Sunday, August 14, 2016

Disco is (finally) dead


Faded glory
Delray Beach, FL
July 2016
For more reflective-themed Thematic, head here.
I found this leftover artifact from a bygone area hanging in a family-run pizza joint not far from the beach. In the half-hour or so that we were there, a constant stream of local folks wandered in and out, all bantering with the owners and the staff, all as if they had known them forever. I'm sure they did, and it was comforting to watch.

Everything here seemed to be from another era. From the formica counters and tables with the chipped edges to the wood veneer finishes, faded floor tiles and the water-stained ceiling tiles, it wore the decades very clearly for all to see. Which, on reflection, is what made this place so special.

It wasn't perfectly renovated. It wasn't staffed by newbies whose only concern was how long till quitting time. And it wasn't exactly the same as every other restaurant near and far. It was unique. And a month after I shot this achingly evocative photo, it sticks in my mind as a reminder that the scars of time deserve to be worn with pride, and the places that wear them are so much more worthy of our attention than the places that don't.

Your turn: Tell us about a place that you remember fondly. What makes it worth remembering?

4 comments:

Bob Scotney said...

Lots of reflections from these things - not always flattering for those like me with two left feet.

Tabor said...

Please, no. Disco will never be dead. It is like the Big Band era.

Kalei's Best Friend said...

I remember a drive in burger place named Hody's... Every weekend our family would go there.. A car hop would come out set two trays on either side of the passenger and driver's side... take our order which was "4 burgers, 2 with onion, and a couple order of fries'.... funny, I can't seem to remember what our drink order was... I can smell the char broiled burgers and the onions....oh, and service was above par.. something that is non existent today...

Paul said...

I remember seeing one of those in a Blondie Video - Heart of Glass. One of the band members looks at to adjust his hair... it was pretty funny actually.