How the Heart-Shaped Hot Tub Put the Poconos on the Map for Romantic Getaways
The photos taken by George Silk at Cove Haven helped make the Poconos a destination for honeymooners or couples looking for a weekend getaway. George Silk/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
From thrillist: When George Silk unfolded his tripod one afternoon in 1971, theLife photojournalist did so in a decidedly different environment than he had found himself in for previous assignments. Instead of ducking for cover in the jungles of Vietnam, Silver was at a honeymoon resort in a mountainous region of northeast Pennsylvania trying to overcome another logistical conundrum: How does one photograph a couple in a heart-shaped hot tub without being seen in the wall of mirrors behind it? He decided to leave the camera on the tripod and ask one of the models to fire the shutter using a hand-held remote control.
The resulting photograph ran as part of a two-page magazine spread highlighting the growing popularity of the Poconos as a romantic getaway for honeymooners. In this case, the focal point was Cove Haven, one of the resorts that pioneered a simple but impactful invention: the heart-shaped hot tub. For Morris B. Wilkins, the Cove Haven co-owner who came up with that idea a few years earlier, the click of the journalist’s camera shutter changed everything.
What is the Neon Noir Genre?
Drive Le Pacte
From nofilmschool: Influenced by German Expressionism, film noir has been used to show a cynical outlook on life since the 1930s. These “black films” are styled by chiaroscuro lighting, expressionistic sets, and a “hard-boiled” detective whose morality is ambiguous. Films like Touch of Evil,Double Indemnity, and The Asphalt Jungle are characterized by the rejection of sentimental humans while boasting the dynamism of violent death and connects the audience to the absurd reality of the film.
In 1959, film noir got an update. As Technicolor made its way into films, neo-noir began to play with the color pallet and moved further away from the shadows. “New dark films” were influenced by the Art Deco movement and focused on themes of alienations, revenge, paranoia, highlighting the anxieties of the film’s time which resonated with audiences after WWII. Chinatown, Zodiac, and LA Confidential portrayed scenes of violent crime and sex that its predecessor was restricted from showing. Neo-noir is an unstructured genre of crime film that reaches from comedies like The Big Lebowski to cynical westerns like No Country for Old Men.
The South’s Most Beloved Burger Joints
Photo courtesy of Phillips Drive-In
From Southern Living: Meal planning is a helpful tool for feeding your family when you’re working with limited time, but some days call for ditching the schedule and simply listening to your heart. When that inner craving calls for a good old-fashioned burger, chances are you already have a place in mind. We love our Southern fast-food chains like Whataburger and Cook Out, but when we need a quick fix, neither hold a candle to our favorite local spots. These are the places that have been around since our parents and grandparents were kids. Maybe it’s a 1950s-style drive-in or a classic diner where the booths are cherry red and the floors don a familiar black-and-white checker. They’re the places where we’ve made memories near and dear to our hearts. The menus are often short and sweet, but one thing you can always count on at a legendary burger joint is a consistently great meal. Here we celebrated 20 of the South’s most beloved burger restaurants. Did your favorite make the list? Let us know!
‘We’ve got to keep the craft alive’: Signwriting facing a haunting future
Bj Graham working on a commission at the WallNuts building. Picture by Reidun Berntsen.
From the Blue Mountain Gazette: Hand painted signs are embedded in Australian culture. For decades they have been spotted in towns and cities around the nation, but could they be lost to time?
BJ Graham is a self taught signwriter and part of a group known as the WallNuts who are renowned for painting historic advertisements around the small town of Portland, near Lithgow.
According to Mr Graham, the art of signwriting is as old as time but is evolving beyond the days of old murals.
Just shy of its 100th anniversary, the Original New York System is close to serving its last hot wiener
Classic hot wieners with the fixings and a side of french fries in front of owner Taner “Baba” Toprak. MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
From the Boston Globe: PROVIDENCE — Standing behind a counter dotted with empty red stools, Taner Toprak insists his restaurant should not be struggling, although the bottom line at his storied hot wiener joint shows sales are down by 70 percent.
The business is losing about $10,000 to $15,000 per month, and the electric company said he has to pay $1,500 by the end of the month or the lights will get shut off. Restaurants are historically unpredictable businesses, but supply costs have tended to rapidly fluctuate since the pandemic began. Toprak lifts a bottle of ketchup: “Some days this costs me $11″ for a case, said Toprak. “But I just spent $40.”
This just might be the Toronto area’s coolest gas station
View of the Southdown Road gas station in 2022. Photo from Google Street View.
From blogTO: A retro throwback to the space age on a Mississauga artery is perhaps the coolest gas station in the Greater Toronto Area, a vestige of a bygone design era increasingly threatened by change.
Or, depending on your level of architectural and historic appreciation, it might just be another place to fill up your tank before a long haul on the QEW.
Regardless of your stance, the Canadian Tire Gas Station at 1212 Southdown Road is, for better or worse, one of Ontario’s last remaining relics of Googie architecture.