Vintage travel ads show artistry and wanderlust combined

by Jamie Rhein on

Head back to the days when travel ads were works of art and the feeling of wanderlust can take over. There’s something about a harbor scene rendered in watercolors that evoke the feeling of romance and adventure. That was my first thought when I browsed through the “Destinations” section of the blog Creative Cloud’s bounty of vintage travel print ads.

The post includes 45 ads in all that have been divided into categories ranging from ads for airlines to ads for travel accessories. The ads also highlight how attitudes about travel have changed, as well as, the changes in what certain products once promised. One ad for Coppertone suntan lotion found under Travel Essentials, for example, touts that using the product can give you “younger skin tomorrow.” Haaa! It’s been awhile since that’s been part of public thinking.

The ads for airlines pay tribute to some that no longer exist like
TWA and Pan Am.

Whether you’re after a trip down memory lane or want to look at the artistry of when advertising once paid for artists to conceptualize an ad’s message, take time to browse. You may find yourself hunting down a vintage leather, hard-shell suitcase and a cream-colored linen suit for your next trip.

Thanks Gadling reader Andy for sending this visual treasure trove our way.

Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Hi-Def, one night only event

by Jamie Rhein on

Seventy years ago this year, Judy Garland’s Dorothy stepped out of Auntie Em and Uncle Henry’s house to find out she killed a wicked old witch when she landed with a mighty thud in the technicolor world of Munchkin-land.

Years after it was released, back before people started owning movies, the only way to see The Wizard of Oz was on television once a year when it was aired on network TV. All across the U.S. people gathered with family and friends in their living rooms at a set time for a viewing by the masses. Those without color TVs found people who had one in order to experience the thrill of the first movie ever shot in color. Kansas might be black and white, but Oz is almost psychedelic.

Tonight, as part of the anniversary celebration, people can experience that shared experience sensation by heading to one of the movie theaters across the U.S. that is showing the new remastered, High-Def version of The Wizard of Oz. This is a one day only event. The screenings are happening at 7 p.m. local time. According to the description of the event, the color has never been better and the movie experience is meant to replicate the experience that audiences first had back in 1939.

Along with the main movie, tonight’s audiences will see the film, “To Oz, the Making of a Classic.” This film is a documentary that includes interviews, outtakes and behind the scenes footage.

Here are the participating theaters listed by city and state. It’s an extensive list. Chances are if you live in a city, or any where near one, you’ll find more than one option. If this event is successful, I wonder if there will be a repeat showing around the holidays.

Ride historic Rocket Ship Car

by Jamie Rhein on

When amusement parks close it doesn’t mean that all those unusual rides or features go to a scrap heap or a dump. People can buy them. That’s what happened to the Rocket Ship Car that was once part of a ride at Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland. Before the park closed in 1969, ever since the 1930s, the car was suspended from cables with two others just like it. When passengers sat in the cars, they went in a slow circle.

Joe Tomaro remembered the ride from his childhood and decided he had to have one of the cars after he started collecting Euclid Beach Park memorabilia. To convert the ship into a vehicle that could go on a road, Tomaro added an engine and a chassis.

The car that can hold 10 adults or 15 children resides in Florida in the winter and returns to Ohio for May and the rest of the summer. It’s possible to snag a ride in the Rocket Ship Car for an hour or more. According to the schedule, you can find it most often at Crabby’s Beachwalk at Clearwater Beach in Florida. By the beginning of June, it will be in northern Ohio, most often at Strickland’s Frozen Custard in Mentor. Every Wednesday, starting June 3rd through September, you can climb in it for a free ride. [St. Petersburg Times]

More Maine travel: Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography

by Jamie Rhein on

Maine has been on my radar lately. My husband has talked about heading there this summer. A friend who I don’t hear from often emailed me about skiing in Maine which prompted a post on skiing in Maine. The options for Maine skiing will take you right on into April.

Then while researching for a post on maple syrup festivals I found Maine is involved with the maple syrup action as well. Today while drinking my morning cup of coffee and reading the paper, I came across a travel brief on a photography exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. “Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography” has pulled in a record number of visitors. That info prompted a trip to the museum’s Website for more information.

The collection is a mix of 268 photographs that are privately owned. These are not standard, promotional type photographs, but intimate looks at the lives of the artists. Each give an indication of the relationship between the photographer and the subject whether it be Madonna, the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Hendrix or Elvis Presley.

From the description of the exhibit, it seems to me that part of the appeal of this exhibit is that it triggers off the viewers own memories of different times of one’s life when certain musicians were important to one’s own development. There’s a certain wistfulness I’ve always felt from seeing photos of people that were taken in our pasts. Here’s a link to some of the images in the exhibit.

Although there’s no way I’ll make it to Maine before the last day this exhibit is open on March 22, it does give me the hankering to head to Cleveland to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Woolworth’s, the famous shopping icon, is closing its doors in the U.K.

by Jamie Rhein on

“My cousin said that all the Woolworth’s in Britain are closing starting tomorrow,” my mother-in-law said today as she was driving me to run an errand outside of Cleveland where we’re visiting for a few days. “He’s very upset.”

Her cousin, who we visited a few years ago, lives in Cornwall. The economic downturn has meant curtains to this bargain shopping icon that was still making a go of it in Great Britain after the U.S. stores closed.

I remember going to the Woolworth’s in State College, Pennsylvania with my best friend when we were in the 5th grade. Those were in the days when it was considered safe for kids to ride their bicycles all over town. Our mission, mostly, was to get a Coke at the lunch counter and take our pictures in the automatic photo booth, the kind that spits out a long vertical strip of four.

When F. W. Woolworth, the company that was created in the U.S. in 1879, closed its doors in the U.S., I must have been living overseas because I only have a vague recollection of the news.

Now, that the 807 stores are closing across Great Britain starting tomorrow, including the one in the photo taken by Redvers in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, I feel a whiff of nostalgic sadness. Folks in Great Britain, according to this article posted at TwinCities.com, feel the same.

Woolworths are friendlier than mega stores like Wal-mart and Target. The lunch counters say stay awhile. The goods always seemed like just the right amount of choices. Sure, it’s great to load up a cart at a big store, but the choices can be too many, and the cart can easily be overloaded with things we really don’t need by the time we reach the checkout counter.

Woolworth’s stores seem to evoke literary themes found in novels like To Kill a Mockingbird–the small town “How de dos.” Walmart greeters sure have a lot of pressure to make us feel welcome in the rush to find a bargain. Although Grant recently wrote about London not being as expensive as a place to buy gifts as he thought it would be, the options are decreasing. Too bad.

Thanks for the memories Woolworth’s.