Farewell to Smith’s Baron 8th Avenue at 44th Street in Times Square I stopped by Smith&
Farewell to Smith’s Baron 8th Avenue at 44th Street in Times Square I stopped by Smith’s Bar last night to pay my respects. After tonight the corner of 8th Avenue and 44th Street will go dark and Smith’s will close. The bar itself has been a loud, TV-filled standard-issue kind of a place for a while now, and I didn’t venture inside last night, just circled around trying to get the perfect shot of the sign, which has seen better days. Even partly lit, though, the sign is a gem. The last time I was inside was to meet writer Raffi Katchadourian for the start of our whirlwind tour of New York neon, which led to his wonderful “Talk of the Town” piece about Project Neon in the July 2011 New Yorker. I think that’s still my proudest Project Neon moment. The Smith’s sign is a sore loss, and I can only hope someone with a love of neon takes over the space and restores the sign. The lettering of Restaurant above is fantastic — look at that great S! — and the curves of Smith’s are unique. I love the tip on the capital S, the cursive curves, and how the dot on the I and the apostrophe echo each other (when the sign is fully lit). And you can’t go wrong with a classic pink BAR sign hanging over the sidewalk. New York City loses a little luster tonight. Farewell, Smith’s. You will be missed. -- source link
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#times square#hells kitchen#signage#typography