Jenny's Epic International Sign Collection!

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Excuse the excessive use of capital letters in the title but, perhaps, in this case, it is warranted. Sadly there was many a fine example of the signwriters' art along our trip passed by on dusty highways (especially town names in the Western US desert, and a memorable tortoise), in forests and mountains (leaping deer and stolid elks, not to mention signs so encrusted with snow as to be pure white on a white background, but I may have had a little trouble with exposure there, not to mention restarting the car if we got stuck in the snow). Then, of course, there were the train posters in Frankfurt (the red light district needs its very own collection I think, but I'll leave that one for now) where the Bauhaus design movement is very much alive and well (ermmm...in Frankfurt, not specifically its red light district, where you may very well be able to purchase fonts of any description).

I found myself stopping instinctively to keep a record whenever I saw one that made me laugh or smile, I have never actively admired roadsigns before, but now I find myself looking for them. I guess they're a lot more fun when they're mildly surprising through small differences, whether in style or content, from what you become innured to at home. Or something. Anyway I hope you enjoy some of these as much as I enjoyed collecting them 😊

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Photos

Cheese anyone?
Thought young Miss Katy might like this one. Aww so cute! She's a cowgirl! And it's a cheese shop?

Dore St, San Francisco
Who would do such a thing?! Thank you Ju for letting me stop and photograph this one after a long walk in the rain hunting for cellphones :)

Closed shop in Los Angeles
Too Cruel! They had the sparkly lights on and everything!

Arizona
Not so you can tell or anything....from the car window naturally. I think I was snap happy after the Hoover Dam.

On a rubbish skip
Or ummm a dumpster maybe? This translating business is tough. The delightful illustration struck me as being unnecessarily charming for its use.

On a bar in Nashville, Tennessee
Awww such a cute little piggy! Let's eat it!

When Abe wasn't busy being President....
Apparently he ate hotdogs.

At a bar in Chicago
Fortunately, with Margaritas like that, I don't think they had too many upset customers :)

Super Strength beer bag
In which my Indian takeaways were mysteriously proffered to me.

The best cookies ever!
Or at least close to!

Fried Dough
Okay cookies I get. But this one I just had to take out of incredulity. There was a queue too.

Ultra Diamonds, Boston
They're not just diamonds, oh no.

Statue of Samuel Adams, Boston
I think perhaps he was coquettishly blushing.

On a market building, Boston
I didn't know these things still existed. Apparently so.

Hairdresser, New York
What every woman wants to be!

From NY museum of modern art
Spot the reflections. Free Friday night entry meant a fairly packed museum when we visited, but well worth the wait. This is part of the architectural drawing collection.

Again, from NY museum of modern art
They had a fantastic collection of design work, book design and print which I enjoyed hugely.

Noodle bar in Southern Manhattan
A serendipitous sighting down a little alley street where there was nothing else to see.

High drama in book preservation.
One of the educational panels in the beautiful New York research library

At dog height
On the Frankfurt film museum...Ju tells me it translates as 'We must stay outside'.

No Entry
For Sausage dogs? Another one from Frankfurt.

Apfelwein
Frankfurt is known for its cider making as well as its great public signage for dogs.

Comments

[Adrian]

Very Nice!
Good work you crazy sign-spotter you! A fine collection... particularly the Fried Dough. Can't wait to get in line for some of that! Anyway, glad to see you're taking the time to smell the roses.

[more gin]

ah the land of sausage dogs!
Ihr seid in mein Vaterland! Das Land der Wuerstchen, mittelalterliche Schloesser und Siemens... Viel Spass! xx

[Ryan]

Mmmm... dough....
I tried some of that dough at a ball game last week. Not bad! But at $6 a glob I won't be going back in a hurry