Imperial Theatre Ghost Sign in Over-the-Rhine

For a while, the old Imperial Theatre at 282 McMicken Ave. in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati was a porn theater and burlesque venue, and then later a neighborhood church and a furniture store. When neighbors suggest that there ought to be an independent movie theater around here, this is the place that comes to mind.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument is located on the Pajarito Plateau in northern New Mexico. Its cone-shaped tent rock formations, or hoodoos, are the result of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago. Some of the hoodoos, which can be up to 90 feet high, are topped by boulder caps, like stone clown hats.

KiMo Theater by Carl Boller

Located at 423 Central Avenue NW, the KiMo Theater is one of Albuquerque’s most famous landmarks, designed by Carl Boller in 1927. It is an elaborately decorated three-story stucco building in the Pueblo Deco style.

Route 66 in Tucumcari, NM

As we were heading back to Cincinnati on the Great American Road Trip, we mostly took I-40, or the Southern route that roughly follows old Route 66, the Mother Road. We were looking for old signage and existing businesses on the former Main Street of America, and we ended up exploring the town of Tucumcari in some depth.

Kress Ghost Sign in Albuquerque

I spotted this ghost sign for Kress on Central Ave. while we stopped briefly in Albuquerque. S. H. Kress & Co. was apparently a chain of “five and dime” stores, which operated from 1896 to 1981.

An Open Letter to the Western Half of the United States

This is specifically to the fine states of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, California, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma — thank you all so much for your hospitality over the past couple of weeks. We had a fine time on your roads, from interstates to dirt roads to a bit of Route 66. Your natural wonders are amazing, and your cities are as varied as your terrain. We’ll definitely be back, though we probably won’t visit all of you again.

The Streets by Leigh Merrill

White Street by Leigh Merrill

At first glance, these images by Leigh Merrill may seem like simple, mundane photographs of the Sunset, a residential neighborhood in San Francisco. Examined closely, however, they reveal themselves to be carefully constructed, surreal photomontages.