las vegas neon sign graveyard

they call it the neon graveyard. 3 acres of decades-old signs from the heart and soul (if there is one) of las vegas, signs that have seen better days in a city where hot, fast and new becomes instantly old. since i am a rogue, and also not as tall as my husband, i made him peer over the jagged chain link fence, complete with green wind screen and barbed wire, in a sketchily populated area north of downtown, to snap some shots. aren’t they cool?

there is talk of plans to open a museum featuring these pieces, and although we have heard such talk in prior visits to the city, we did not see any such evidence. those were, in fact, the same visits which found us asking concierges all over town about this place. although helpful, most of the folks behind those desks barely knew what the place was, let alone direct us to a tour company. it was only this trip that produced directions to the site.

it turns out that there is a company called boneyard tours that takes people in, by appointment only. we only found this out by seeing the random sign slapped on the fence after we got there, so it certainly isn’t a well-known fact.

it was a strangely spooky experience, even in broad daylight.

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textures of las vegas - part two

more tactile inspiration at the wynn las vegas:

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textures of las vegas

here are some snapshots of things i’ve seen in las vegas, where i will be through the weekend. it is very hot during the day but the evenings are spectacular - balmy, with no humidity. even though it seems illogical to travel to the desert in the summer season, it’s still surprisingly crowded. these photos were taken at the red rock, a newer resort that is not on the strip, with a very hip aesthetic.

more to come tomorrow…

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hepcat wood sculpture by suzanna anna

attention, mid-century modern lovers: dig these petite inspired redwood sculptures, from nevada artist suzanna anna.

suzanna has a huge passion for mid-century design, late 60’s mod fashion and witco tiki statues.

each 10-13″ piece is handcut from redwood, torched to bring out the crackly grain of the wood and turn the color a rich shade of brown, and finished with multiple coats of varnish.

they look like the type of thing i might find while thrifting. i think they’re a gas.

more info about suzanna here.

purchase sculptures and other interesting things here.

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