Sunday, March 21, 2010

Conn.-signment: Signs along Connecticut's Route 1


Over-sized apples are big along here. Two separate businesses offer 3-D fruit to "tempt" passers-by.


I love when old signs like this are left to decay into an art form all their own.

A classic 1960s sign with a classic 1960s name. The owner of this place told me the town wants him to take down this sign because of their sign ordinances. Shame on them! Luckily, he's grandfathered in.

Lovely, well-maintained neon, turned on even during the day time. Reminds me of the cafe in "The Postman Always Rings Twice."

This was a dead sign for a steak house that was revitalized by a Saturn dealer. Then Saturn went kaput and now it's dead again. Ashes to ashes.

The former Lulu's.

We're Connecticut natives, so it's always nice to get back on our Nutmeg State home turf. It's great to get off the interstate and see the old main roads, when time allows. We went for a splendid ride along Route 1 between Branford and New London and saw some awesome road signs, in states of both repair and disrepair. This stretch Route 1 has a lot for the eccentric roadside attraction fan to see...a Conn.-siderable amount, I dare say.

4 comments:

  1. I posted on the SCA Facebook page...

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  2. when my sister and I took our first road trip south, I told her we'd never get out of Connecticut if we stopped to check out all the cool stuff we saw- so glad some of it is still there!

    What is the story behind the Monkeyfarm Cafe? The sign sure looks neat, and what an odd name! Beautiful weekend for a road trip, glad you guys got out and enjoyed it!

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  3. Thanks Betty! The Monkey Farm is in Old Saybrook (or is it Saybrook?). It's a big white house and looks like it's been there since the 1930s. I've never been inside but it looks like a really authentic old roadhouse cafe. We pass by it often when we visit Sherry's family and I've always admired that neon.

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