Aurora Avenue. Ask a random group of Seattleites what comes to mind and while their answers might be vary, most of them won't be pretty. Despite recent efforts to revitalize the area, mostly in Fremont & Wallingford, the North Seattle stretch of Aurora remains a curious mixture of fast food fixtures, auto repair shops and "don't ask how we're still in business" motels. This area, which boomed in the 50's and 60's, is still holding on to those times and not in the best of ways. Still, if you look close enough, there's a strange beauty lurking beneath all that disrepair. Reddit user GradyTripp (who also showed us Seattle's marvelous manhole covers) took a trip up and down Aurora and captured photos of iconic signs (and not-so-iconic signs) that pepper the roadway. "I looked for both the kitschy as well as the gritty…from bowling alleys to old taverns that look like something out of a Bukowski novel." Check out the gallery, see which ones you recognize and which ones you hope remain a permanent part of the Aurora "skyline" for years to come, even if the buildings and businesses they represent go away. Can you think of any signs that should be added? Let us know in the comments.
· Vintage signs along Aurora Ave/Hwy 99 [GradyTripp]
· Seattle May Have the World's Best Manhole Covers [CS]