Tropical Gardens Bar- New York City- 1947

Here are some shots from a 1947 publication on Bars and Restaurants I found today in my school’s library.

BARS

Forthright disclosure in this department is definitely not in keeping, even where the service is offered in connection with a self-service restaurant. Although prominent citizens may properly assert they “have nothing to hide” in occasional temperate indulgence, they still don’t really like to do it on manifest exhibition. For this reason, the exterior of Tropical Gardens, though striving for attractiveness and compulsion in line with principles for the restaurant front, has much smaller window areas, with curtains as a rule nearly drawn, to reveal very little to the street of the activities and personages inside. Still the front should express, as Tropical Gardens attempts, particularly in the doorway, the essential nature and character of the operation, projecting all possible inducements to make the customer enter.

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Front door of Tropical Gardens illustrates the principle in bar design of compulsive expression on the exterior, proclaiming but not disclosing the functions within.

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Note in the photo, the “deuce” principle in Continental settee.

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Decorations and murals in Tropical Gardens were designed by Winold Reiss, executed by Imperial Painting Co.; Karl Egger was the General Contractor.

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Plastic-top, chrome pedistal table in Hollywood booth at Tropical Gardens. Curtain is glass fabric; floor, asphalt tile; color scheme, red, white, and mahogany.

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Tropical Gardens bar front, is red leatherette with mahogany top. Seigel, Architect; Rapp, designer.

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plan of Tropical Gardens.

Bayway Diner- Linden, NJ

I went here a couple of years ago when they were filming a section for “diners drive ins and dives”. I’m just in the background of a shot, I know in the TV version, but I don’t see myself in the youtube edit.

It’s a cool little Comac Dinette, probably the last of its kind, that was remodeled by Randy Garbin’s diner restoration company.

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Highland Park Diner

We visited this one in early 2004 while in Rochester, NY for spring break. It’s a very cool town- visited the Eastman Kodak museum, ate at Dinosaur BBQ, Nick Tahou Hots (home of the garbage plate). This is the last surviving diner built by Orleans, a short lived company producing a very distinctive design. It did a stint as an OTB establishment, during which time the interior was gutted. It’s been reconstructed since then. The Highland Park is located at 960 S Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY.

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Lunenburg, NS

The temperature with windchill today was a frigid -15F. Despite that, our three VW convoy made the hour and a half trek down from Halifax to Lunenburg to take pictures, look at viewplanes and devise a scheme for a design project in which we’re modeling the town and designing new houses for vacant lots.

The town from the water
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The “Lunenburg Bump”- the typical 5 sided Scottish dormer of Lunenburg. Depending on the era, some are on the roof, some form awnings over the door and others form vestibules.
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The city is on a very steep hill. The wind whips right up it off the ocean.
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Mansard roof on a bump.
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Bump reference mid building
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Potential slogan:
In the mood for good food? Good luck!
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Looks like one of those mail-order prefab facades.
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The Convoy.
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Tenor Guitar

This has been in the works for a while now, and now it’s done. I can’t wait to have it in my hands and start learning the thing.
I wanted a tenor because it’s something different than I already have, and the sound is so distinctive. This one was custom made by Matt Artinger, an absolutely fantastic luthier from Pennsylvania.

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And it seems to be something that’s coming back. A fair number of my friends and acquaintances in the music world play the tenor.

Joel Plaskett
Gibson Tenor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX_UBgi9SPc&NR=1

Steve Poltz

Mark Rubin

Marcy Marxer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gIsebfTqmc

Tom Mindte

Even Eastwood Guitars is getting in on the act, with the Warren Ellis signature model
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In other guitar related news- for Christmas, I got a Gibson RD Custom. Story goes it used to belong to Dave Grohl, but I don’t know whether to believe that or not.

And with these two new aquisitions, I’m letting go of one of my Godin 5th Avenues. If any of you are interested, drop me a line.