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Tag Archives: Hyde Park

Signs of the times, part 4: Barbershop poles

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I have a lot of favorite commercial signs, so I’ll break them up into manageable categories starting with barbershop poles.

Once upon a time, the working barbershop pole was a common, universal sign. Someone on Pleasant Ave. in Hamburg had one in front of his house. There may have been one at South Shore Plaza; I suspect my dad went to both places. Now they’re almost rarer than a hen’s tooth.

I get excited when I see a barber pole in working order. The first one up is the Varsity Barber Shop in Ann Arbor. The 2012 photo was missing the location data, but I figured it out from the Michigan colors. Varsity is still open.

Varsity Barber Shop, Ann Arbor, Michigan

The next one is from Arcade Barbers in Nickels Arcade, Ann Arbor, possibly my favorite shopping area anywhere. The shop started in 1917.

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This one is from a couple blocks from me on a stretch of 55th Street with many tiny basement salons/barbershops. I was excited when this pole appeared and remain surprised it hasn’t been vandalized.

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Finally, here’s what happens when you can’t bother with a pole or don’t have a place to hang it.

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As an aside, I looked up barber poles on eBay many years ago and found some for hundreds of dollars. Now I see several on Amazon for under $100. Have they made a comeback, or have they never been out of style (or a reasonable price range)?

Lessons and Carols at Rockefeller Chapel, 2020 style

Normally I’d have taken a couple of Amtrak trains to Pennsylvania for Christmas, but 2020 isn’t normal so here I am in Chicago. Normally if I were in Chicago I’d attend Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve at Rockefeller Chapel on the University of Chicago campus. But it’s 2020, so here we are. I lit my own candle.

Google Maps most viewed photos

Every now and then I get an email updating me on my Google Maps photo statistics. As of today, these photos have 10,000+ views. The surprises? The chicken and the nondescript view of Lincoln Park Zoo’s south lagoon. That so many people are looking at Beaubien Woods. And that the photo of the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls didn’t make the cut as of today. Not looking like it will for a long time.

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Amnicon Falls State Park, Wisconsin: 14,802 views
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Beaubien Woods, Illinois: 17,361views
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Garden of the Gods at Shawnee National Forest, Illinois: 18,008 views
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Rock of Ages off Isle Royale National Park, Michigan: 18,257 views
Warren Dunes State Park, Michigan: 18,341 views
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Tytoona Cave near Tyrone and Altoona, Pennsylvania: 18,938 views
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Chellberg Farm, Indiana Dunes National Park: 22,212 views
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Beaubien Woods, Illinois: 29,821 views
Lincoln Park Zoo, Illinois: 29,976 views
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Fountain of Time by Lorado Taft, Chicago, Illinois: 49,474 views
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Black Partridge Woods, Illinois: 49,719 views
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Black Partridge Woods, Illinois: 67,286 views

Finally, at six figures:

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Old Hickory, Coudersport, Pennsylvania: 105,725 views
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I received this right after I posted

New wheels

I picked up my bike yesterday from GoodSpeed Cycles in Homewood. They did a great job with what they had (the wheels and tires available relatively quickly).

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My baby, ready to come home from the bike hospital
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I preferred the Bontrager tires I had, but these offer less resistance
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On the Metra Electric line
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Tucked in for the night, with both wheels locked
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Out for a first ride

Follow-up to “Someone stole my wheels. Literally.”

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J. took my bike to GoodSpeed Cycles in Homewood, where I met him after taking Metra for the first time in months. You’re supposed to wear a mask on the train. Most people did. Some, however, sported them on their chins. I’ve never known chins to spew droplets, but there are many things I’ve never known.

I’m getting new but different wheels and new but different tires, WTB ThickSlicks without tread. This will be . . . different. I also asked for new pedals since I knocked off a reflector a while ago. The woman at GoodSpeed is throwing in a new magnet for the speedometer. She didn’t see any problem with fixing the bike. It’ll take up to a couple of weeks to get the parts in (shortages thanks to COVID-19, which is why I’m getting new but different wheels — they’re what’s available). This is setting me back more than half the original cost of the bike, but it’s not optional for me.

Like me, the woman at GoodSpeed isn’t shocked by the theft of the wheels but by the idea the thief replaced them (with bad ones). I’m still gobsmacked by that. As an aside, the imposter front wheel is bent. No wonder someone needed new wheels.

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What’s left of my baby

As an aside, I found what I am sure are my wheels and tires on a bike in the Flamingo’s bike room, but that may be a story for another day.

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