Neon

I need to start carrying a tripod along when we go anywhere at night. I've been wanting to get a night shot of the sign for Bingo's Motel and Bar for years, but it's hard to take a good photo of neon with a hand held camera.

I'm not sure how many years the motel has been in business or how long the sign's be there -- the fact it highlights the availability of TV suggests it's been quite a few years -- but every time we drive by I wonder how they manage to stay in business. Maybe it's the time of day we're passing by, but there are rarely any cars parked by any of the units. The establishment appears well maintained, though, so obviously they do have customers.

In fact, they had customers when we stopped so I could take a photo. Snowmobilers had checked in; there was a pickup with a humongous trailer in the lot.

The Bingo's complex also includes a service station, or it used to. I haven't been paying enough attention recently to know if the garage is still open or if they still sell gasoline. If it does, this would indeed be a good place for snowmobilers to stay. Spitting distance from the trail system, and everything they want (beer and fuel) close at hand.

I went looking for information about the motel online. I was hoping to find a review or two, and I sort of did, although it was more in praise of the bar. Apparently beer is $2.50, which the person posting the comment viewed as being a good deal. I drink beer so rarely that I no longer know what the average cost is, so I'll take his word for it.

More Seattle neon

Located close to the Ballard bridge, and really nifty -- it's a multi-parter. Not sure just where this bar was -- the SCA tour bus did a fair amount of zigging around in its quest for neon.
This Dick's is close to the University.

Some favorite neon

For some reason I was thinking about Seattle today. This is always the first thing I think of when someone says Seattle -- the elephant of your dreams: Harvey's isn't exactly in Seattle -- it's actually over the line on Highway 99 in Lynnwood in Snohomish County -- but I do like the sign.
This one's a classic -- can't remember exactly where we spotted it other than it was somewhere close to downtown but north of Pike Place Market.
Speaking of which. . .
And here's what the elephant looks like at night. Both elephants rotate and drops of neon water cascade down. The car wash is on a piece of prime real estate, so for all I know these guys no longer exist -- but I sure hope they're still there.
Would have sworn I had a good one of the Bardahl sign, too, but if I do I forgot to label it -- and it's been a long enough day that I'm not up to spending any more time digging through the archive.