A Show Of Retro ...

“I adore the theater and I am a painter. I think the two are made for a marriage of love.

I will give all my soul to prove this once more.”

                 ~ Marc Chagall

                      ~ 1887-1985

        ~ on painting new ceiling for the Paris opera

                 ~ October 14, 1963

The historically cool Roxy Theatre paints a pop of retro on Main Street, Northampton, Pennsylvania in this painterly, HDR shot I captured on a beautiful mid-August afternoon.

The Roxy originally opened in 1921 as The Lyric, which can be seen engraved at the top of the building.  This theatre was renovated in 1933 in the tremendously popular art deco style ~ and renamed The Roxy after the famous New York City theatre and its namesake showman Samuel “Roxy” Rothapfel.

Today, as the city’s only commercial theatre, “The Roxy continues to be the greatest show in town,” presenting both Hollywood favorites and live entertainment. It features a seven rank Wurlitzer pipe organ.

 

Retro Rail ...

“I love the nostalgic myself. I hope we never lose some of the things of the past.”

                ~ Walt Disney

                  ~ 1901 ~ 1966

The Brass Rail sign beckons people to stop in for a cocktail at the Lehigh Street location of the iconic restaurant that has been a longtime staple of the culinary landscape in Allentown, Pennsylvania on a June evening in 2013.

Sadly, The Brass Rail, which opened on Lehigh Street in 1961, shut its doors in June 2022. An Allentown tradition for 91 years, the eatery’s original location on Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown opened in 1931 and closed in 2001.

Founded by Phil Sorrentino, The Brass Rail, known especially for its cheesesteaks, was run by generations of the Sorrentino family and will be missed.

 

Rainy Day At The Ritz ...

“I can’t imagine there has ever been a more gratifying time or place to be alive than America in the 1950s. No country had ever known such prosperity.”

         ~ Bill Bryson

         ~ American-British author

          ~ born 1951

In the mood for a steak sandwich & fries, barbecue or maybe a burger, all topped off with ice cream? Then look no further than the iconic Ritz Barbecue, a tasty staple on the grounds of the Allentown Fairgrounds since 1928 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dine inside or step right up to the window to order as 1950s era music wafts outside and enjoy a slice of nostalgia served up by the eatery.

The Ritz serves up a pop of color in the painterly HDR image I shot in a rainy mist on a drizzly late December afternoon as the tree to the left is still festooned with Christmas lights.