September 16, 2024 • 45 mins
Christine joins the podcast and we talk about her trips through the midwest, PNW and how she got into the hobby.
You can follow her at:
https://instagram.com/cmsojourner
You can follow her at:
https://instagram.com/cmsojourner
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome everybody to another episode of International Sign Finders. Glad
you're with us. Hopefully he had a great weekend of
getting out and getting the pavement, finding signs, taking photos
and sharing them with us. And tonight we're heading back
to the Midwest for our next guest. She travels quite
a bit throughout the Midwest Great Lakes region down into Kentucky, Tennessee,
(00:39):
and she takes so many great photos. Welcome to the show,
see him so journey, I remember to that time.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I yes, So, Christine, introduce yourself to the whole International
Sign Finders listening audience.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Okay, Well I'm Christine. I go by cm sojourner on Instagram.
I've been on Instagram well as cm sojourner for about
three or four years, I think twenty twenty. And I
travel a lot and enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Cool.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Now, do you travel for work or just for pleasure?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Mostly for pleasure, I would be Yeah. Growing up, I
moved a lot. I lived, you know, as far west
as Kansas, as far east as Delaware. Okay, yeah, so,
and my my dad traveled for work and so a
lot of times he would load the family up in
the car and we would go scouting out places where
(01:46):
he needed to go to Okay. So yeah, so it's
just kind of been It's in my blood.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Just I'm traveling. I'm very anthy. I keep I always
have to be on the road and going going.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
When I was in college, especially my first time at
college back in ninety six, I finally graduated after my
third time. We would go on road trips I was
in I went to school in western Virginia and we
would go up and down the East Coast. We would
as far up north as Toronto, almost made its to
Okratoke Island, North Carolina. But if we had actually made
(02:23):
it across the water, we couldn't have gotten back because
they closed the ferries off at seven o'clock. Yeah, that
would have been awkward. Yeah. And I went up to Indiana,
the Plymouth, Indiana. Huh. Yeah. That I got to smell
the fertilizer plant at three in the morning, which is
a delight.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So what was the thing that got you into sign finding?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, I would have to say, well, my first sign
that really kicked things off was the FIREB Motel Okay
Motor Hotel in Cheyenne. We were I think taking a
trip in twenty twenty, you know, when everything had closed.
We actually had already booked a trip to Yellowstone that year,
(03:15):
and yeah, they had closed a lot, you know, several
of the lodges and things, but they had kept ours
open and so our reservation was good to go. Yeah,
so we drove up there, and you know, after we
were done in Yellowstone, we were just kind of driving
around all over as far. You know, we went out
(03:36):
to Idaho, we'd go and in Cheyenne there were just
so many cool signs and I just had that overwhelming
nostalgic feeling.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, And I just took so many pictures while I
was there, and I kept thinking what am I going
to do with all of these pictures? And I think
that was about when I decided, you know what, I'm
going to start an Instagram account. And at that time
cool I had. Yeah, I had no idea that there
was a huge group of fellow sign lovers out there.
(04:11):
So that was really kind of what continued spurring me
on because I just I enjoy seeing what other people find.
I enjoy sharing what I find. So that's that's how
it all started.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, I went through you probably noticed that I liked
a lot of your photos this afternoon doing some research,
and one thing that I really enjoy is, uh, you
get you get great shots of the pot of the
signs they number one and number two. Do you play
(04:46):
in your trips around finding signs or do you find
signs on your way to where you're going?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, it's usually on our way. My husband loves history
although often yeah, so oftentimes he has, you know, an
idea like like we're going to be going to Gettysburg soon,
and so what I'll do is, you know, I'll look
at our route and I'll get on Google Earth and
I'll just kind of see if I can find any signs,
(05:16):
and if I find at least one decent sign, we'll
go to that town or that community and kind of
drive around and check things out. So oftentimes I find
more than one or two along our route that I really,
you know, want to post and share. And I actually
find quite a few that I don't even post because
(05:36):
my pictures are pretty pretty bad. But you know, it's
like thriving, you know, hanging out the window. I did
that on the way up telling Colomas City the last time.
We will tell Colomas City over the summer. My mom
passed away August second. So there's this one sign I
always want to get in.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Dallas and we never get a chance to stop up
and go for Dallas like I want to. But it's
right off the interstate. So I had my window down,
have my phone ready, and I took a picture. It's
not great, not really, but I'm like, I finally got
a picture of this sign and share it with everybody.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. I hang out the window,
you know, out the sun route, take yeah, whatever whatever
it takes.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
So have you I've done this a few times. Have
you gotten on the top of your van or your
card to take a picture of a sign? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Not on top of my car. But there was a
sign and Champagne or Banna that was so difficult to capture,
and I was climbing trees. I was doing everything, you
know to get Yeah. I was trying everything, even my
husband because he was starting to get frustrated because I
could not get a shot of the spy.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Oh yeah, I've done some crazy.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You kind of have to. Sometimes. There's that one. Oh
is it? It's at the Flora Shop. It's one in
Chicago that is super tall and there's not much room.
I've seen R. W. Hadley take a picture of it,
and I've seen someone and it's gonna slip my mind
right now. But it's so tall that and it doesn't
(07:26):
seem like there's a lot of room on the streets.
It's not like Salt Lake where they built the roads
so you could do a U turn with a stagecoach.
Uh yeah. Chicago seems to have a narrower street. And finally,
somebody recently got a really great picture of the It's
like a two story sign and I wish I could
(07:47):
remember which one it is. It's not the flower the
Flora shop that everybody gets. It come to me, It'll
come to me.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, yeah, Yeah. It's fun. And I'll go into places,
into parts of town that maybe I shouldn't be there,
but yeah, I'll do it.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I'll go yeah, and uh, I do that too. And
my wife isn't always thrilled.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Oh yeah, yeah, my husband yeah either.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yeah. But unfortunately or fortunately, I don't know how you
would have raised it. That's where the good ones are at,
or the older parts of town.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, especially the real crusty, you know, rusted out signs.
I love the.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Oh what was the one that I saw that you
got to. Oh the it was a motel sign. The
uh it's in Mottville, Michigan that you took. That is
a rusty motel saw.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, that one, if I recall, I think that was
I think it was a private residence. Now really it
was pretty pretty old. But yeah, I love those, and
I love when I just happen upon them. That's the best.
When I don't know they're there. Oh yeah, you turn
to go back and catch it. I think my break
(09:13):
need to be changed again. Mm hmm, right, I have
worn out my break.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Uh huh. Yeah. You know, going through like Houston traffic,
people tend to stop when they're not supposed to. Hey,
you gotta slam on brakes. Oh yeah, that's made things
a little difficult. But uh there's I will when I
go out sign hunting, I'll roll down my window m
(09:41):
and I try to position myself with my van a
because I've got a lot of stuff to get to
in a short amount of time and be as a
getaway in case something does go down. All right, yeah,
I've never I've only had one like weird incident where
somebody actually came out for me. It's not like Oh
(10:02):
mis Matador and sign me up fifty four and a
few others. I think we'll just signed here out of Minneapolis.
Had a near miss in Kansas. What's you talk? Kansas?
Of all places, right, well, the nicest places of the world.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Oh, but it's just as I tell people, keep your
head on a swivel, and we'll keep our heads in
a swovel when we come back from this. Uh, after
this break, we'll keep our conversation with see I sojourner going.
I will get that right. I'm so sorry, Christina. And
(10:41):
when we come back, we'll talk about some of her
stories about traveling, because you know there's got to be
a few. You're listening to International sign Finders. Welcome back
(11:01):
to International sign Finders. Glad you're still with this. We
have the great Christine see him so journal. She travels
all over the place a lot in you know, the Midwest,
that area just below the Midwest, like Kentucky and Tennessee.
I don't know what you call that, like Upper South.
I guess you could call it. Yeah, Yeah, I still
consider Kentucky a southern state, even though most people don't anymore. Yeah,
(11:26):
And I've also gotten into the argument whether or not
North Carolina's a southern states.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Well, it was.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
I considered southern state.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Still, yeah, it's a southern state and geography, but I
don't know people.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, a lot of a lot of people moving into
Charlotte and to Raleigh, to Durham, those are not southern
cities anymore. Now if you go to Greenville, North Carolina, oh,
that's southern, or to parts outside like buck Hannon, I
haven't been a b can. I've been to a Pound
Miles city. I think North Carolina that is southern out mountains. Oh, man,
(12:08):
I missed those areas. And you also got to go
to a place I'd love to go to Portland, Oregon,
of coorse. You have the fantastic Portland, Oregon sign with
a deer hopping across. But you found a sign that
I have yet to see. And do you want to
talk about how you came across it and some of
the interesting things that happened while you're there.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Sure. So we were driving around downtown Portland and we
were in the Chinatown area and we parked and got
out and we were walking around because there was a
sign for a Republic cafe that I thought was really cool,
and there just happened to be. It was a group
(12:52):
of three people sitting directly under the sign, and you know,
I just walked up. I was I was playing on
just excuse me, I'm just going to take a picture here.
But they had no idea I was there. I mean
I was inches inches from them taking pictures of the sign,
and and they were going about, you know, talking and
(13:17):
as if they were in a whole other place, a
whole other universe, universe.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
It was.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
It was something else. But you know, it was fun
and and we noticed that obviously a lot. And the mean,
homelessness is a huge crisis there, and.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
They've legalized everything in Portland anything.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Pretty much pretty much. I mean there were people bathing
in the fountain under that you know ore agon. Portland's yeah, yeah, yeah,
it was something.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I've seen a documentary. I've mentioned this before about Vancouver
and also Seattle, like Seattle's crazy. The uh, the the homeless.
I don't call them homeless, their campers waters basically, oh yeah,
they just live all over the city. And Portland, for
(14:10):
understand is kind of in that similar vein as Big Couver,
because like of a Vancouver, you have a tweakers. People
still met, but the people on train they look like
they're zombies just standing there asleep.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Yeah, yeah, so different it is. It's it's something to
see for sure. But yeah, in Seattle, we were sitting
at a falawful place okay, and right across the street.
I have not posted this sign, but it was a
big show Girls pink sign, and you know, watching the
(14:50):
people come in.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
And out and you know, mingle in that area was
was quite entertaining.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And I did. I did get quite a few shots there.
I just haven't posted them yet. Oh I can't wait
for that. Yeah, yeah, because Saya.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Seattle's got a lot of good signs too. Mm hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
The uh what is that the Pipe Place market? Yes, yeah,
I took a few you know inside of there. There's
some neon here and there, you know, all over the place.
We really walked that city.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
I mean we got thirty thousand plus steps each day
that we were there.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, I said, that's over ten miles. It's like fifteen
miles a day, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean and that's you know, for me,
that's nothing. When I go on these little experiences because
I just I love I just I love walking, I
love driving.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
So now I will tell you this. I've been to
Salt Lake City and that hares a load, a load
of amazing signs. You're not one that I didn't know about.
The the plumbing head quarters.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Holy yeah, that was fun. That was actually on a
but our tire went flat, you know, out on the
Inner State. Yeah, and I don't know what the deal was,
but we could not find our tire in stock any
(16:22):
and uh, you know, so we had to have you know,
call around because we were we were heading home at
that point when we were there. So you know, the
signs that I got in in Salt Lake City were
just because we were trying to kill time. Yeah, you know,
waiting on a tire. So yeah, yeah, uh but that
(16:42):
was all. There were several, if I recall, I think
there were a couple of bowling alleys and that. Oh
yeah that I got that. I I don't think I
posted those yet either. I have a whole whole thing
of signs that I just haven't posted.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
So, I mean, what one cool thing about Salt Lake
is a few of the old bowling alleys have been
converted into the old Bowling Alley sign has been converting
into business signs and they still kept the old Bowling
Alley and there's a and on South Temples No, South
State Street, there's an apartment complex that took the old
(17:22):
bowling sign and converted into the Bowling Alley side or
the apartment complex. I'm like, you know, not every place
does something like that, Like for understanding in Denver, the
way that they have the signs, like the motel sign
is not owned by the motel let that process. Yeah,
(17:45):
that makes no sense. And I was talking to Corky
and Todd out of the Save the Signs group out
of Denver, and you know, it makes saving those sides
a little difficult. But in Salt Lake, it seems like
they're adapting the old signs to the new, the modern era.
(18:08):
I guess you could.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Say, yeah, yeah, which I love that because I don't
know when it was, I don't know if it was
the late eighties or the nineties where all of these
towns and cities started passing those sign ordinances. Yeah, and
it seemed like you just saw, you know, all the
neon disappear. It just seemed like kind of all at once,
you know, because some of the towns that I grew
(18:31):
up in that.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
I remember signs, you know, being there. Yeah gone, you know,
just gone.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So I love to see the signs repurposed, you know, yeah,
and preserved.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
And there's one here in Houston that it's back on again,
the river Oaks Theater in the river Oaks slash Montrose
area down there. They all some of those areas just
blend into one another if you're familiar with Houston, like
river Oaks has been there since I would say the
thirties maybe forties, And when I first started taking pictures
(19:09):
of signs, that was one of my favorite. It's one
of my favorites. It's not my top ten of Houston signs,
but it's gorgeous. And the theater went out of business
and they have restored the old theater again. They're gonna
play the New Joker movie, which I don't know if
I'm gonna be watching. Yeah, some of those Yeah, a
(19:31):
little too much violence gets Yeah, I'm not very good
at with it. Yeah, And that'll that's a great place
to end our second segment. Well, we come back after this,
after this break, we will get even further into Christine's
sign journeys. You're listening to International Sign Finders. Welcome everybody
(20:13):
back to the first segment of International sign Finders. Glad
you're still with us. We have the amazing Christine seem
So Jenner. Go on to Instagram find her, like her stuff,
give her feedback. That goes a long way too. If
you just enjoy the photos live comment below them. I
know Jared Presley does that a lot. Yeah, and it
(20:35):
kind of makes you like cool, you know, somebody actually
likes our photos, you know type of stuff. R And
it goes a long way for the sign finders because
sometimes I like, is great, don't get me wrong, like
is great, But comment those are those go a long way?
Or comments? Do you get people who'll give you tips
(20:57):
in the comments?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You know, I don't know that I have gotten that.
I've gotten questions, you know about you know, what you
call certain signs and things like that. You know, I
don't always know. The one that they asked me about
was like the scaffold sign. Oh yeah, kind of like
you know what pis place market pipe whatever that's called
(21:25):
in Seattle. But yeah, I have a I get a
lot of you know, nice shot. You know, I do
appreciate it when people are specific. Sometimes people will even
point out something that maybe I didn't see the first
time around or do appreciate quite as much. So I
do appreciate that a lot when people will do that.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Also, if you want a great resource on what a
side of what a specific sign is called beveraging beveraging
Seltzer road arch She is like the queen of there was. Oh,
I forget the guy who did the Uh he did
it back in the eighties. They have all his signing
(22:11):
photos at the Library of Congress and it's gonna uh Margolis. Uh,
Margolis did that and you know, if it was a
cloudy day he would he wouldn't do it. And she
has mapped out most of the country and taken photos
and it's amazing her. Her website, I don't know if
(22:33):
you've been to it much, is a great resource on
things like that. I think she actually came up with
the term scaffold sign because she asked a guy who
was into it, really into it, and he's like, I
don't have a name for that.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
She's signed yeah, yeah, so it's that simple. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I have I've seen that wrote is it roadside architecture?
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Yes, correct, Okay, yeah, I got all the roads because
I'm lazy.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Yeah, no, I've been there. I've been, you know, taken
to that a few times when I'm trying to figure out,
you know, how old a signing is, and that is
great resource.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
And I've found out there are few cities that have
abandoned Oklahoma City, abandoned, Houston. I know in Houston we
have the hi a F, the Houston Architectural Foundation. Their
message boards are a good resource too. But kind of
(23:38):
going from that to destinations. When you think of signed destinations,
we're talking to the break. You think of southern California, Denver,
Albuquerque for the ADHD person, Las Vegas, Wison, Launson, Minnesota
(24:00):
not clearly the first place, the first places you think of,
but my gosh, they're.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Treasure trope, that really they are. I had such such
a good time in Minnesota finding signs and uh ee Minnesota,
which is yeah, you know there they have the Boundary
waters up there in northern Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Way up in Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, we were that was our destination and we stayed
in Ely and I loved that town. You know, the
the number of family owned businesses that have pretty much
been there since the founding of the town and the
really cool. Uh Neon sign that were you know still there?
(24:46):
That was really cool. I loved uh, let's see, oh
D's Bar and lounge. That one was fun. I was
we were right before the shops and things had opened up.
I was kind of lingering in that area and taking
pictures and the guy came out. He's like, hey, you're
(25:07):
gonna have to pay for that, But yeah, it was.
It was a lot of fun. I love that D's
lounge and they they had one in the back too.
That was pretty cool, really mm hmmm. Uh that Zavil's Bar. Yeah,
the Ace hardware was really really cool. So definitely.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And there there's there's even more. There's a portage bar
that I haven't posted. Just a lot of fun to
walk around. It was a cute town. I don't know
if you're familiar with the old show Northern Exposure. Yeah,
but it had a Northern exposure vibe. I mean, yeah,
I love and like Dilworth. The Starlight Motel. Well, that
(25:57):
is an amazing sign. It's it's not the most ornate, right, well,
it does.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
It has those simple mid century shapes that you know
is rabbit trapezoid. One of the factors I talk about
I talk about different factors when you're sign finding. You
gotta take time to get there, find parking, and then
when you get there the off factor mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Have you ever stood at a sign and just taken
like thirty seconds, a minute, two minutes just to you know,
take in the uh, just a sign.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Oh? Absolutely, absolutely, that was definitely one, you know, it
was it was kind of we had gone down the
road a little further than we meant to do, so
it was we just happened on that and it was
pretty exciting to find the Starlight Motel. But it was
so big. I was you know, I really didn't realize
(27:00):
it just it was captivating and then the color. They
a lot of construction on that that place. I'm not
exactly sure what they're planning, but yeah, that was one
where we just sat and admired. I think even my
husband took a picture because he thought it, well, wow,
oh that's funny. Yeah, but oh, I wish I could
(27:23):
think right off the top of my head of some
of those. Oh, Ferdinand Ferdinand Indiana of All Believer had
the coolest American legion sign and it had yeah, the
cow from the story or the bowl from the story book,
(27:44):
and I just thought that was the neatest thing. And
I mean, and Ferdinand, there's not much there, you know,
it's basically that. So it was that was a fun
fine and I enjoyed, you know, just really taking that
one in. Another of my favorites is in Louisville Hawk
(28:07):
it's a I believe it's a bar now, but it
used to be at hardware store. Oh yeah, that one
was a fun, fun find. Yeah, and they actually that's
a that's kind of a neat community too. They have
a lot of things that go on in in that area,
so I hope to get back there.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Now. You're one for Portsmouth, Ohio. The ee you I'm
not pronouncing that way. It's a it's it's like a
straight up and down, uh, almost like a totem sign.
And it's that like pile and carpet and linoleum, and
it is so rusted out and it's delightful.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Yes, yes, those, like I said, those are some of
my favorite signs to find that area. Well, you know
a lot of those old towns along the river at
one time they were boom towns and well, you know
the population has really declined and businesses have moved out,
but the buildings remain, the ghost signs remain, the neon
(29:13):
thions remain. So those are a lot of fun to
find for sure.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Yeah, and just going up and down your feed. I'm
doing it right now because I'm I'm trying to multitask.
I probably shouldn't. It's like I'm paying attention. But just like,
oh my gosh, the Southern Hotel had like Cookville, Tennessee.
I've talked with the Sandwich Life and she took that
Spring Street supermarket sign. But it seems like Cookville. Uh
(29:43):
is that it's right outside of Nashville, right, Uh?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah, Yeah, it's close.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah. See we've like we.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Had gone, yeah, we had gone down there, you know
for another historical thing. And and that was another fine
that I did not know it was there, and that
was overwhelming. It's huge, it's yeah beautiful. As we were
approaching it, I was just like, oh my god, talk
(30:13):
so yeah, beautiful sign.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
There is a place outside of Chickasha, Oklahoma. It's called
Muscle Muscle Car Ranch and they have this amazing I
call them Raygun Gothic arrows. Is you know those big,
you know, kind of thick in the middle arrows to
narrow at the end, I was gonna stop and take
a picture of my wife's like we gotta go. I'm like,
(30:39):
hang it, get down the road. But that my aunt
lives in Chickashe, and I took a picture of the
Washita Theater, which is amazing. It's this Art Deco slash
mid century styled theater Marquee, but just around the corner,
it's like a screet full of both old mid centery signs.
(31:01):
I'm just like, I need to get back to this town.
I've got to get back to Chickashe on Klahoma.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Oh yeah, of course, I have pins in my Google maps,
you know, all over it's crazy many. I gotta get back.
I gotta get and and just you know, recently when
we were in Minnesota, we were running out of time
and I kind of had to skip over Minneapolis, which.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
We're all, oh my gosh, I'm that's a present trove.
It is just talking to just signed here and I
forget was it Hadley R. W. Hadley's out of Minneapolis
as well. If I get that wrong, our w let
me know. Uh but uh yeah. They just talked about
(31:46):
how Minnesota is kind of a hidden gym in the Midwest,
And uh, that's a great segue because when we come back,
I'm gonna ask about Fargo, North Dakota. I've been just
in Rapid City, South Dakota, and that is an amazing
little stop if you ever want to find signs Argo
seems to be the same way too. That's kind of
(32:07):
a bustling little tit sit. I should say little town.
I know, I living in Houston. It's a metro of
seven million people. I shouldn't call Fargo a little town.
But yeah, when we come back, we'll get into that.
You're listening to International sign Finders. Welcome back to International
(32:39):
sign Finders. This is our fourth and final segment. Can
you believe it? This time is just flown by glad
you're still with us. We have the amazing CMS journer
Christine with us. She has the travel bug. It has
bitten her hard and she has gone all across this
country taking amazing photos of from Cookville, Tennessee, to Portland,
(33:00):
Oregon and places in between. She even found one of
Salt Lake that i'd't even know about. How crazy is that?
But Uh, Fargo, North Dakota, You've got it like chubs,
wouldn't it Colon SHUBs and SuDS or I don't know.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
It had a yeah, Chubb Chubbs Chubb Pub, Chubs Pub.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
That's right, Yeah, Chubs and SuDS will work too.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yeah, yeah, yeah that one. I had actually missed that
one on our first trip to Fargo, okay last year.
And it was a horrible day when we got to
Fargo last year. It was rainy and yeah, and I
went around and I took signs and did the best
I could with it. So I was really fortunate to
(33:45):
be able to go back and we you know, went
out a little further kind of into the suburban areas
and sound if you are out there in Fargo. But yeah,
there are some really cool signs there. And then neighboring
Worth So okay, well that's right across the river, right, yeah,
right across Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Because that Mills Lounge, uh, that's in Dilworth. That is
a beautiful sign. Even though it's older, it still has
a lot of the character from the original.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Look it seems like, yeah, definitely beautiful sign. Cute little town.
Not much there, but definitely definitely a good fine there.
The downtown Fargo area though they have oh the Bismark,
they have the Fargo Theater. I mean that one is
(34:41):
a great so it's huge, it's beautiful. Trying to think
what else is down there?
Speaker 1 (34:48):
You're talking when you're talking about history, when you're talking
about history and the Bismark, I was thinking, did they
sink the DoD they sink the place after they got
of it. It's like, bad joke, bad joke.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, let me think what else was out there.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
We're sorry for interrupting.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
No, that's okay. Oh Empire. Yeah, the Grain Belt Beer
that's another good thing.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Oh, I've seen another Grain Belt beer sign in Minneapolis.
I have been there, but I've seen the pictures of it.
It's an amazing sign.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, that's the big one. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Yeah, you have a picture from Hipping, Minnesota of the
Hong Kong Restaurant. The place is boarded up. It's shuddered,
absolutely shuddered.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
But that sign only, Yeah, that was such a great sign.
I was there for Tesky's Jewelers, which I have yet
to vote that one, but you know, I just happened
to see the Hong Kong restaurant and had to run
down there and take that picture, and then found out
(36:05):
that that is where Bob Dylan and his band played,
you know, way back when, and which was why we
were in hibbing because I'm a body Okay, cool.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, so he is a Minnesota boy. Yep.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Lots of fun, fun site there in hibbing. But yeah,
that was a cool one. The facade was really interesting.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
So yeah, it's like definitely, it's like a barn facade.
What is a Chinese restaurant?
Speaker 2 (36:37):
I know, I wonder because it used to be a
barbecue restaurant and the barn kind of fits into the
barbecue theme. I don't know if the Chinese restaurant thought, well,
well keep those are what if it.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Whips it words? That's a yeah, I mean it's not
on part. One of my favorite Chinese restaurants signed is
the one they're in Ogden, Utah. Just the intricate dragon
above it. I don't think it's I think it's more
of the welcome sign to downtown Ogden now. But this
(37:12):
is such a neat piece of Americana. It's you know,
I don't think of you know, hipping as a Chinese
you know, a Chinese foods destination, but they've adapted to
their surroundings. That's what a lot of Chinese restaurants do.
They adapt to what's around them and serve the communities.
(37:37):
Oh well, at least that's what I viewed in my mind.
I'm probably wrong. Now now we're going to get to
the part of the show that I love to to do.
It's called your bucket list. What are some places that
you would love to go they haven't been yet that
you love to go, take pictures of signs at And
(37:57):
it could be anywhere in the world, like Hong Kong.
Hong Kong used to be a neon destination. Now the
communists have kind of made them shade it to led. Yeah,
aren't communists very well? But for you, where where would
you love to go?
Speaker 2 (38:15):
New York City is a big one for me. I've
been to New York City, but not sign hunting. I
I feel like that's one I'd have to play a
couple of weeks in, you know, just all of the
Burroughs and yes, but I really I think for for me,
(38:36):
my just my absolute favorite thing to do is take
the back roads in America and just you know, find
those those relics, you know, the thing, you know, the
forgotten places. That's really my favorite, my favorite way to
do it. And so it's not really anywhere specifics, just
(38:57):
back roads, you.
Speaker 3 (38:58):
Know, backgroads of America and they you know, traveling out
to Utah and coming back Yodell a lot of back roads,
uh you got you know, like well, not just Hebrew City,
but Price Utah has the Pillow Talk Motel.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Is probably one of my favorite signs in that part
of Utah. The Apache they're a moab like going through
East Kansas in East Nebraska, all the all the theater marquees.
Oh yeah, old towns that are still there. I don't
think I don't think they've used those theaters in years,
(39:35):
but they're still either there, which is a win, or
they're being kept up by the community, which is amazing. Right.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, and you find that a lot with these old
restored theaters, and I mean, I'm so thankful that that
these grassroots groups are coming together to restore them. I mean,
we have a really great one here in Indiana and
Columbus called the Crump Theater. It has recently opened again.
(40:07):
It has an epic sign. I mean, the sign is huge.
So it's it's another one that I love. I believe
I've posted that a few times early on again.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Yeah, and then we you know, in the town right
right next to where I live, we have the Oasis Diner,
which is a restored diner, and that that sign is
absolutely gorgeous. And again it's like, who would go to Plainfield, Indiana. Yeah,
there's nothing there, but the diner is magnificent, good food,
(40:45):
grete fine so and that. Those are my absolute favorites
are the you know, just kind of nowhere, the middle
of nowhere.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
And to me, it's the this it's a price factor.
Got to throw that into that. There's like an adrenaline rush.
I'm finding those signs. I think you had a touched
on it before, like you don't see that. I found
it Holy cow. Right. It's kind of like when I
(41:16):
came across the antique Antiques ball on twenty third Street
in Oklahoma City, right along Old Route sixty six, and
I was taking a right to go to Walmart because
my dad lives nearby go to the grocery store, and
all of a sudden, I out of the side of
my see me on him, like Okay, I gotta go
back there. So I went back there and it's not
(41:40):
the greatest sign, but it's it's beautiful the way they've
done it, and right next to it is an old
ghost sign of an old carpet place. I think that
it's it's just a blue blob now basically you know,
midsentry arrows and trap his zoids and stuff like that.
(42:01):
But looking at the history of it, if you go back,
Holy cow, I wish somebody would restore that sign.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Oh yeah, de certainly.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
Yeah, we're coming up in the final moments of the show.
Are there any websites or people that you want to
give a shout out to or a plug?
Speaker 2 (42:23):
Well, I would like to give us special thanks to
Jackie Yo.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Ye.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
She's wonderful. I mean, her comments are so thoughtful, so
you know, and I love you know, what she puts
out there too. She finds a lot of really cool signs.
And I think earlier you said Jared Wrestley, Yeah, yes, Presley,
(42:49):
he's also great, you know, with with comments and encouragement. Uh,
but you know, I don't know, I just you know,
I love I just love everybody's signs, I really do.
I spent way more time than I should, you know,
going through reading them, liking them sometimes even you know,
(43:13):
getting so excited that I want to go find them myself.
So I just I think it's a great community. I
think the scientity is very encouraging and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
Yeah. And as soon as you say that, I just
came across a sign for your Bridgeway Motel photo. Holy cow,
what a beautiful motel. I was paying attention, I admit it,
I was, but it just sticked on my eye. And
that's a raygun gothic er. I call it raygun gothic, right,
(43:48):
It's probably not the right term, but I yeah, going
back to pitching on something from earlier on in the show, Well,
that will do it. That will yep, there's our notation
to uh end. But thanks so much Christine for joining
me for the show. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Yeah. Well, thank you for finding me and return out.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Yeah, and we may if you go to another town
that I'm not familiar with, we may have to do
this again, just to talk about some of those crazy
little signs that you find. Sounds good, cool. So that
will wrap things up for International sign Finders. If you
have any comments or suggestions and who we should talk to,
go find my International sign Finders page at Instagram. International
(44:34):
sign Finders all one word. It's not confusing like Mike
Houston sign hunting Instagram page. I have so many underscores
in that one, it's a little too much. But once
again want to thanks CM so journer Christine for being
a part of the show. And yeah, if you want
to get contact contact us, I'll have how you can
(44:57):
get contact with Christine in the show notes. And until
next time, happy sign finding.
Welcome everybody to another episode of International Sign Finders. Glad
you're with us. Hopefully he had a great weekend of
getting out and getting the pavement, finding signs, taking photos
and sharing them with us. And tonight we're heading back
to the Midwest for our next guest. She travels quite
a bit throughout the Midwest Great Lakes region down into Kentucky, Tennessee,
(00:39):
and she takes so many great photos. Welcome to the show,
see him so journey, I remember to that time.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I yes, So, Christine, introduce yourself to the whole International
Sign Finders listening audience.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Okay, Well I'm Christine. I go by cm sojourner on Instagram.
I've been on Instagram well as cm sojourner for about
three or four years, I think twenty twenty. And I
travel a lot and enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Cool.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Now, do you travel for work or just for pleasure?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Mostly for pleasure, I would be Yeah. Growing up, I
moved a lot. I lived, you know, as far west
as Kansas, as far east as Delaware. Okay, yeah, so,
and my my dad traveled for work and so a
lot of times he would load the family up in
the car and we would go scouting out places where
(01:46):
he needed to go to Okay. So yeah, so it's
just kind of been It's in my blood.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Just I'm traveling. I'm very anthy. I keep I always
have to be on the road and going going.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
When I was in college, especially my first time at
college back in ninety six, I finally graduated after my
third time. We would go on road trips I was
in I went to school in western Virginia and we
would go up and down the East Coast. We would
as far up north as Toronto, almost made its to
Okratoke Island, North Carolina. But if we had actually made
(02:23):
it across the water, we couldn't have gotten back because
they closed the ferries off at seven o'clock. Yeah, that
would have been awkward. Yeah. And I went up to Indiana,
the Plymouth, Indiana. Huh. Yeah. That I got to smell
the fertilizer plant at three in the morning, which is
a delight.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So what was the thing that got you into sign finding?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, I would have to say, well, my first sign
that really kicked things off was the FIREB Motel Okay
Motor Hotel in Cheyenne. We were I think taking a
trip in twenty twenty, you know, when everything had closed.
We actually had already booked a trip to Yellowstone that year,
(03:15):
and yeah, they had closed a lot, you know, several
of the lodges and things, but they had kept ours
open and so our reservation was good to go. Yeah,
so we drove up there, and you know, after we
were done in Yellowstone, we were just kind of driving
around all over as far. You know, we went out
(03:36):
to Idaho, we'd go and in Cheyenne there were just
so many cool signs and I just had that overwhelming
nostalgic feeling.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, And I just took so many pictures while I
was there, and I kept thinking what am I going
to do with all of these pictures? And I think
that was about when I decided, you know what, I'm
going to start an Instagram account. And at that time
cool I had. Yeah, I had no idea that there
was a huge group of fellow sign lovers out there.
(04:11):
So that was really kind of what continued spurring me
on because I just I enjoy seeing what other people find.
I enjoy sharing what I find. So that's that's how
it all started.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, I went through you probably noticed that I liked
a lot of your photos this afternoon doing some research,
and one thing that I really enjoy is, uh, you
get you get great shots of the pot of the
signs they number one and number two. Do you play
(04:46):
in your trips around finding signs or do you find
signs on your way to where you're going?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, it's usually on our way. My husband loves history
although often yeah, so oftentimes he has, you know, an
idea like like we're going to be going to Gettysburg soon,
and so what I'll do is, you know, I'll look
at our route and I'll get on Google Earth and
I'll just kind of see if I can find any signs,
(05:16):
and if I find at least one decent sign, we'll
go to that town or that community and kind of
drive around and check things out. So oftentimes I find
more than one or two along our route that I really,
you know, want to post and share. And I actually
find quite a few that I don't even post because
(05:36):
my pictures are pretty pretty bad. But you know, it's
like thriving, you know, hanging out the window. I did
that on the way up telling Colomas City the last time.
We will tell Colomas City over the summer. My mom
passed away August second. So there's this one sign I
always want to get in.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Dallas and we never get a chance to stop up
and go for Dallas like I want to. But it's
right off the interstate. So I had my window down,
have my phone ready, and I took a picture. It's
not great, not really, but I'm like, I finally got
a picture of this sign and share it with everybody.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. I hang out the window,
you know, out the sun route, take yeah, whatever whatever
it takes.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
So have you I've done this a few times. Have
you gotten on the top of your van or your
card to take a picture of a sign? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Not on top of my car. But there was a
sign and Champagne or Banna that was so difficult to capture,
and I was climbing trees. I was doing everything, you
know to get Yeah. I was trying everything, even my
husband because he was starting to get frustrated because I
could not get a shot of the spy.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Oh yeah, I've done some crazy.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You kind of have to. Sometimes. There's that one. Oh
is it? It's at the Flora Shop. It's one in
Chicago that is super tall and there's not much room.
I've seen R. W. Hadley take a picture of it,
and I've seen someone and it's gonna slip my mind
right now. But it's so tall that and it doesn't
(07:26):
seem like there's a lot of room on the streets.
It's not like Salt Lake where they built the roads
so you could do a U turn with a stagecoach.
Uh yeah. Chicago seems to have a narrower street. And finally,
somebody recently got a really great picture of the It's
like a two story sign and I wish I could
(07:47):
remember which one it is. It's not the flower the
Flora shop that everybody gets. It come to me, It'll
come to me.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, yeah, Yeah. It's fun. And I'll go into places,
into parts of town that maybe I shouldn't be there,
but yeah, I'll do it.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I'll go yeah, and uh, I do that too. And
my wife isn't always thrilled.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Oh yeah, yeah, my husband yeah either.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yeah. But unfortunately or fortunately, I don't know how you
would have raised it. That's where the good ones are at,
or the older parts of town.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, especially the real crusty, you know, rusted out signs.
I love the.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Oh what was the one that I saw that you
got to. Oh the it was a motel sign. The
uh it's in Mottville, Michigan that you took. That is
a rusty motel saw.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, that one, if I recall, I think that was
I think it was a private residence. Now really it
was pretty pretty old. But yeah, I love those, and
I love when I just happen upon them. That's the best.
When I don't know they're there. Oh yeah, you turn
to go back and catch it. I think my break
(09:13):
need to be changed again. Mm hmm, right, I have
worn out my break.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Uh huh. Yeah. You know, going through like Houston traffic,
people tend to stop when they're not supposed to. Hey,
you gotta slam on brakes. Oh yeah, that's made things
a little difficult. But uh there's I will when I
go out sign hunting, I'll roll down my window m
(09:41):
and I try to position myself with my van a
because I've got a lot of stuff to get to
in a short amount of time and be as a
getaway in case something does go down. All right, yeah,
I've never I've only had one like weird incident where
somebody actually came out for me. It's not like Oh
(10:02):
mis Matador and sign me up fifty four and a
few others. I think we'll just signed here out of Minneapolis.
Had a near miss in Kansas. What's you talk? Kansas?
Of all places, right, well, the nicest places of the world.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Oh, but it's just as I tell people, keep your
head on a swivel, and we'll keep our heads in
a swovel when we come back from this. Uh, after
this break, we'll keep our conversation with see I sojourner going.
I will get that right. I'm so sorry, Christina. And
(10:41):
when we come back, we'll talk about some of her
stories about traveling, because you know there's got to be
a few. You're listening to International sign Finders. Welcome back
(11:01):
to International sign Finders. Glad you're still with this. We
have the great Christine see him so journal. She travels
all over the place a lot in you know, the Midwest,
that area just below the Midwest, like Kentucky and Tennessee.
I don't know what you call that, like Upper South.
I guess you could call it. Yeah, Yeah, I still
consider Kentucky a southern state, even though most people don't anymore. Yeah,
(11:26):
And I've also gotten into the argument whether or not
North Carolina's a southern states.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Well, it was.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
I considered southern state.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Still, yeah, it's a southern state and geography, but I
don't know people.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yeah, a lot of a lot of people moving into
Charlotte and to Raleigh, to Durham, those are not southern
cities anymore. Now if you go to Greenville, North Carolina, oh,
that's southern, or to parts outside like buck Hannon, I
haven't been a b can. I've been to a Pound
Miles city. I think North Carolina that is southern out mountains. Oh, man,
(12:08):
I missed those areas. And you also got to go
to a place I'd love to go to Portland, Oregon,
of coorse. You have the fantastic Portland, Oregon sign with
a deer hopping across. But you found a sign that
I have yet to see. And do you want to
talk about how you came across it and some of
the interesting things that happened while you're there.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Sure. So we were driving around downtown Portland and we
were in the Chinatown area and we parked and got
out and we were walking around because there was a
sign for a Republic cafe that I thought was really cool,
and there just happened to be. It was a group
(12:52):
of three people sitting directly under the sign, and you know,
I just walked up. I was I was playing on
just excuse me, I'm just going to take a picture here.
But they had no idea I was there. I mean
I was inches inches from them taking pictures of the sign,
and and they were going about, you know, talking and
(13:17):
as if they were in a whole other place, a
whole other universe, universe.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
It was.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
It was something else. But you know, it was fun
and and we noticed that obviously a lot. And the mean,
homelessness is a huge crisis there, and.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
They've legalized everything in Portland anything.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Pretty much pretty much. I mean there were people bathing
in the fountain under that you know ore agon. Portland's yeah, yeah, yeah,
it was something.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I've seen a documentary. I've mentioned this before about Vancouver
and also Seattle, like Seattle's crazy. The uh, the the homeless.
I don't call them homeless, their campers waters basically, oh yeah,
they just live all over the city. And Portland, for
(14:10):
understand is kind of in that similar vein as Big Couver,
because like of a Vancouver, you have a tweakers. People
still met, but the people on train they look like
they're zombies just standing there asleep.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Yeah, yeah, so different it is. It's it's something to
see for sure. But yeah, in Seattle, we were sitting
at a falawful place okay, and right across the street.
I have not posted this sign, but it was a
big show Girls pink sign, and you know, watching the
(14:50):
people come in.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
And out and you know, mingle in that area was
was quite entertaining.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And I did. I did get quite a few shots there.
I just haven't posted them yet. Oh I can't wait
for that. Yeah, yeah, because Saya.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Seattle's got a lot of good signs too. Mm hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
The uh what is that the Pipe Place market? Yes, yeah,
I took a few you know inside of there. There's
some neon here and there, you know, all over the place.
We really walked that city.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
I mean we got thirty thousand plus steps each day
that we were there.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, I said, that's over ten miles. It's like fifteen
miles a day, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean and that's you know, for me,
that's nothing. When I go on these little experiences because
I just I love I just I love walking, I
love driving.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
So now I will tell you this. I've been to
Salt Lake City and that hares a load, a load
of amazing signs. You're not one that I didn't know about.
The the plumbing head quarters.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Holy yeah, that was fun. That was actually on a
but our tire went flat, you know, out on the
Inner State. Yeah, and I don't know what the deal was,
but we could not find our tire in stock any
(16:22):
and uh, you know, so we had to have you know,
call around because we were we were heading home at
that point when we were there. So you know, the
signs that I got in in Salt Lake City were
just because we were trying to kill time. Yeah, you know,
waiting on a tire. So yeah, yeah, uh but that
(16:42):
was all. There were several, if I recall, I think
there were a couple of bowling alleys and that. Oh
yeah that I got that. I I don't think I
posted those yet either. I have a whole whole thing
of signs that I just haven't posted.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
So, I mean, what one cool thing about Salt Lake
is a few of the old bowling alleys have been
converted into the old Bowling Alley sign has been converting
into business signs and they still kept the old Bowling
Alley and there's a and on South Temples No, South
State Street, there's an apartment complex that took the old
(17:22):
bowling sign and converted into the Bowling Alley side or
the apartment complex. I'm like, you know, not every place
does something like that, Like for understanding in Denver, the
way that they have the signs, like the motel sign
is not owned by the motel let that process. Yeah,
(17:45):
that makes no sense. And I was talking to Corky
and Todd out of the Save the Signs group out
of Denver, and you know, it makes saving those sides
a little difficult. But in Salt Lake, it seems like
they're adapting the old signs to the new, the modern era.
(18:08):
I guess you could.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Say, yeah, yeah, which I love that because I don't
know when it was, I don't know if it was
the late eighties or the nineties where all of these
towns and cities started passing those sign ordinances. Yeah, and
it seemed like you just saw, you know, all the
neon disappear. It just seemed like kind of all at once,
you know, because some of the towns that I grew
(18:31):
up in that.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
I remember signs, you know, being there. Yeah gone, you know,
just gone.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So I love to see the signs repurposed, you know, yeah,
and preserved.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
And there's one here in Houston that it's back on again,
the river Oaks Theater in the river Oaks slash Montrose
area down there. They all some of those areas just
blend into one another if you're familiar with Houston, like
river Oaks has been there since I would say the
thirties maybe forties, And when I first started taking pictures
(19:09):
of signs, that was one of my favorite. It's one
of my favorites. It's not my top ten of Houston signs,
but it's gorgeous. And the theater went out of business
and they have restored the old theater again. They're gonna
play the New Joker movie, which I don't know if
I'm gonna be watching. Yeah, some of those Yeah, a
(19:31):
little too much violence gets Yeah, I'm not very good
at with it. Yeah, And that'll that's a great place
to end our second segment. Well, we come back after this,
after this break, we will get even further into Christine's
sign journeys. You're listening to International Sign Finders. Welcome everybody
(20:13):
back to the first segment of International sign Finders. Glad
you're still with us. We have the amazing Christine seem
So Jenner. Go on to Instagram find her, like her stuff,
give her feedback. That goes a long way too. If
you just enjoy the photos live comment below them. I
know Jared Presley does that a lot. Yeah, and it
(20:35):
kind of makes you like cool, you know, somebody actually
likes our photos, you know type of stuff. R And
it goes a long way for the sign finders because
sometimes I like, is great, don't get me wrong, like
is great, But comment those are those go a long way?
Or comments? Do you get people who'll give you tips
(20:57):
in the comments?
Speaker 2 (21:01):
You know, I don't know that I have gotten that.
I've gotten questions, you know about you know, what you
call certain signs and things like that. You know, I
don't always know. The one that they asked me about
was like the scaffold sign. Oh yeah, kind of like
you know what pis place market pipe whatever that's called
(21:25):
in Seattle. But yeah, I have a I get a
lot of you know, nice shot. You know, I do
appreciate it when people are specific. Sometimes people will even
point out something that maybe I didn't see the first
time around or do appreciate quite as much. So I
do appreciate that a lot when people will do that.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Also, if you want a great resource on what a
side of what a specific sign is called beveraging beveraging
Seltzer road arch She is like the queen of there was. Oh,
I forget the guy who did the Uh he did
it back in the eighties. They have all his signing
(22:11):
photos at the Library of Congress and it's gonna uh Margolis. Uh,
Margolis did that and you know, if it was a
cloudy day he would he wouldn't do it. And she
has mapped out most of the country and taken photos
and it's amazing her. Her website, I don't know if
(22:33):
you've been to it much, is a great resource on
things like that. I think she actually came up with
the term scaffold sign because she asked a guy who
was into it, really into it, and he's like, I
don't have a name for that.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
She's signed yeah, yeah, so it's that simple. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I have I've seen that wrote is it roadside architecture?
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Yes, correct, Okay, yeah, I got all the roads because
I'm lazy.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Yeah, no, I've been there. I've been, you know, taken
to that a few times when I'm trying to figure out,
you know, how old a signing is, and that is
great resource.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
And I've found out there are few cities that have
abandoned Oklahoma City, abandoned, Houston. I know in Houston we
have the hi a F, the Houston Architectural Foundation. Their
message boards are a good resource too. But kind of
(23:38):
going from that to destinations. When you think of signed destinations,
we're talking to the break. You think of southern California, Denver,
Albuquerque for the ADHD person, Las Vegas, Wison, Launson, Minnesota
(24:00):
not clearly the first place, the first places you think of,
but my gosh, they're.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Treasure trope, that really they are. I had such such
a good time in Minnesota finding signs and uh ee Minnesota,
which is yeah, you know there they have the Boundary
waters up there in northern Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Way up in Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, we were that was our destination and we stayed
in Ely and I loved that town. You know, the
the number of family owned businesses that have pretty much
been there since the founding of the town and the
really cool. Uh Neon sign that were you know still there?
(24:46):
That was really cool. I loved uh, let's see, oh
D's Bar and lounge. That one was fun. I was
we were right before the shops and things had opened up.
I was kind of lingering in that area and taking
pictures and the guy came out. He's like, hey, you're
(25:07):
gonna have to pay for that, But yeah, it was.
It was a lot of fun. I love that D's
lounge and they they had one in the back too.
That was pretty cool, really mm hmmm. Uh that Zavil's Bar. Yeah,
the Ace hardware was really really cool. So definitely.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And there there's there's even more. There's a portage bar
that I haven't posted. Just a lot of fun to
walk around. It was a cute town. I don't know
if you're familiar with the old show Northern Exposure. Yeah,
but it had a Northern exposure vibe. I mean, yeah,
I love and like Dilworth. The Starlight Motel. Well, that
(25:57):
is an amazing sign. It's it's not the most ornate, right, well,
it does.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
It has those simple mid century shapes that you know
is rabbit trapezoid. One of the factors I talk about
I talk about different factors when you're sign finding. You
gotta take time to get there, find parking, and then
when you get there the off factor mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Have you ever stood at a sign and just taken
like thirty seconds, a minute, two minutes just to you know,
take in the uh, just a sign.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Oh? Absolutely, absolutely, that was definitely one, you know, it
was it was kind of we had gone down the
road a little further than we meant to do, so
it was we just happened on that and it was
pretty exciting to find the Starlight Motel. But it was
so big. I was you know, I really didn't realize
(27:00):
it just it was captivating and then the color. They
a lot of construction on that that place. I'm not
exactly sure what they're planning, but yeah, that was one
where we just sat and admired. I think even my
husband took a picture because he thought it, well, wow,
oh that's funny. Yeah, but oh, I wish I could
(27:23):
think right off the top of my head of some
of those. Oh, Ferdinand Ferdinand Indiana of All Believer had
the coolest American legion sign and it had yeah, the
cow from the story or the bowl from the story book,
(27:44):
and I just thought that was the neatest thing. And
I mean, and Ferdinand, there's not much there, you know,
it's basically that. So it was that was a fun
fine and I enjoyed, you know, just really taking that
one in. Another of my favorites is in Louisville Hawk
(28:07):
it's a I believe it's a bar now, but it
used to be at hardware store. Oh yeah, that one
was a fun, fun find. Yeah, and they actually that's
a that's kind of a neat community too. They have
a lot of things that go on in in that area,
so I hope to get back there.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Now. You're one for Portsmouth, Ohio. The ee you I'm
not pronouncing that way. It's a it's it's like a
straight up and down, uh, almost like a totem sign.
And it's that like pile and carpet and linoleum, and
it is so rusted out and it's delightful.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Yes, yes, those, like I said, those are some of
my favorite signs to find that area. Well, you know
a lot of those old towns along the river at
one time they were boom towns and well, you know
the population has really declined and businesses have moved out,
but the buildings remain, the ghost signs remain, the neon
(29:13):
thions remain. So those are a lot of fun to
find for sure.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Yeah, and just going up and down your feed. I'm
doing it right now because I'm I'm trying to multitask.
I probably shouldn't. It's like I'm paying attention. But just like,
oh my gosh, the Southern Hotel had like Cookville, Tennessee.
I've talked with the Sandwich Life and she took that
Spring Street supermarket sign. But it seems like Cookville. Uh
(29:43):
is that it's right outside of Nashville, right, Uh?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah, Yeah, it's close.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah. See we've like we.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Had gone, yeah, we had gone down there, you know
for another historical thing. And and that was another fine
that I did not know it was there, and that
was overwhelming. It's huge, it's yeah beautiful. As we were
approaching it, I was just like, oh my god, talk
(30:13):
so yeah, beautiful sign.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
There is a place outside of Chickasha, Oklahoma. It's called
Muscle Muscle Car Ranch and they have this amazing I
call them Raygun Gothic arrows. Is you know those big,
you know, kind of thick in the middle arrows to
narrow at the end, I was gonna stop and take
a picture of my wife's like we gotta go. I'm like,
(30:39):
hang it, get down the road. But that my aunt
lives in Chickashe, and I took a picture of the
Washita Theater, which is amazing. It's this Art Deco slash
mid century styled theater Marquee, but just around the corner,
it's like a screet full of both old mid centery signs.
(31:01):
I'm just like, I need to get back to this town.
I've got to get back to Chickashe on Klahoma.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Oh yeah, of course, I have pins in my Google maps,
you know, all over it's crazy many. I gotta get back.
I gotta get and and just you know, recently when
we were in Minnesota, we were running out of time
and I kind of had to skip over Minneapolis, which.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
We're all, oh my gosh, I'm that's a present trove.
It is just talking to just signed here and I
forget was it Hadley R. W. Hadley's out of Minneapolis
as well. If I get that wrong, our w let
me know. Uh but uh yeah. They just talked about
(31:46):
how Minnesota is kind of a hidden gym in the Midwest,
And uh, that's a great segue because when we come back,
I'm gonna ask about Fargo, North Dakota. I've been just
in Rapid City, South Dakota, and that is an amazing
little stop if you ever want to find signs Argo
seems to be the same way too. That's kind of
(32:07):
a bustling little tit sit. I should say little town.
I know, I living in Houston. It's a metro of
seven million people. I shouldn't call Fargo a little town.
But yeah, when we come back, we'll get into that.
You're listening to International sign Finders. Welcome back to International
(32:39):
sign Finders. This is our fourth and final segment. Can
you believe it? This time is just flown by glad
you're still with us. We have the amazing CMS journer
Christine with us. She has the travel bug. It has
bitten her hard and she has gone all across this
country taking amazing photos of from Cookville, Tennessee, to Portland,
(33:00):
Oregon and places in between. She even found one of
Salt Lake that i'd't even know about. How crazy is that?
But Uh, Fargo, North Dakota, You've got it like chubs,
wouldn't it Colon SHUBs and SuDS or I don't know.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
It had a yeah, Chubb Chubbs Chubb Pub, Chubs Pub.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
That's right, Yeah, Chubs and SuDS will work too.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yeah, yeah, yeah that one. I had actually missed that
one on our first trip to Fargo, okay last year.
And it was a horrible day when we got to
Fargo last year. It was rainy and yeah, and I
went around and I took signs and did the best
I could with it. So I was really fortunate to
(33:45):
be able to go back and we you know, went
out a little further kind of into the suburban areas
and sound if you are out there in Fargo. But yeah,
there are some really cool signs there. And then neighboring
Worth So okay, well that's right across the river, right, yeah,
right across Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Because that Mills Lounge, uh, that's in Dilworth. That is
a beautiful sign. Even though it's older, it still has
a lot of the character from the original.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Look it seems like, yeah, definitely beautiful sign. Cute little town.
Not much there, but definitely definitely a good fine there.
The downtown Fargo area though they have oh the Bismark,
they have the Fargo Theater. I mean that one is
(34:41):
a great so it's huge, it's beautiful. Trying to think
what else is down there?
Speaker 1 (34:48):
You're talking when you're talking about history, when you're talking
about history and the Bismark, I was thinking, did they
sink the DoD they sink the place after they got
of it. It's like, bad joke, bad joke.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, let me think what else was out there.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
We're sorry for interrupting.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
No, that's okay. Oh Empire. Yeah, the Grain Belt Beer
that's another good thing.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Oh, I've seen another Grain Belt beer sign in Minneapolis.
I have been there, but I've seen the pictures of it.
It's an amazing sign.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, that's the big one. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Yeah, you have a picture from Hipping, Minnesota of the
Hong Kong Restaurant. The place is boarded up. It's shuddered,
absolutely shuddered.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
But that sign only, Yeah, that was such a great sign.
I was there for Tesky's Jewelers, which I have yet
to vote that one, but you know, I just happened
to see the Hong Kong restaurant and had to run
down there and take that picture, and then found out
(36:05):
that that is where Bob Dylan and his band played,
you know, way back when, and which was why we
were in hibbing because I'm a body Okay, cool.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, so he is a Minnesota boy. Yep.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Lots of fun, fun site there in hibbing. But yeah,
that was a cool one. The facade was really interesting.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
So yeah, it's like definitely, it's like a barn facade.
What is a Chinese restaurant?
Speaker 2 (36:37):
I know, I wonder because it used to be a
barbecue restaurant and the barn kind of fits into the
barbecue theme. I don't know if the Chinese restaurant thought, well,
well keep those are what if it.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
Whips it words? That's a yeah, I mean it's not
on part. One of my favorite Chinese restaurants signed is
the one they're in Ogden, Utah. Just the intricate dragon
above it. I don't think it's I think it's more
of the welcome sign to downtown Ogden now. But this
(37:12):
is such a neat piece of Americana. It's you know,
I don't think of you know, hipping as a Chinese
you know, a Chinese foods destination, but they've adapted to
their surroundings. That's what a lot of Chinese restaurants do.
They adapt to what's around them and serve the communities.
(37:37):
Oh well, at least that's what I viewed in my mind.
I'm probably wrong. Now now we're going to get to
the part of the show that I love to to do.
It's called your bucket list. What are some places that
you would love to go they haven't been yet that
you love to go, take pictures of signs at And
(37:57):
it could be anywhere in the world, like Hong Kong.
Hong Kong used to be a neon destination. Now the
communists have kind of made them shade it to led. Yeah,
aren't communists very well? But for you, where where would
you love to go?
Speaker 2 (38:15):
New York City is a big one for me. I've
been to New York City, but not sign hunting. I
I feel like that's one I'd have to play a
couple of weeks in, you know, just all of the
Burroughs and yes, but I really I think for for me,
(38:36):
my just my absolute favorite thing to do is take
the back roads in America and just you know, find
those those relics, you know, the thing, you know, the
forgotten places. That's really my favorite, my favorite way to
do it. And so it's not really anywhere specifics, just
(38:57):
back roads, you.
Speaker 3 (38:58):
Know, backgroads of America and they you know, traveling out
to Utah and coming back Yodell a lot of back roads,
uh you got you know, like well, not just Hebrew City,
but Price Utah has the Pillow Talk Motel.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Is probably one of my favorite signs in that part
of Utah. The Apache they're a moab like going through
East Kansas in East Nebraska, all the all the theater marquees.
Oh yeah, old towns that are still there. I don't
think I don't think they've used those theaters in years,
(39:35):
but they're still either there, which is a win, or
they're being kept up by the community, which is amazing. Right.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, and you find that a lot with these old
restored theaters, and I mean, I'm so thankful that that
these grassroots groups are coming together to restore them. I mean,
we have a really great one here in Indiana and
Columbus called the Crump Theater. It has recently opened again.
(40:07):
It has an epic sign. I mean, the sign is huge.
So it's it's another one that I love. I believe
I've posted that a few times early on again.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Yeah, and then we you know, in the town right
right next to where I live, we have the Oasis Diner,
which is a restored diner, and that that sign is
absolutely gorgeous. And again it's like, who would go to Plainfield, Indiana. Yeah,
there's nothing there, but the diner is magnificent, good food,
(40:45):
grete fine so and that. Those are my absolute favorites
are the you know, just kind of nowhere, the middle
of nowhere.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
And to me, it's the this it's a price factor.
Got to throw that into that. There's like an adrenaline rush.
I'm finding those signs. I think you had a touched
on it before, like you don't see that. I found
it Holy cow. Right. It's kind of like when I
(41:16):
came across the antique Antiques ball on twenty third Street
in Oklahoma City, right along Old Route sixty six, and
I was taking a right to go to Walmart because
my dad lives nearby go to the grocery store, and
all of a sudden, I out of the side of
my see me on him, like Okay, I gotta go
back there. So I went back there and it's not
(41:40):
the greatest sign, but it's it's beautiful the way they've
done it, and right next to it is an old
ghost sign of an old carpet place. I think that
it's it's just a blue blob now basically you know,
midsentry arrows and trap his zoids and stuff like that.
(42:01):
But looking at the history of it, if you go back,
Holy cow, I wish somebody would restore that sign.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Oh yeah, de certainly.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
Yeah, we're coming up in the final moments of the show.
Are there any websites or people that you want to
give a shout out to or a plug?
Speaker 2 (42:23):
Well, I would like to give us special thanks to
Jackie Yo.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Ye.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
She's wonderful. I mean, her comments are so thoughtful, so
you know, and I love you know, what she puts
out there too. She finds a lot of really cool signs.
And I think earlier you said Jared Wrestley, Yeah, yes, Presley,
(42:49):
he's also great, you know, with with comments and encouragement. Uh,
but you know, I don't know, I just you know,
I love I just love everybody's signs, I really do.
I spent way more time than I should, you know,
going through reading them, liking them sometimes even you know,
(43:13):
getting so excited that I want to go find them myself.
So I just I think it's a great community. I
think the scientity is very encouraging and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
Yeah. And as soon as you say that, I just
came across a sign for your Bridgeway Motel photo. Holy cow,
what a beautiful motel. I was paying attention, I admit it,
I was, but it just sticked on my eye. And
that's a raygun gothic er. I call it raygun gothic, right,
(43:48):
It's probably not the right term, but I yeah, going
back to pitching on something from earlier on in the show, Well,
that will do it. That will yep, there's our notation
to uh end. But thanks so much Christine for joining
me for the show. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Yeah. Well, thank you for finding me and return out.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Yeah, and we may if you go to another town
that I'm not familiar with, we may have to do
this again, just to talk about some of those crazy
little signs that you find. Sounds good, cool. So that
will wrap things up for International sign Finders. If you
have any comments or suggestions and who we should talk to,
go find my International sign Finders page at Instagram. International
(44:34):
sign Finders all one word. It's not confusing like Mike
Houston sign hunting Instagram page. I have so many underscores
in that one, it's a little too much. But once
again want to thanks CM so journer Christine for being
a part of the show. And yeah, if you want
to get contact contact us, I'll have how you can
(44:57):
get contact with Christine in the show notes. And until
next time, happy sign finding.
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