City

Market

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During Summer there are lots of farmer’s markets about town. I had heard a rumor that the peaches were going to be ready a couple of weeks early, so off I went to check it out. These folks grow delicious peaches and every year I buy at least one box from them.

Unfortunately, the rumor that they are ready proved to be untrue. I have been eating lots of cherries every day, so I wasn’t really tempted.

There were a variety of vendors flogging their wares, such as tamales, fresh mushrooms, pickles, jellies and jams, and this person. Just add booze and you have a cocktail, or just pour out your favorite alcohol and add a mixer and one also has an easy cocktail. But, good luck to this vendor I hope she made the sale.

This area was once a favorite spot for sin, and there were a number of purveyors of such, but now it’s mostly full of tourist stuff (sin is possibly available, just ask.)

I know, you didn’t even realize that you needed this.

And in case one had run out of their supply of candy from Mexico, here was the solution.

There’s a bit of something for everyone. I personally purchased a lovely scenic photograph as a present and then it was on to the next destination.

Ephemera

Fame

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There are many types of fame, and what I find interesting is using one’s name to promote a product. In America, country musicians and pop stars are likely to put their name on a type of booze or a restaurant in Nashville. But in Korea, pop stars are not paid as well, so they will take other types of endorsements. Like this:

I have no idea who this guy is, but this was at a skincare place in London, and he has nice skin, so I assume he’s a member of some pop group. And that going into the shop would result in beautiful skin (so why didn’t I try?).

This was for sale at a local convenience store and feature the group Seventeen. I hope they got paid in money and not just a lifetime supply of crunchy snacks. (One guy looks photoshopped in).

Two of the guys in Stray Kids don’t seem to be that enthusiastic about whatever this snack might be. I spotted this in a grocery store in San Francisco, and I suppose if one is a fan, this is the snack to buy.

This person from 17 is following in the footsteps of American popstars, he’s flogging booze (which is something most people like.)

This is the most famous K-Pop group in the world. They should be incredibly rich, but they’re not too famous to do an endorsement. And of course I rushed to the store (I went to two actually) on the first day that these were available to buy.

This was part of the reason, they are purple, and have different designs on them. So they are Hoettok flavored (cinnamon) and very sweet, and I thought these were perfect. And I plan to eat them (not all at once), so this could be the endorsement that matters.

Art

Art in the Park

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What does one do if one makes largish sculptures? Not everyone needs this type of art for their home. Instead one hopes that a local park will put it on display (and perhaps sell?). These pieces change every summer, and these are the few that I liked from the current crop.

This owl was great. Made of cast bronze, the artist put a lot of love into this piece.

The artist did a nice job of cutting out the sheet steel and welding it all together. It’s not a fast job.

And the artist made this as a companion piece. It’s perfect as we are always standing between chaos and peace.

In the background there is a sort of spinal column made of pipe cut and welded together. I thought it uninteresting, but still, the artist thought it was worthy of commemoration.

Doings

SF

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Sometimes it’s a good idea to get out of town and do something different, (it is equally true that this can be a bad idea) but I had an invite and so off I went.

And this was the reason, a little pomp and circumstance of graduation. It was interesting compared to the last one I went to in the South. Ladies in the South were quite dressed up, wearing hats, high heels and a lot of makeup. This was more Birkenstock and tennis shoe territory, which is more my style.

There is a municipal rose garden near said University. For some reason my city lacks this amenity.

If one is going to drive an electric car, this is the way to do it. One of my friends asked the rhetorical question “Who really needs to go from zero to sixty in under three seconds?” The answer of course, is “me”; because it’s a lot of fun.

This was the most enigmatic stop on this trip. Yes, this is a fast food hamburger place. Our number was 92 and they were serving number 50. Why is this so popular? I have no idea, but it apparently gives one a mystical hamburger experience. (There is one in my town and it is always busy.) I am not from there , so I don’t get it, but it’s part of the mystique of the area, like sourdough bread.

I did mention earlier that travel can be a bad idea, and I caught a virus (or it caught me) and have been sick, but it was still overall, a great time.

Ephemera

Holidays

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There is the standard sort of holiday decor, it can be purchased anywhere, from craft stores, to department stores, to grocery stores. And then there is my take on holidays, in which I spend minutes arranging a plastic Godzilla into a scene of holiday magic. Here is one such photo, which I took this year for Valentine’s Day. As we all know, the only sweetheart of Godzilla is Tokyo.

This year I was rather busy, so I went with this simple arrangement.

And then there are these people in the neighborhood, who also have an interesting sense or humor. They bought a number of skeletons for last Halloween, and instead of taking them down, have decided to keep these as seasonal decorations. Here is their view of Valentine’s Day.

The great thing about dressing skeletons is that you don’t have to worry about clothes being too small. Models envy their size -0, they can wear anything.

So here we are in the Easter season, so of course I had to spend minutes again in setting up a suitable scene for my Godzilla. I used to use dinosaurs for these pictures, but somehow Godzilla seems more festive.

And then there are the lovely neighbors, they cheer me up every time I drive by their house.

I would say that they spend hours planning their scene. Who would have thought that one could have so much fun with skeletons. And toy Godzillas (the real Godzilla is not so much fun.)

Ephemera

Cookout

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So the joy of living in a big city is that there are so many interesting events to go to. The downside of living in such a city is that said events often involve crowds, and finding the time to get across town, and trying to park nearby. But on this evening I was invited to a local annual event and it was perfect.

The street behind this woman is busy during the week, but not much was happening on this glorious summer evening. She was singing old familiar songs(if you’re from the 60’s-70’s) accompanied by her autoharp.

Across the street it’s all industrial places, this side is a trendy vintage (1890’s) neighborhood. This spot was once a cigar manufacturing place.

And what exactly was going on this evening? Why it was the annual free corn roast at the neighborhood bar. (Note: I was in fact born in this very neighborhood). The corn is free, but the beer is not. And I can’t imagine just having a corn costume laying about for just such an occasion, but it works for some people.

Here it is in all it’s glory. The man on the right (Farmer Mike) to his friends) grew this lovely corn on his farm across the river and had picked it that very afternoon. He is keeping a practiced eye on the roasting ears, to make sure that they are perfection.

And they were. Slow grilled over charcoal, the corn was smoky and sweet, almost unimaginably delicious (okay, it was the best I ever ate).

As we were sitting there enjoying the ambiance, this neighbor walked up and plopped down in a chair (anyone can come). Not interested in having either a beer or some corn, this cat was just there for the loving (and it did get it). When there had been enough attention, it left and continued on it’s rounds. Then so did we, with a bit more of Farmer Mike’s delicious corn.

City

Favorite

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So I had to go back to the hometown for a wedding recently, and I got to revisit some of my favorite places. I am somewhat chagrined to confess that this is my very first stop after arriving. I go to this particular one because it is quite near the airport.

Yes this is definitely an acquired taste, and they are just as I remember them, little gut bombs (but delicious).

And this is always the second stop. I have been eating sausages from this particular shop since I had teeth. It was started in 1940, and my grandparents were friends of the founder. This was once a respectable working class neighborhood (not anymore), but they will never move because they still use a lot of the original equipment. The old Polish ladies who spent the day chopping everything by hand are long gone, but the kielbasa and krakowska (smoked Krakow-style sausage) are as delicious as ever.

The Polish Falcons club was nearby (in early days my parents would go to dances there), but it closed many years ago as people moved out when the neighborhood changed. But they still carry some Polish items and people still drive in from the suburbs to shop here, especially for the holidays.

But this was what put this family run business on the map. The Pope came to town and the family sent some of their kielbasa and Krakowska over to the diocese. The Pope himself said that this was the best Krakowska to be had outside of Krakow. This statement got picked up by the media, and a popular National morning television show came and did a live broadcast from the store. So I must say I agree with him, I’ve tried what other delis call Krakowska and it’s never as tasty. I brought some home on the plane (after it baffled TSA) and it will soon be gone. 🙁

But this is always at least part of the reason that I choose to go back to the hometown, so I expect that I shall visit again (it’s also available to be shipped 🙂 .

City

Touristing

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So every now and again I get a visitor, and depending on the person there are certain obligatory places to visit as tourists. (I typically curse said tourists for driving about slowly and aimlessly.) But this is what I showed to a recent family visitor.

This is a quintessential tourist place, it sells bits of high-end and low-end souvenirs, overpriced fudge (a mostly sugar confection) and has a spot for eating. Oh yes, and there is a bear. We had dropped by specifically to eat buffalo burgers and unlike a restaurant, this place has these tourist things for entertainment.

Chicago has the “Bean”, a large chrome plated thing for tourists to take photos at. We have this globe thing at the soccer stadium and it’s a perfect place for taking this sort of picture. What it doesn’t have is any place to park, the creators of this pitch imagined that people would park elsewhere and walk to the stadium (ha-ha). So there was a quick snap and onward to the next spot (which is what happens at most tourist spots).

This place is the sort of thing one might get if a theme park and a sporting goods store had a baby (and it’s definitely a tourist landmark). This is the animatronic Abe Lincoln endlessly reciting the Gettysburg Address. Behind him is a mountain of wild creatures that have been shot and stuffed for our entertainment. There is also a Ferris wheel inside the store, with views of the store, video games, candy and other sparkly things to separate tourists from their money.

This is a bit of a British pub that was imported over 60 years ago, it still draws tourists and the occasional local (me, I do like the place when I can find a parking space).

The most visited tourist spot is this city park, which is now the second most visited city park in America (just behind Central Park in NYC). I also admit to really liking the place in spite of the tourists.

But there is more to this place than just bits for tourists. Like any tourist town there are those who make a living off of tourists and those who have regular jobs and never visit these places (too many tourists to enjoy it). But, when visitors come to town they are sure to see at least one of these places, even when the tour guide is me. 😉

people

Hot rods

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Almost as soon as cars were invented people have been trying to make them better and faster. And sometime in the 50’s a car culture developed using the cheaper cars of the past (it was a matter of middle-class pride to only own the newest model cars) and modifying these heaps for style and speed.

This car is the sort of thing they started out with, the raw material for a hot (fast) rod. This one has been restored above it’s original finish, you had a choice of black or possibly dark green, automotive paint was pretty primitive (and they never dreamed that people would like other colors). And no one could imagine spending good money to fix up and race an old car (except mechanics).

This car was spotted in the wild, parked in front of an old-fashioned diner. They kept most of the original body, replaced the axles and did some sort of enhancement to the engine so that this could actually be raced. I’m sure in time it will sport new paint.

This one is a show car, a rich person’s toy, perhaps the owner had one such as this when they were a youngster (or possibly their dad did). It’s been beautifully restored, with different axles and modern engine upgrades. The owners had driven it to the show, so the car is still roadworthy.

But this was the funky show beast with the most clever adaptation of an unlikely choice. I admire that it’s a one-of-a-kind work in progress. It’s a 1930’s International Harvester pickup truck that has been stripped, chopped, (they cut the cab apart and lowered the roof) dropped and has a possible turbocharger added. It appears to have been abandoned for a number of years, before being resurrected by this mechanic. All the owner needs is time and money (lots of), this vehicle already has had lots of love added.

City, Ephemera

Urban Decay

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It is inevitable that nothing lasts forever. Even the symbol of the country, the White House, was once burnt to the ground (and then rebuilt in an identical form). Most cities go through cycles of building, redundancy, and perhaps rebirth. And I am from a city that has mostly fallen into decay, and I love to explore these outliers that resist the forces of change.

This particular chain was once part of every downtown (and downtown was the place to shop). The company started in 1879 as a five and ten cent store (precursor to today’s dollar stores). I loved to shop (mostly just looking, I had no money) at these when I was small. But, this sort of business became obsolete years ago and now it sits vacant, with the ghost lettering to show that it was once part of an urban center.

These fine brick storefronts are no longer pillars of commerce. The building at the end claims to feature “Vegas Showgirls”, however this is a dubious claim at best.

This ornate door handle hints that this building was once the pride of it’s owners, however, it also shows the negligence of time. It probably had some sort of gilt finish that has since weathered away.

The building also has these lovely cast iron details that have survived paint. rust and time. Again, someone spent some money to make this building special. And it was originally conceived as a local grocery in 1879, and is still a family owned deli, marooned by time and circumstances.

Inside is slowly edging toward rack and ruin, which is paradoxically part of it’s charm. Why do I love this state of being? Because I grew up in such an atmosphere, where things were old and slightly shabby. It is part of the conundrum of gentrification (which has taken place where I live), if everything was fixed up and modernized, this business could not afford to exist. The interior would feature reproductions of the period details and it would be a clone of whatever the current trend is. But I think I have had my fill of nostalgia here, and instead I look forward to the new in the future. Perhaps this place shall hold on until modernization or it may be steamrollered into oblivion. Perhaps the future will include a reproduction of the original, spiffed up for the nostalgia of future generations, hungry for an imagined past.

random bits of life