Photos Featuring Words
The common theme shared by the photos in this portfolio is that each includes a sign or plaque or some other written material that comments on, or helps to clarify, the overall picture. For example, this first photo captured my attention when I came upon it in a small California town some years ago.
I’ll admit that the gull doesn’t look handicapped, and the beach-goers aren’t exactly wading into the surf, but in each case something about the juxtaposition of words and scene caught my eye.
What better way to distinguish just what university you’re visiting than by a recital of its name. Here, it identifies the schools that my granddaughter Delilah (Johns Hopkins) and grandniece Kate (Duke) are currently attending, and, the University of North Carolina, where my wife studied some years ago.
And then, of course, there’s my school, Princeton U. The buttons adorn the hat of my deceased classmate, Bob Rodgers. The Class of 1956 plaque that my roommate John Doyle is pointing to is attached to the front wall of historic Nassau Hall – a choice location that I’ve prided myself on securing (as class president back then) for our 25th reunion.
One of my favorite recent activities at Princeton reunions is playing the piano (and singing “Forever Young”) at the annual Battle of the Alumni Bands – and I'm introduced as the oldest participant they’ve ever had.
The cheerleaders and Princeton band spell out “Old Nassau is #1” at a homecoming football game.
Here’s the spacious indoor arena that hosts Princeton’s basketball team, which featured All-American Bill Bradley in the 60’s and beloved coach Pete Carril over several recent decades.
Times Square is full of signs touting Broadway shows and such, plus giving us this neat juxtaposition of “Wicked” and “The Truth”.
Just in case an observer wasn’t aware of what famous Manhattan department store occupies this block, the signs let you know the answer.
The famed Washington Cathedral not only features some prayers, but also the full text of a memorable letter by Abe Lincoln to his Springfield, Ill. neighbors as he embarks for D.C. and the presidency in 1861.
The Met lets you know whose Cloisters these are; the Columbia undergrads dominate the waterway north of Manhattan; while NYC’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument features the names of famed Civil War battles.
Here’s what’s on the walls of the regal arch at Valley Forge.
And in case you might wonder which cemetery this is, the plaque on the stone gives it away.
The memorial to World War I in Washington is still a work-in-process, but this big sign and the smaller wall inscriptions regarding the warfare and a top general let you know what’s up.
At the Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial in Washington, the inscriptions behind Ike’s figure attest to his dual role as commander of D-Day troops and later U.S. President.
The number of casualties and their names adorn the Korean War Memorial in Washington –
– plus a pertinent slogan.
Across the way at the Vietnam War Memorial, the names of the deceased tell it all. (By the way, I’m guessing that the few names on the lower left photo may well identify the first to die in that conflict.)
The name “Dumbo” (including its backward version at the upper left) refers to the area of Brooklyn accessed by the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge.
We’re still in Dumbo here, where you can see the evolution of West Elm from the scribbling on an old wall to the fashionable shop nowadays.
Look closely and you’ll discover that this establishment is Dumbo’s fabled The River Café.
A leading restaurant in Portland ME sports a small unobtrusive sign outside but a giant bar when you step inside.
That’s my wife and cousin Michelle waiting for other family members to join the dinner party at – you guessed it – the Locale Café & Bar in Closter, NJ.
Immediately following the 2020 election, Manhattan establishments exhibited a real fear of impending destruction, and many of the biggies – AT&T, Ralph Lauren, Hermes and Jimmy Choo – decided on boarding things up to protect the glass.
Last fall Barbara and I travelled down to her old NC hometown, Rocky Mount, for her high school reunion. I was impressed by how they commemorated classmates who had
passed away.
Here are three Rocky Mount landmarks. There’s the Booker T. movie theatre, dating back to segregated days, and the Piggly Wiggly grocery store, still going strong. The structure at the lower right was a youthful hangout during Barbara’s high school years – The Goody Shop – and although no name was ever displayed on the building, the kids knew where to go . . . .
Still in Rocky Mount with Barbara, I snapped shots of what had replaced her mother’s Past’n Present antique shop and her father’s Star Furniture store (including what’s left of the partial sign at lower right).
And here’s the Rocky Mount cemetery – or at least the section of it where Barbara’s mother and father can be visited.
Now we’re out in Coney Island, where the famous rides have
well-known names –
– and Nathan’s hot dogs dominate the culinary scene.
I also visited Playland in Rye, NY on an off-day.
Here are some lesser attractions at Playland and Coney Island.
The sign (as well as the iconic street lamp) identifies the wintry Central Park location of Cleopatra’s Needle, while the “Imagine” logo draws you to John Lennon’s Strawberry Fields.
Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade identifies many of its attractions, including the state of South Dakota, Jennie-O and Hooper’s Store.
The sign points the way to the Napa Valley vineyard.
Here’s some writing that caught my eye – the psychic readings in
New Orleans and the warning at Silverman’s Farm in Easton, CT.
Three historic signs near the sea in Portland, ME.
Helpful labels on display at the annual Memorial Day parade in my weekend home of Easton, CT.
Alan Patricof, my high school classmate, knows how to sell his
recent memoir.
Sometimes you don’t even need words to convey a specific message.
Here are a few family shots. That’s my granddaughter Delilah with me (she plays a mean game of backgammon); my grand-niece Kate celebrating her high school graduation; and my sons Erik and Tom strolling down the main street of Park City, Utah during my last ski trip with them.
That’s my granddaughter Paige and her father Erik, erecting a cautionary sign for the roadway approaching our CT house.
My parents are buried in Westchester’s Kensico Cemetery. Here are some shots of what’s visible under the huge twin bushes that mark their final resting place. (Note the photo at bottom right; when I visited in 2021 I had just finished my memoir “The First 85 . . . .”, so I left a copy for them to peruse at their convenience.
You can see benches all over Central Park that pay little tributes, like this one at the top that lifts appropriate Beatles lyrics from “In My Life” . . . . Hey, that bottom one (at 72nd near Central Park West) is for me.
And what better way to end this portfolio . . . .