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day 25 - air conditioned
day 25 - air conditioned
rachelellen


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens: Tamron AF 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 Aspherical XR IF Super Zoom for Nikon
Location: Merced, California
Date: Jul 25, 2007
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter: fast
Date Uploaded: Jul 25, 2007

Viewed: 300
Comments: 13
Favorites: 1 (view)

 This sign, which I've wanted to photograph for a long time and finally did today when I was in the valley, has always made me a little bit sad. It's a relic from the days when Highway 99 was a two-lane highway and not an eight-lane freeway -- when a trip through California from north to south necessitated an overnight stay, or three or four overnight stays. To imagine it in its 1950's heyday, and then to see the motel in its current state (as a drug-addled "studio apartment" complex)... sigh. (Ask me if I liked the movie Cars.) There are similarly depressing leftovers from a bygone era in a lot of locations along 99. Sometime I'll take a photography trip, and get some more of them, before they're all gone.

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AuthorThread
 08/04/2007 09:53:23 AM
Wow, the perfect blue sky really accentuates the decay of the sign. The color contrast is lovely. You framed this sign with the sky wonderfully.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 08:19:14 PM
love the use of negative space. also you've captured the decomposing textures of the sign quite nicely. nice deep blue in the sky, too. well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 10:10:51 PM
What i find interesting about this are all the neon parts that are just kind of falling off the sign. Between that and the paint falling off you have captured the ultimate sign of neglect. Great composition with the blue sky in the background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/28/2007 12:06:53 AM
Absolutely wonderful. The sign says it all...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 05:48:44 PM
A great (in one way, sad in another) story, the decay of the sign is made more pronounced by the clarity, freshness and beauty of the sky

Excellent compostion and I guess while we have to accept that time moves on its a shame that so many experiences of the past are just allowed to slip away
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 05:23:50 PM
It may be depressing, but you sure captured an amazing photo, the broken down sign against the georgeous blue sky...I love it!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 01:08:52 PM
Originally posted by Germaine:
I remember US 99 very well as we used to drive it to get to Sacramento to visit my grandparents. During the summer we used to drive it at night to avoid the heat, so the air conditioning in the sign had a real purpose.

In those days the highway went through the downtown sections of places like Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Modesto, Chowchilla, Lodi, etc. Seeing these places at night was a real eye-opener for a kid of ten or so, and it was like driving through another country.

I went north on I-5 a few months ago. It seemed like it went straight for 300 miles and didn't go near a single town. No atmosphere at all.


I-5 is so depressing through California, there is no doubt about it at all. At least 99 still goes through the cities, and you could choose to make a more meandering, sightseeing trip of it if you wanted to. Whereas the whole purpose of I-5 is that you get on at one end and dump yourself off again at the other without having seen a single interesting thing to slow you down.
 07/26/2007 11:53:37 AM
That sign has a lot of character and you've captured it well. I love the texture in the sign against the deep blue sky.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 09:02:04 AM
I remember US 99 very well as we used to drive it to get to Sacramento to visit my grandparents. During the summer we used to drive it at night to avoid the heat, so the air conditioning in the sign had a real purpose.

In those days the highway went through the downtown sections of places like Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Modesto, Chowchilla, Lodi, etc. Seeing these places at night was a real eye-opener for a kid of ten or so, and it was like driving through another country.

I went north on I-5 a few months ago. It seemed like it went straight for 300 miles and didn't go near a single town. No atmosphere at all.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 07:49:54 AM
This stands alone as a thumbnail, and also when viewed at full size..... Top image here thats for sure.....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 12:37:51 AM
Excellent sign, Rachel! I love this!! Great photo - with the beautiful sky.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 12:14:36 AM
Terrific photo, Rachel. Great find, and well done.

I'm driving across several states soon, and I'm tempted to take old highways and stay off the interstate.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 11:55:54 PM
Beautiful shot - I love how the deep blues of the sky contrast with the whites and yellows of the sign. Excellent shot - one of my favorites of the 50-day challenge for sure!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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