Futuristic presents from the past: West Palm Beach, Florida's fantastic mid-century transportation exhibit

In the 1950s, American car makers were on top of the world and autos couldn't be too heavy, aggressive-looking or laden with chrome. A vehicle was a status symbol and the more it looked like a rocket ship headed for Mars, the more we Americans liked it. Car makers would create fantastic concept vehicles with big fins, bubble tops and huge, jet-like dual exhaust pipes to test the waters of potential car buyers. If a dramatic chrome bumper treatment was a big hit, maybe next year's Buick Roadmaster would feature it. Armies of incredibly talented engineers, designers and artists put these one-of-a-kind vehicles on the auto show floor under strict top secret conditions. So top secret, in fact, that most of the brilliant drawings and models were destroyed, lest the competition catch wind of their precious ideas. Luckily for car buffs, transportation historians and mid-century hipster fans, a Mr. Frederic Sharf began preserving these items years ago and amassed an amazing collection of thousands of drawings and artifacts. West Palm Beach, Florida's Norton Museum of Art is currently exhibiting a fraction of of these pieces called "Going Places" and it features not just cars, but also planes, trains and even a hybrid car/helicopter or two, all with a tomorrow is here today theme.

The craftsmanship and technical virtuosity of the artwork is astounding...no Photoshop shortcuts for these guys. The illustrations are all hand-painted and drawn in a heightened state of super-idealized reality. The future seemed so bright in these pieces, with their unrealistically perfect people and dreamy sophisticated backgrounds. If this is what life could be like in the 1950s, then surely we'd all be wearing jet-packs and driving car-planes by 1965, wouldn't we? A portion of the exhibit also features original advertising illustrations of regular, less showy cars for sale at your local Chevy, Oldsmobile or Ford dealer and again, for something as seemingly mundane as a magazine advertisement, the technique of these artworks is extraordinary. The chrome gleams, the reflections on the finish and tail lights shine and the backgrounds are packed with idealized suburban scenes or sophisticated city folks on the town. I want to be there, I think to myself when I see these.

The show will be up until January 2016, so check it out if you're going to be in South Florida. Don't let the future pass you by.

Oh, and since it's the Norton Museum of Art, I simply couldn't resist adding this.

I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die... no wait, that was Johnny Cash

We passed through Reno, Nevada early in the morning on a cross country trip in 2011. There was an odd vibe at that hour...nobody around, nothing lit up, deserted. There were lots of cool mid-century motel, casino and restaurant signs, though, similar to the Fremont area of Las Vegas. We never got out of the car, so here's what we saw driving around looking out our windshield on a gray May morning.

 Sadly, we didn't see any of these gals walking around.

 Reno must be a great place to be a cardiologist.

 Is this where I apply for my new Corolla car loan?

...and after all that decadence, salvation.

Doing Battle: Scenes from Battle Mountain, Nevada

Interstate 80 is a long, lonely stretch of road when traveling through the great state of Nevada. Many miles separate the small points on the route, with hours of pretty but desolate scenery in between. We had the pleasure of stopping in the gloriously melancholy little town of Battle Mountain, between Elko and Winnemucca, for a night's stay at the Super 8. There wasn't a heck of a lot going on, but there was one honey of a sky that day -- dark menacing-looking clouds with bright shards of sun illuminating the worn landscape. They have some terrific mid-century signs here, courtesy of the Owl Club casino and the Nevada Hotel, which boasts of both food and fun, and one of the nicest water towers I've ever seen next to the fireworks emporium. Their name is derived from a clash between the white settlers and the original Shoshone inhabitants, but it's a peaceful community now and provides a place to gas up, get some grub, a good night's rest, and a hand or two of Texas Holdem before hitting the open road in the morning. That's their Battle cry and they're sticking to it.

Presents from the past: Mid-Century mementos from the open road

The hep cats at Mid-Century Style Magazine gave us a nice tip-o-the-hat recently which inspired this Greatest Hits Volume 1 of retro sights we've seen along the way. Just our way of saying Thanks, Daddio, we dig you the most.

A Big Boy from Baker, California. Artistic cropping courtesy of the sun in my eyes.

A fine example from our dear relative/friend/awesome guy "Uncle" Stephen's Channel Master collection.

Jell-O with fruit in in from downtown L.A.'s incredible Clifton's Cafeteria.

Last chance for booze before Death Valley.

This from my hometown of Hamden, Connecticut. I grew up seeing this sign and, happily, it's been beautifully preserved. Way to go, Hamden!

From Las Vegas, home of tons of retro signs.

A Norge Ball from North Platte, Nebraska.

A cool old sign from downtown Chicago.

The Palm Springs visitors center, a former googie gas station.

From the Marx Toy Museum of Moundsville, West Virginia.

A fine 1950s Shasta trailer from the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana.

The Las Vegas Neon Boneyard is not to be missed.

The Wigwam motel of Rialto, California.

One of Wildwood, New Jersey's mid-century motel marvels.

Zip's Diner of Dayville, Connecticut, a steel and neon masterpiece (and the food is good, too!)