Ship Lantern Inn1725 Route 9W, Milton, Ulster County, NY Greetings from storm central. Project Neon Headquarters is, happily, on higher ground, and the subway closing down means no work for a day or two. Hurrah! So far it’s windy and lightly raining, but the worst is on the way with the full moon storm surge. Here nothing worse than a cat falling into the full bathtub has happened, but we’re braced for power, internet, gas, or water outages. Hopefully not all four. I hope everyone is snug inside somewhere safe from the flooding. I hope the storm isn’t as bad as it looks like it’s going to be. And I hope none of the East Coast’s great neon signs are destroyed and that any damage can be easily repaired.  Happily on Saturday ahead of the storm, I was able to venture up the Hudson River with Project Neon friend Paul Lukas for an action packed day that began with touring the ruins of Bannerman Castle, which sits on an island in the Hudson and may be familiar to those of you who have taken the train from New York to Albany. The tours are run by the Bannerman Castle Trust, and tell the fascinating history of the ruins (a Scottish castle and lodge) and the man who built them.They’ve ended for the summer, but I highly recommend it for next year. And here’s hoping what remains of the castle weathers the storm. After the tour we were feeling a bit peckish, so we stopped in a Pete’s, which we had spotted on the way up, for a couple of hot dogs. This lovely sign was inside: Love the brush strokes inside the neon! Next we took a walk on the Poughkeepsie Bridge, which has been renovated from a freight rail bridge to a pedestrian bridge. Lovely views up and down the river with all the fall foliage.  After that, on our way to a beefsteak in New Jersey, we drove past the stellar sign up top for the Ship Lantern Inn. Sadly it wasn’t quite dark yet, but still, what a sign! I love “Cuisine Continental.” We decided to stop in for a drink. It turned out to be a pretty fancy spot and we were a tad underdressed, but the bartender and owner were completely cordial and welcoming.  We only had time for a couple of beers, but the snug ship-like bar was very pleasant and the main restaurant, which was hosting a party, was festive. A very pleasant place to spend an evening. If you ever find yourself in Milton, New York on Route 9W, I definitely recommend stopping in for a drink. And whether or not you’re going to be in the area, check out the very interesting history on their web page. (And a few more pictures are over in my Flickr.) ………………………………………………………. Big news! The Las Vegas Neon Museum (aka the Neon Boneyard) is open in their new building! Read about it in the New York Times (and don’t miss the slide show). Oh man, I *really* want to go!
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Ship Lantern Inn
1725 Route 9W, Milton, Ulster County, NY

Greetings from storm central. Project Neon Headquarters is, happily, on higher ground, and the subway closing down means no work for a day or two. Hurrah! So far it’s windy and lightly raining, but the worst is on the way with the full moon storm surge. Here nothing worse than a cat falling into the full bathtub has happened, but we’re braced for power, internet, gas, or water outages. Hopefully not all four.

I hope everyone is snug inside somewhere safe from the flooding. I hope the storm isn’t as bad as it looks like it’s going to be. And I hope none of the East Coast’s great neon signs are destroyed and that any damage can be easily repaired. 

Happily on Saturday ahead of the storm, I was able to venture up the Hudson River with Project Neon friend Paul Lukas for an action packed day that began with touring the ruins of Bannerman Castle, which sits on an island in the Hudson and may be familiar to those of you who have taken the train from New York to Albany. The tours are run by the Bannerman Castle Trust, and tell the fascinating history of the ruins (a Scottish castle and lodge) and the man who built them.They’ve ended for the summer, but I highly recommend it for next year. And here’s hoping what remains of the castle weathers the storm.

After the tour we were feeling a bit peckish, so we stopped in a Pete’s, which we had spotted on the way up, for a couple of hot dogs. This lovely sign was inside:

Love the brush strokes inside the neon!

Next we took a walk on the Poughkeepsie Bridge, which has been renovated from a freight rail bridge to a pedestrian bridge. Lovely views up and down the river with all the fall foliage. 

After that, on our way to a beefsteak in New Jersey, we drove past the stellar sign up top for the Ship Lantern Inn. Sadly it wasn’t quite dark yet, but still, what a sign! I love “Cuisine Continental.” We decided to stop in for a drink. It turned out to be a pretty fancy spot and we were a tad underdressed, but the bartender and owner were completely cordial and welcoming.  We only had time for a couple of beers, but the snug ship-like bar was very pleasant and the main restaurant, which was hosting a party, was festive. A very pleasant place to spend an evening. If you ever find yourself in Milton, New York on Route 9W, I definitely recommend stopping in for a drink. And whether or not you’re going to be in the area, check out the very interesting history on their web page. (And a few more pictures are over in my Flickr.)

……………………………………………………….

Big news! The Las Vegas Neon Museum (aka the Neon Boneyard) is open in their new building! Read about it in the New York Times (and don’t miss the slide show). Oh man, I *really* want to go!