Tag Archives: west

Retro Row

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 to do a sort of frantic inventory of these places, always amazed and relieved to find things more or less as I left them. These signs have been my old friends for over twenty years. I’m hoping against hope they’ll fare better than Giuffrida’s, and that there’s still a lot of life left in them.

Rock of ages

There’s a little trail that makes a circuit around the base of Devils Tower, and it’s not hard to see why.

There’s just no bad angle anywhere—every side of the mountain is its good side.

For me, the problem wasn’t finding a good sketch spot—it was racing the clock and recording every “shot” I wanted (plus a few unexpected critters and Wall Drug signs…) before the sun went down on me!

Ghost palace

Even on sunny days, the Claremont always seems to appear from nowhere as you turn a corner or follow the curving roads uphill. But in the chilly morning fog, it seemed to emerge from some other world.

Raindrops actual size

Speaking of stormy weather, it’s a little unnerving to be sitting in the passenger seat, happily sketching along, and suddenly be startled out of your reverie by massive raindrops that sound like rocks hitting the windshield.

To be honest, though, it also makes for a thrilling sketch session—especially when you live in the Pacific Northwest, where the rain mostly comes in the form of thick mist and gentle drizzle.

Exit, pursued by a bear

Speaking of bears, the great state of Montana must have a lot of them…

…since they get their own highway exit and all.

Mile High City Hall

This has always been my favorite building in Denver. When I lived in Colorado as a kid, and my family would visit the city, I always wanted Dad to drive the loop around the Civic Center. Then, as we passed on Bannock Street, I’d look out the window and crane my neck to watch the curved colonnade sweep by.

I still do that, come to think of it. The Tailor and I still have family in Denver, and whenever we’re in town visiting, there I am gazing upward on Bannock Street.

The building becomes a riot of color during the holiday season, when they light up the façade at night. I still haven’t managed to sketch that yet—maybe I’ll bump it to the top of the to-do list.

ETA: Update! I finally got to sketch the City & County Building in its holiday colors—you can find my sketches here.

Heaven and Hells

I never pass up a chance to visit my friends Sarah and Jesse. Not only are they some of my favorite people on the planet, but they also happen to live in one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco: Dogpatch.

(How could I not love a place where my friends live on the same block as the Hell’s Angels?)

Dogpatch is home to beautifully-preserved Victorian architecture—

—and some of the best food in the city, whether you eat in or out.

It’s the kind of place where the residents are deeply invested in their neighborhood: many of the local business owners live right there, and everyone is passionate about Dogpatch’s history, pride and charm.

And beignets. Everyone is passionate about the beignets.

In fact, I’d say they’re the final tasty touch on making Dogpatch a little deep-fried slice of heaven—with or without the Angels.

False fronts

A perfect sunny afternoon in Napa Valley. The still-bare trees were the only reminder that spring hadn’t quite sprung yet. Coming from chilly, rainy Washington, it felt like summer by comparison.

Head table

Well, I wouldn’t recommend this place to a vegan, but if you like Wild West kitsch (or you use antlers in all of your decorating), this is the place for you.

The Buckhorn Exchange is the oldest restaurant in Denver: it holds liquor license number one! It has served dinner to both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, Will Rogers, and numerous other historic guests. The menu of various game dishes is pricey but excellent—I recommend anything with the prickly pear glaze on it. And of course I ordered a Sioux City Sarsaparilla with my meal—all the while wishing I could do a decent impression of Sam Elliott in The Big Lebowski.

Oh, and ladies: if you go, be sure to check out the upstairs washroom. Not only are there two antlered buck heads in there, but the heads are jousting each other. I really should have sketched that, shouldn’t I?

Ah, well. A reason to return.

Miracle Mile

More vintage goodness along Highway 99: sunny Redding, California is filled to the brim with old neon signs. On this day I was road tripping with a fellow travel blogger, my friend Mary-Alice (and her pup Chloe). The girls were remarkably patient with me while I insisted on stopping every thirty seconds to sketch more signs. But it was such a perfect day—how could I have passed it up?