A few pics from my phone/memory card fow now..

So far this month and year have just been flying by. Very busy of course which is why it may seem that way. Seems to me like we just had Christmas and the holiday season and now here we are, almost February. It's been a fairly mild winter, especially compared to the last 3, which have had varying degrees of harshness. This season has been wet and rainy, with very little snow and a few brief but tolerable cold spells. December in fact had almost no snow and so far with only a few days to go, we've had maybe 4 inches or so total. Not at all like the winters of 2009 (very cold and rather snowy, especially January which was followed by a coolish spring and summer), 2010 (very cold and snowy especially in February), and last winter (Dec. 2010 was actually the coldest and snowiest month of winter, and early February of 2011 had a bad ice storm!). So this SHOULD be a good time for neoning. Well, not quite, mainly because the lack of time, my schedule, the fact I like to be mostly home with the kids at night, and my car is out of commission. Hopefully, things turn around soon and I can do a full fledged tour, even if a small one. Now here I have a few photos I've snapped over the last few weeks and another from guest photographer Ramah Marie Myers, who has a few photos from back in the fall on this blog here. Enjoy for now..and watch for a tour soon..I really DO PROMISE ! ! !

This lizard is from Leapin Lizards, a bar on Cemetery Road in Hilliard where we like to go for Karaoke nights occasionally (KJ Howie does karaoke here on Thursday nights and at Coaches on Bethel I believe Mondays). Taken Thurs. 1/12.

The "teen" section at the Clintonville/Whetstone branch of the Columbus library, taken by Ramah M. Myers on Fri. 1/20.

How could I have missed this last time I was at Tuttle Mall? I don't go to the mall very often, usually only around Christmas and maybe a few times a year. I was here last weekend and bought my daughter an outfit at Justice and a Starbucks coffee, of course. Taken the afternoon of Sat. 1/21.

Happy 2012! Men are from Mars, Women are from..

Happy New Year to all! Just a small update to start the new year. Hoping 2012 brings me slightly more free time for everything, including neon pics! These were taken at the Westpointe Movies (Starplex). I believe I did the outdoor neon signage way back when. I took the girls to see Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipwrecked to celebrate the last day of winter break. Not really a lot of neon inside, but I did capture these restroom signs. Both pics taken the afternoon of Mon. 1/2.

Escape

For the last post of the year I bring you the sign from the Escape "gentleman's" club, seen at the corner of E. Dublin Granville Road and Spring Run, near Cleveland Avenue on the far north side of Columbus. This used to be Dockside Dolls and the sign has been there less than a year, just haven't had a chance to snap it. It was a darkish cloudy morning yesterday when I happened to be in the area on the way to work and had a few extra minutes. It's a cool sign..not the greatest but hey, it's neon! Taken the morning of Fri. 12/30. Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year and 2012 is prosperous and full of neon!!

AHH! It's a Monster!

Well, a Monster energy drink neon. Snapped this while doing some last minute shopping at Tuttle Mall. It's a cool sign. But seriously..the name of the store where this is displayed is "Damaged". Damaged?! Who would shop at a store with that name?! Kids these days! Taken Fri. 12/23.

Oh and this caught my eye. I'm not in the area often and it probably closes by sunset, so while I was at Trader Joe I thought I would shoot this while I was here. A bead shop, at Sawmill and 161 in Dublin. Taken the late morning of Wed. 12/28.


These are likely my last photos and my last post of the year. Hope everyone has had a great holiday season and has a very Happy New Year! Let's go 2012! My New Year's resolution? Shoot more neon!

De-Novo Bistro&Bar..the old Kyrie sign!

Driving down South High Street in downtown Columbus by the statehouse I'd always try to get a better look at what appeared to be a very cool 60s or so vintage neon RESTAURANT sign. Unfortunately, it was dark/dead. Perhaps even ghost status. But thanks to the development of the Scioto Mile and Columbus Commons Parks (along with the death and burial of City Center) in this area, the once sorta listless stretch between the Statehouse and Franklin County government center seems to be coming alive. Hope those parks work out for the city..this city needs downtown activity. This upscale aka pricey restaurant appears to have recently opened up in the space of several other restaurants which have come and gone over the years. And the owners or operators appear to have taken an interest in rehabbing this gem of a sign. It's now lit and looks absolutely beautiful, set against the towers of downtown. I went to the Columbus Commons for the Holiday Fair..which was small but a LOT of fun..my daughter loved it! And noticed this sign actually in operation. So of course, I had to catch it. I took 3 pics from 3 angles. This is easily one of my top signs in the city now. Hope the place stays open though generally it's not a place I could afford. All pics taken the late afternoon of Sun. 12/18.
.





If I don't get to post again before, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

A tide over

I have been shooting some neon. No tour as of yet but it is coming as soon as I can get some time to do it, after work. With the sun setting barely after 5PM on these cold December days, it shouldn't be a problem. This is a small set taken on my phone since about the beginning of the month:






-Steak Escape: Taken at the corner of Dublin and Grandview, near I-670 and Grandview Ave. Newer sign but cool and street/sidewalk level, like most of Grandview already is. This property used to be the site of a very nasty Knights Inn motel that was raised a few years ago and redeveloped. Taken the evening of Fri. 12/2.

-Haircuts for Men. Taken at the Major League Haircuts on Sawmill Road in Powell, not far from the zoo. Taken the evening of Sat. 12/3.

-Schlitz. That and PBR, two of my favorite beers are now sold at Nationwide Arena, and while no PBR sign is present, a cool Schlitz lights it up. At $6.50 for a 16 ounce can or draft, it's the cheapest beer at a Blue Jackets game. Taken Sat. 12/10.

-Hydrofarm: A brand name of gardening and hydroponic equipment sold at the Garden Indoors location at Indianola Avenue and Morse Road. So you can ummm..grow your umm..vegetable garden. Taken Mon. 12/12.

-That last one..just a cool scene..not exactly a neon specific pic, but the combo of neon signage, a bar, beer, Chinese food, and Christmas lights..up my alley! Taken Tues. 12/13.

Watch for a Christmas vacation tour soon!!!

Just a few photos I took last week

Nothing major or great. But a few things I found interesting I took last week.



These nighttime shots were taken on the eastside. The 'bluish' accent neon was a club in a rough neighborhood, but enjoyed the neon anyway. The bailbond ad was maybe a mile south, in a rough but not as rough, area on E. Broad near Town and Country.These were taken the evening of Wed. 11/23.



These daytime shots would be better at night of course, but I am pretty sure the Adkins Barber shop doesn't keep his sign lit at night. In Old Hilliard near where Main becomes Avery. With the barber pole and the soda machine this looks like it could be out of the fifties or sixties. Very cool. The slot machine 7's are in the front of another one of those "Internet Café"/gambling centers that have sprung up around the state. And that brush stroke is a tattoo shop on N. High St. near Graceland shopping center. I believe that one stays on at night so one night soon I will do a re-shoot. That place was an art studio/gallery, and if you look back to one my first posts of 2011, I have pics of the cool butterfly neon. That is now brush strokes. Both great though. These 'daytime' pics all taken the afternoon of Mon. 11/21.

Look for more neon soon! Hoping for a full fledged tour in early December!