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Neon
signs in Phoenix
Yes, all that glitters
in Arizona isn't necessarily gold; it's neon. What follows is a look at
some neon in Phoenix, and how it relates to the development of the city.
Glitter
Gulch in Arizona?
Phoenix is no Las
Vegas, but it can try to flex its seedy, pseudo-glamorous side every once
in a while.
An old neon sign in
front of an old, seedy motel (below) was decorated with a bizarre lasso
design around it, as if to harken back to the days of cowboys and ranching
on the open range.
Granted, Wayne Newton
is nowhere to
be found. And you won’t find too many glittering facades around
Phoenix or Tempe.
With the growth of
the city into the metropolis it is today, much of the old neon signage
has been a casualty. There are very few remaining signs, and what follows
are the results garnered from a short trip to find some of the glitter
in Phoenix’s gulch.
Real ‘red
light’ districts
Some of the best
neon signage in the state is found along the infamous stretch of road
and dirt known as Van Buren Street. In addition to all the friendly ladies
on the road, the men are so friendly they will often honk at the women
who pass by, as the author discovered.
 Surprisingly,
many signs are completely burned out or simply not used. To find the signs,
neon-seekers must venture deep into the darkest heart of Van Buren - where
few dare to tread.
A sign for a Chinese
restaurant (above) was quite nostalgic to behold. It’s quite beautiful,
a sight for sore eyes and empty stomachs. The bright red color of the
sign is very nice.
They don’t
call it the “Red Light District” for nothing.
The prickly
neon cacti coup
 Travel
further down the road and search for an old café where people sit,
talk and drink outside or inside, any time of the year. The sign on the
window says “open” but the bars on the window seem to say
otherwise. Looming over the nighttime scene of the bar is a giant
neon cactus with a thermometer sign (above) delivering the temperature
on a lukewarm early October night. It seems to contrast with the frenetic
serenity of the people out talking and drinking, a modern icon that doesn’t
belong in this zone of premature decay.
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Spotlight:
Neon in History
Neon signs have a
checkered past.
You should love them
because they kick a lot of butt. Las Vegas is the queen , and the real
Glitter Gulch is an archive of neon signs in downtown Las Vegas on the
infamous Fremont Street. This area is north of the well-known Strip.
Links
Phoenix.gov
Hey, it's the home page of the city I love to bash and would love to work
for.
The
History of Neon Signs
Yeah, one of those about.com sites with all the pop-ups. So sue me. |
