You know…just in case the big guy wonders where all the toys are kept.
Santa stockpile25th and Holgate Streets, Tacoma, WA
Posted 10 years ago
Category: Before & After
Santa stockpile25th and Holgate Streets, Tacoma, WA
And a hat, to bootGeorgetown Hat n' Boots, Seattle, WA
Posted 10 years ago
For every alive-and-well Paul Bunyan statue out there, there’s a roadside attraction that’s gone to seed—or given up the ghost entirely. And since you don’t see a lot of vintage kitsch in museums or public trusts, these landmarks are too easily overlooked by community restoration projects. Not so in Seattle, my friends. The Hat-n-Boots have… More
Farm to tableWinter vegetables from the Puyallup Valley, WA
Posted 10 years ago
These are not sketches of veggie bins at the farmer’s market—this is what our back porch looks like every year at this time. When we’re at home, the Tailor and I eat almost entirely seasonally and locally (what can I say—we’re weirdos). So that means we buy all of our winter vegetables in November, and… More
R is for ReturnOld Rainier Brewery, Seattle, WA
Posted 10 years ago
Well, I’m no fan of beer, but I do love me a neon sign and a good swash capital. So while I couldn’t make it to the official relighting of the Rainier “R” in Seattle (link goes to my friend Jennifer’s blog, where there are some fun videos about the R), you can bet I… More
Retro RowManitou Springs, CO
Posted 11 years ago
Manitou Springs has been a tourist attraction since the 1870s—first for its “medicinal” mineral springs, and then for its wild-west remnants and mountain location. For decades it’s been chock-a-block with midcentury motels and vintage neon—and by some miracle, nearly all of them are still around. Every time I come back here, I run around town… More
The last roundupGiuffrida's Hilltop Steakhouse, Saugus, MA
Posted 11 years ago
I couldn’t be here in person for this, and I haven’t actually eaten here since I was a kid. But Giuffrida’s has been a familiar (and completely incongruous) landmark on countless drives north of Boston over the years, and this is the first neon sign I ever loved. So when my dad told me it… More
I see dead peopleGranary and Copp's Hill Burying Grounds, Boston, MA
Posted 11 years ago
Okay, you’re going to think I’m a total weirdo for getting so excited over bunch of headstones (and I have many, many more sketches than these…), but since it’s Halloween this week, I figured I could get away with it. I have to tell you, I have a serious, major thing for colonial graveyards. My… More
Tea for twoEmpress Hotel, Victoria, BC, Canada
Posted 11 years ago
Speaking of Canadian fall color, almost exactly two years ago I had the chance to stay at Victoria’s Empress Hotel, and see its climbing ivy in all its autumn glory. Both then and just recently, when the Tailor and I visited Victoria together, a major highlight of the visit was the Empress’s world-famous High Tea…. More
Heart of the city(Former) Hostess Cake factory, Seattle, WA
Posted 11 years ago
I’m almost hesitant to include this sketch in my week of kitschy food posts, because I’m in the camp of folks who firmly believe that Twinkies aren’t food. Yet I love this building so much that I just couldn’t leave it out. The old Hostess Cake factory in Seattle has seen quite a few changes… More
T-timeBoston, MA
Posted 11 years ago
Twice in my life (about 15 years apart) I’ve lived within an hour of Boston; and a couple of years ago I got to show the Tailor around my old stomping grounds. The city’s undergone a lot of transformations in recent years (Big Dig, I’m looking at you), but I love that the trip in… More