually address numbers, followed by the B on the window, which is part of the address.  This store is located in a little "mall" of about 3-4 businesses sharing a parking lot, from which I took the picture.  There was also a neon sign on the store next door that read "Cash for Gold" but it had to be the ugliest, plainest neon sign I've ever seen.  Probably a neo(n)phyte's effort at sign-making.  No, it won't be a bonus shot, and no chance of my going back on another night to get that shot for one of my dailies.  Yeah, I shouldn't have brought it up as a teaser, but I did anyway.  :)

Day 1 - Pacifico Beer

Leading up to this Challenge, I was worried that I might have difficulty finding illuminated neon signs in the few hours of darkness I'd realistically have available to me at night to shoot, since I do plan on sleeping during normal nighttime hours. I'm in the Pacific Time Zone, 3 hours behind Worth time, so I'm using 9 p.m to 9 p.m. as my twenty-four hour period. I didn't go out of my way to check in advance where there might be neon lights turned on at night either, but figured there had to be lots of them within a few miles of my house.

Tonight, I went out about 10 p.m. and drove down a major thoroughfare in my area, looking. Traffic was light. Lo and behold, I didn't have to go very far at all before finding a liquor store with this vibrant neon sign in the window! I have lived in this neighborhood for over twenty years, travel this street at least once a day, often several times, and have even been to this liquor store a few times, yet I can honestly say I have never noticed this sign before. Of course, it's far more visible at night, but still...

The store was closed, and fairly dark, except for a few small lights within, which I cloned out to eliminate the distraction. I guess that in honor of this first find I should actually go there and buy some Pacifico Beer, since I've never even heard of it, but it saved the day and got my blog off to an easy, and colorful, start!

This is great! Now I'm eagerly looking forward to my nightly junkets in quest of neon!