Like a lot of photographers who enjoy documenting America's roadside businesses, there are many targets on my to-do list. Too often, I neglect to photograph those businesses before they are gone forever.
A fast-food place named Guido's comes to mind. For years, I chuckled whenever I drove past this joint on Higgins Avenue here on Chicago's Northwest Side and saw their sign proudly proclaiming for all to see:
NOBODY BEATS OUR MEAT!
I assumed that sooner or later, I'd get around to photographing Guido's. But I never did -- and one day as I drove by, I noticed, sadly, that Guido's was gone.
I had a similar experience years ago in Denver. I had always meant to take photos of the Cooper Cinerama Theater, resplendent in its orange paint job. But I never did that, either. I did manage to shoot some Kodachrome transparencies when it was showing a 70mm revival of "Ben-Hur," but by then new owners United Artists Theaters had repainted the buildings beige. The pain in not snagging photos of the Cooper when it was still orange was offset slightly by the knowledge that the theater was torn down a short time later.
That's why I was glad to have photographed a number of buildings at the intersection of Central and Montrose avenues. About two weeks ago, I had my little digital camera with me during a walk up to Walgreens and I shot some images of venerable -- and closed -- businesses.
When I walked to Walgreens last night, I noticed that all of those buildings had been demolished. The photo above of C Davis Rentals is one of my favorites. You can see more photos on my Flickr pages.
The moral of this story is that if there's something you've been meaning to take a phot of, do it now.
I visited Colorado recently, and talked my cousin Brian Hague into joining me on a visit to Edgewater Inn, which I consider to be one of the best pizzerias in the world.
This suburban Denver eatery has always been an outpost for great pizza.
We ordered a large pepperoni pie and soda pop and the bill came to just over $15. I know this is going to sound odd, but the pizza tastes like a high-class version of the pizza that used to be sold at the Woolworth's in downtown Denver on 16th Street. (This huge Woolworth's was pretty much an experience in cheap mercantile overload. My mom once described it as "marketplace in Calcutta.")
I've loved the city of Edgewater for a long time. The place really does have the feel of a small town. Back when I was in high school, there was nothing quite like a walk down the hill into Edgewater's major retail section at 25th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. There were several cafes, a liquor store, a bakery -- and my favorite, Edgewater Drug. Whatever you wanted, chances are Edgewater Drug would have it. I was especially impressed by the selection of newspapers and magazines, second only to the treasure trove at Jerry's News in Denver at Colfax Avenue and Broadway.
Sadly, both Edgewater Drug and Jerry's News are but memories. Same for the Lake Shore Drive-In Theater, which, once us kids started driving, my parents only occasionally allowed us to attend. (Deserved or not, the drive-in had a reputation as Hood Central.)
Edgewater also was home to KIMN Radio, 950 kilocycles on your AM dial -- "95 Fabulous KIMN!" They pronounced the call letters as "kim." I believe the call originally referenced the Inter Mountain Network. Although the call letters are still used, the top-40 powerhouse hasn't been around in that format (or as an AM station) for years.
We also talk about the large number of Denver streets named after Indian tribes, and wonder whether the urban legend is true that a local appeared on a game show many years back and won big money by being able to reel off all those Native American names.
RESTAURANT CONTACT INFO Edgewater Inn, 5302 West 25th Avenue, Edgewater, Colorado. Kitchen: 303-237-3524. Bar phone: 303-233-9892.
I've been visiting Flickr quite a bit this past month or so, and, based on the searches I've done (places I've lived and worked, people I've known and know) I've concluded that Frank Zappa was absolutely right when he concluded:
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice -- there are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
As an occasional photographer who's lucky enough to actually get paid to take pictures, I've been blown away by the photos on Flickr. Not only are there plenty of images with decisive moments personal and otherwise, but there's also a lot of good news sense and technical skill there, as well.
Based on a recent article by Amy Gahran on the Poynter Institute website, I'm convinced that before long, a site like Flickr (or perhaps even Flickr itself) will become a clearinghouse for news photos as traditional journalism begins to embrace the concept of citizen journalists. There are plenty of people in the right place at the right time, and news organizations are finally going to tap this resource. And if they're smart, they'll pay for it.
But back to nostalgia...
During a recent trip to Wheat Ridge, I had hoped to do a lot of shooting, especially using a low-tech analog Holga camera. I especially wanted to get pictures of the Wheat Ridge and Maple Grove grange halls. However, at least I managed to grab a somewhat-artsy picture (above) of the famed "concrete cowboy" who's stood guard at the entrance to Rustic Ranch Mobile Home Park on Federal Boulevard for as long as I can remember. What's fun is to see how many other folks have taken pictures of the same view.
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About Me
I'm Leigh Hanlon, a writer and photographer in Chicago. Before moving to the Windy City, I worked at daily and weekly newspapers in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming. (Photo by Marty Larkin)
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We ordered a large pepperoni pie and soda pop and the bill came to just over $15. I know this is going to sound odd, but the pizza tastes like a high-class version of the pizza that used to be sold at the Woolworth's in downtown Denver on 16th Street. (This huge Woolworth's was pretty much an experience in cheap mercantile overload. My mom once described it as "marketplace in Calcutta.")
