Font on Front

Rickmer Rickmers, Elbe, Hamburg

The good old RR is an ever-present down at Landungsbrücken, as much part of the landscape as the copper roof of the Schwedische Gustaf Adolfs Kirche in the background, also seen here and here.

Helgoland, Elbe, Hamburg

The Helgoland, a humble ferry that goes upriver as far as the Heligoland archipelago, takes its place alongside the grand tall ships showing off their style at the Hafen Geburtstag.

Dar Młodzieży, Elbe, Hamburg

The Gift of Youth - great name for a vessel, as this Polish sailing ship out of Gydnia proves.

Alexander von Humboldt II, Elbe, Hamburg

This weekend marked the Hafen Geburtstag, a huge festival of boats and beer and wurst and bad heavy metal music to celebrate the harbour’s birthday. Amazing event, I’ll be posting some shots of the starring vessels for the rest of the week. 

Guineys, Talbot Street, Dublin

Guinness, Irish food, the green white and gold, a bar called the Celt - and yet Guineys is the most distinctively Dublin sign on the street.

Mercerie, Corso Buenos Aires, Milan

Just look at those spectacular serifs, would you - voluptuous curves, I’d say.

Bingo & Buckley, Moore Street, Dublin

Ah Moore Street, it’s authentic Dublin ‘par excellence’, as the butcher FX might put it.

Royal Court, Sloane Square, London

More theatrical neon, London style, though I suspect the RC’s production is a bit more highbrow than the Theatre Varietes.

Theatre Varietes, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris

Quality Parisian “mise en scène” right here.

Parkway, Park Boulevard, Oakland

Classic skyline-filling sign on this Oakland theatre. That long line of people waiting outside are there to witness history - it was the day Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, and the Parkway was screening MSNBC coverage on its big screen. I watched it there with a few friends, and we drank beer and ate pizza and celebrated; the Parkway, however, closed just a few months later.