Charles Phoenix

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. I read a little here and there when something caught my eye -- but the font was small in places and fancy in others making both difficult to read. I did enjoy looking at all the pictures which took me about 40 minutes to go through. The book did mention that Charles Phoemix did slideshow presentations of his collection of American, classic, kitschy, and whimsical collection -- if one comes nearby I would like to see it.

"Whether it's my own town or somewhere I've never been, I explore every city east, west, north, and south. I start on Main Street and go from there in search of time-honored mom 'n pop businesses, underrated landmarks, hidden treasures, and unexpected oddities. Genuine, authentic heart and soul is what I'm looking for, and I know it when I find it." (p13)… (mere)

If you're of a certain age, you may remember the odd shaped burger stand in your neighborhood or the one with neon signage and wondered, why?
The delightful collection of photos accumulated by the author is accompanied with information he's gathered about these odd and flamboyant structures, many of which he's visited as a child and revisited as an adult. California, when it was new to a generation raised on the automobile, was a likely candidate for this style which reached it's heyday in the 50's and 60's. The road people traversed to get to LA and Phoenix, Highway 66, is still scattered with these structures some of which are merely the remains of what was. Of course, there is the odd style scattered across the country and is still revered by those who hold Americana dear.
This book takes the reader back to an earlier time when things, in retrospect, seemed easier, less serious, whimsical and fun. When going for a burger could be an event, when staying in a hotel could mean a night in a tepee.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a little bit of Americana.… (mere)

Crossing the country visiting, and sometimes hunting, the restaurants, motels, cars, trams and company logos that made America so unique in the mid-century. Here are tee pee motels, circus themed restaurants, fairy tale themed amusements parks, and a section on early Disneyland and 1950's Las Vegas. Being a native of Southern California too, where Googie began and space age themes really took hold, the author includes many spots that were part of my childhood, such as the Wonder Bowl in Anaheim,the beautiful La Palma Chicken Pie Shop sign we drove past so often, Stovall's Inn of Tomorrow. Phoenix even hunted down the hot dog shaped building of L.A.'s iconic Tail O' The Pup. So lots of nostalgia while being introduced to lots of uniquely regional and awesome stuff.
It could do with less of Phoenix himself. You may recognize him from his numerous appearances on baking competition shows, as he's been making outlandish cakes for years. He also tours with a vintage slide show, so let's just say that he very much wants to be famous, and it shows in this book which contains 84 pictures of himself. Yes, I counted. That's too much. Otherwise, this is a really fun, especially if you're interested in cars from this era.… (mere)