Travel the World by Sea or Air
On 8th Ave btw. 39th and 40th is this really great faded travel sign, complete with an arrow on the right side pointing down to where a (long gone) travel agency used to be.
I love finding remnants of old travel ads throughout the city. In a world of Travelocitys and Expedias, the idea of physically going to a travel agency to plan a vacation is pretty much obsolete. That said, you have to admit that there is something romantic about the old way of doing things. I find an excitement in this sign over the ability to travel the world, something we probably take a bit more granted now than whenever this was put up.
I played around with the contrast to make out the words – “Package Tours | Sea | Air.” The arrow down says “Complete Travel Service.” To me, signs like these are ultimately tickling you with the prospect of adventure. By plane or boat, South America or the Middle East, where will your next adventure be?
-SCOUT
PS – Anyone know what the last word in purple is?
The purple word from the 2nd window onward is “RECORDS.” The letters under that first window look a bit of a smear.
I’m not convinced that this is part of the travel agents’ sign.
My favorite kind of painted wall signs are the ones that have big arrows that point down to the location of the business.
Scout, you know about the Fading Ad Campaign, don’t you?
http://www.frankjump.com/
I think it’s Poconos?
Looks like “HR Records” to me. Or something like that.
It’s for sure Poconos, the ultimate vacation destination!
p reconds is all i can figure out
Thanks to your blog, I find myself thinking of it when I see movies now. I watched The Wrestler today and in a scene where Rourke is making a call on a public phone, I just thought, “Wow. The location scout rocked in finding this spot.”
Have a good day.
Mike
It looks to me like Penecords, perhaps the name of the agency, above only referenced as P Tours. Just a guess. 🙂
Heard you on WNYC, interesting stuff. Regarding fading ads, James Lileks (blogger/editorial writer from MN) used to take photos of these as well:
http://www.lileks.com/ghost/index.html
“MC RECORDS” ? Maybe it’s not part of the travel agency’s ad. Just a guess (a very little one)
I know this post is over two years old, but I was just watching a rerun of The Equalizer, filmed in the 80s, and there’s your building:
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb407/amcouch1/vlcsnap-2011-06-26-07h11m28s23.png