The Road Starts Here: Route 66 in Chicago, IL

We recently visited Windy City and of course had to visit a couple of iconic Route 66 locations. The big thing we couldn’t miss was the sign for the beginning of Route 66 right outside the famous Art Institute of Chicago. Depending on the time of year you go, the main sign might be easy to miss — walk across the street from the museum straight out from its front doors, and it will be

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From Flame to Flicker: Inside a Working Neon Shop

You walk into a neon shop expecting nostalgia. You leave thinking about chemistry, electricity, municipal zoning codes, and 1940s craftsmanship. That’s what happened when I toured Morry’s Neon, a family business opened in 1985 by Morry and his son Glen, a business built on a neon legacy that began in 1946 when Morry first started bending glass. Established the same year America decided diners, drive-ins, and optimism were perfectly reasonable things to mass-produce, Morry’s has

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Route 66 at 100: Why the Centennial Is Igniting a New Era of Retro Road Trips

As the Route 66 Centennial approaches, something interesting is happening. This isn’t just an anniversary tour or a nostalgia lap. It’s a full-scale reawakening of interest in the American road trip—one rooted in history, preservation, and the lived experience of the road itself. The centennial is acting like a spotlight, illuminating not just the highway, but the stories, architecture, roadside culture, and communities that grew up along it. And people are paying attention. Travelers want

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Los Angeles Potteries: A Whimsical Walk Through Mid-Century Ceramic Dreams

From our retro coffee table to yours comes a great book – an awesome gift or something to pour over in our own home! Suppose you’ve ever spotted a cookie jar shaped like a hamburger or a canister set with tropical fruit motifs and thought, “I remember that design!” or “I have to have that design!”. In that case, you’ll want to get your hands on Los Angeles Potteries: A Collector’s Journey through Artistry, Craft,

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Interior Design

Design Idea Guide: Modern Makeover for a Clawfoot Tub

Great post over at “House In Progress” under their: Design Idea Guide: Modern Makeover for a Clawfoot Tub, wondering how to “hide” a clawfoot tub to make it blend in more with a 50’s house. I found this picture in the Ladies Home Journal 50’s decorating book: It looks like a clawfoot tub under…what do you think? I’m wondering what the material is surrounding it? Kind of a cool idea! I have to say “hooray”

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What an awesome idea!

Isn’t this fantastic! What a wonderful idea! I found this on Manly Vintage and it makes me want to suggest it to anyone with radiators in their home. Run, don’t walk to get one!

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Preservation

Save the Houston Astrodome

The Houston Astrodome was designed by architects Hermon Lloyd & W.B. Morgan, and Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson. The world’s first indoor, air conditioned stadium. The home of Astroturf. An architecture icon known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” On Opening Day, April 9, 1965, a sold-out crowd of 47,879 watched an exhibition game between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird were in

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Help Save The Kronish House

In another Mid-Century preservation attempt, the Neutra Institute for Survival through Design is attempting to save The Kronish House. Word just received pressures us to provide info for the dismantling of the house as soon as 9/20, for demolition action week of 9/26! There’s no time to be lost; if this new plan has a chance to succeed! Get those letters going! The original post from the Neutra Conservation page: July 16, 2011 – Dion

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The Road Starts Here: Route 66 in Chicago, IL

We recently visited Windy City and of course had to visit a couple of iconic Route 66 locations. The big thing we couldn’t miss was the sign for the beginning of Route 66 right outside the famous Art Institute of Chicago. Depending on the time of year you go, the main sign might be easy to miss — walk across the street from the museum straight out from its front doors, and it will be

Read More »

From Flame to Flicker: Inside a Working Neon Shop

You walk into a neon shop expecting nostalgia. You leave thinking about chemistry, electricity, municipal zoning codes, and 1940s craftsmanship. That’s what happened when I toured Morry’s Neon, a family business opened in 1985 by Morry and his son Glen, a business built on a neon legacy that began in 1946 when Morry first started bending glass. Established the same year America decided diners, drive-ins, and optimism were perfectly reasonable things to mass-produce, Morry’s has

Read More »

Route 66 at 100: Why the Centennial Is Igniting a New Era of Retro Road Trips

As the Route 66 Centennial approaches, something interesting is happening. This isn’t just an anniversary tour or a nostalgia lap. It’s a full-scale reawakening of interest in the American road trip—one rooted in history, preservation, and the lived experience of the road itself. The centennial is acting like a spotlight, illuminating not just the highway, but the stories, architecture, roadside culture, and communities that grew up along it. And people are paying attention. Travelers want

Read More »

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