Welcome to 2010 finally! A few short tours and new missing links!

While the end of last year and the first few months of this year have been slow as far as updating this blog and new pics, I have had time for a few small tours. A description follows the photos.





























Counting from the top downward: Photos 1-5 are the neon signs of Holiday Lanes and Bob Hart Pro Shop. My own bowling ball and shoes were purchased here. He also has various sports and associated collectibles, including neon signs. I would love to get my hands on some of them! The Mickey Mouse had a price tag of $535 last time I was there last month, for the last night of my winter league. Pictures taken in April, 2010.

Photo 6 was taken at Macaroni Grill above the bar area. The only neon in the place as far as I could tell, though there may be an outdoor sign. We went for lunch on a bright spring afternoon (4/.

Photos 7-9 are on the north end of Columbus. Some SR 161 and Cleveland Avenue "missing links". The auto repair shop is on E. Dublin GRanville Rd. and the law office is a house used as an office on Cleveland north of 161.

Photos 10-16 are some photos in or around Olentangy Center, at Bethel Rd. and Olentangy River Road. The Arabic language pic is near the Bethel Center, next to "our" (Red Sox fan group) Buffalo Wild Wings. It is a middle eastern/Halal meat shop.

Photo 17 is the Church Next Door, on Feder Road. Not a lot of neon, but a pretty sign. I currently live very close to this church. Sigh..I miss German Village!

Photos 18-20: More businesses along Cleveland Avenue up on the far north side, between 161 and I-270.

Photo 21: We're Rolling inside the WalMart on Rome Hilliard Road. Not the greatest pic. Didn't know it was so off centered until I uploaded it.

Photo 22: Jitters Café, inside Grant Hospital. This hospital was my "home" in late February and early March 2009, and had a medical emergency (that is putting it lightly, let's just say). I have been in and out of there not only as a patient once, but for speaking engagements related to my condition. I am a sorta celebrity around the ED and CICU there.

Photo 23: Galaxy Golf and Games, off Wilson Road near I-70. My daughter loves this place, which is a lot like Magic Mountain. I think Ana will do her first mini golf here this upcoming summer! This was actually taken on 12/30/09, so this was my last neon photo of 2009!

Photos 24-26: More Morse Road/Patio Shops "missing links". These are relatively new, as this carry out and restaurant have opened within the last year.

Photo 27: Holiday Lanes again. This hangs from the bar inside the bowling center. Not for sale as far as I know.

Photo 28: A new arrival on Morse Road. A furniture store across from Morse Center, at Lemarie place. I have previous photos from this location, but this sizable installation was added just in the last few months.

UPDATE!!!!

Yes I am alive and still neoning! Lot's of changes in my life since the start of 2010! Mostly good changes! And look very soon for new updates and pics! By soon I mean within the day, possibly even later today! I have some catching up to do! Hope everyone made it through winter and is having a great spring! Check back VERY soon!

Kosher pork? And a trip to the dentist

So it appears a former Jewish bakery is now home to a....bbq place? On James Road, just north of Broad on the east side. And yesterday I took my daughter to the dentist and two pieces of good news: My daughter has ZERO cavities. And they have an uber cool neon sign. It is inside the office and would look great in their street level windows (yep, it's in the basement of a medical building). I already caught Dr. Martinez' window sign over a year ago, but this would be a very cool addition. The BBQ pics were taken the night of Tue. 12/1 and the tooth on Thu. 12/3.

Yes, I've been lazy..two new tours though!

Yes, I am aware, I have been lazy about this lately. Well, not really lazy. Have had some personal issues come up over the last month or two. Too bad, too, because I missed out on my favorite season for neoning. But winter can be fine too..that's why God invented coats! The second anniversary of this project quietly passed earlier this month. The second year has not been as fruitful as the first, but with all that has gone on, including near fatal illnesses, breakups, financial woes, I still consider it a good year. Added at least another 100-200 photos and new neighborhoods. The third year will have some new material, finally some road trips, and revisits. It is amazing how much an urban landscape can change in such a short period, especially when it comes to commercial signage. It's as if I have tracked the entire recession through neon signs. So many businesses, especially small ones, have closed up shop since I started this blog, it is sad. I'm definitely hoping the next year is a better year for all. I'm counting the days til New Year's Eve, so that as this year limps to the finish line, a new decade, a new era welcomes us all.

So I ended the month of November and the season with a couple small tours. Included are a small section of cool neon along Sinclair Road on the north end, and a small but cool cache of neon in the Roberts/Rome-Hilliard area. A few strip malls with ethnic shops that embrace neon! For December I hope to get at least one new tour in, a few revisits/missing links, and maybe 1-2 estalishment specifics. And like last year, I am on the hunt for holiday neon! SOMEONE has to have a neon Santa or Christmas tree around somewhere! All pics in the two shoots, my first photos of the third year of this blog, were taken the evening of Sun. 11/29.

SINCLAIR ROAD (between Morse and Lincoln):








ROBERTS/ROME-HILLIARD:

Sequoia Pro Bowl/a newbie on Morse

Yes, it sure has been a while. Fall is now here and I should be on track to start getting in some good neoning. Last month was hard to find time, energy, and automobile related issues certainly didn't help that. So in the last week I did get to take a few photos. I hope to get an actual tour in very soon..possibly the long awaited neighborhoods I have yet to cover like the Campus Gateway or Grove Tucky..er..City. The market' picture at Morse and Cleveland Avenues was taken the night of Mon. 10/5 and the two pics inside Sequoia Pro Bowl the night of Tue. 10/6. Sequoia is a nice bowling center! I haven't bowled since before my hospitalization and hope to get practicing soon, with the goal of a short "Warm up" half season league starting in January, followed by a summer league, then back into it for real in the fall of 2010. Sequoia (the exterior signage was covered in one of my first tours almost TWO years ago now!) is the only PBA stop now in Columbus, they usually are here in late February or early March. That lounge is really nice too btw! And they have Keno!

A small "ethnic" market in a strip center near Cleveland Avenue and Morse Rd. This business appears to cater to local immigrant communities, mostly Mexican and Somalian (this side of town has large populations of both these nationalities).


The 7-10 Sports Bar & Grill inside Sequoia Pro Bowl in the Forest Park neighborhood on the north end of Columbus.