The Deleted Scenes - New and Old #69
Visiting Canada’s $50 million 1980s ghost town, Justin McElroy, July 26, 2022 I came across this via McElroy’s heavily illustrated Twitter thread, but here’s the actual piece (also heavily illustrated).
Disaster? Crime scene? Social engineering failure? He leaves some suspense. What happened was it was a failed company town, essentially. But instead of being abandoned, it was preserved, and a (different) company now owns and maintains it—and offers paid tours:
Man. I missed America’s last Howard Johnson’s restaurant. I might have to go north of the border now. The Jewish Deli: An American Tale Told in Pickles and Pastrami, New York Times, Adam Nagourney, July 18, 2022
This detail is interesting: the exhibit “surveys the story of immigration as a force behind changing American tastes: The pushcarts, as the curators note, foreshadowed the food trucks now operated by a new generation of immigrants.” Here the Jewish deli is framed as an American concept, originating in New York City, and replicating elsewhere as Jews moved throughout the country. The idea of cuisines or restaurant concepts disappearing is interesting; I wrote about it here. As I’ve put it before, restaurants are not widgets, but contingent things.
Interesting thesis. This is a paper, and the webpage linked is a summary. Check it out if that sounds interesting to you too!
What happened was it turns out the old machines used to produce camera film can, with minor retooling, produce film-like components for large batteries. It’s a really neat window into how large-scale manufacturing works. A similar story a few years back involved the National Audio Company, which was attempting to start manufacturing cassette tape again. They acquired machines that had been in use for making credit card magnetic strips, but were for sale because credit cards mostly no longer use magnetic strips. The twist? Long ago, those same machines had been designed to make cassette tape, but they’d been retooled for credit card strips as the tape market shrank a couple of decades ago! Related Reading: Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive: over 400 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You’re a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, become a paid subscriber. |
Key phrases
Older messages
Why Do I Write a Newsletter?
Thursday, August 4, 2022
A meta post
Seeing a Building's History Clearly
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #69
Inflated Expectations
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Cheap deli meats and thoughts on budgets
Back in Time on Small Roads
Monday, August 1, 2022
Historical deja vu in another country
What Else is Walkable and Mixed-Use?
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Thoughts on urbanism and college
You Might Also Like
DO Manifesto: A new, live, online course.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
100 places only. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Falling into your ocean eyes
Thursday, April 25, 2024
But first: save $ — and earn rewards — on your prescriptions — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today April 25, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Together with goodrx But first: save $ — and earn
"Epistle" by Ellen Hinsey
Thursday, April 25, 2024
When the sky darkens with alabaster and mahogany— Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day April 25, 2024 Epistle Ellen Hinsey When the sky darkens with alabaster and mahogany —— Storm and
Kourtney Kardashian Wore The Ultimate 45th Birthday Bikini & WOW
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Vintage Dior, of course.
Should You Use 'Debt Avalanche' or 'Debt Snowball' to Pay Off Debt?
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
You Can Check a Car's VIN History for Free. These are two well-established methods that can help you systematically pay off your debts, but how do you decide which approach is right for your uni
Olivia Rodrigo Wore A Bikini With Converse Like A Pop-Punk Princess
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Plus, 7 time Rory Gilmore wasn't a girls girl, summer's biggest skin care trend, & more.
How Close to Death Must a Person Be to Get an Abortion?
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 LIFE AFTER ROE How Close
This Needs Something
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Listen now (19 mins) | Wrapping up the taste & flavour conversation ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
What would a TikTok ban mean for the food world?
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
What to do with fiddlehead ferns
"Whispering, wistful showers of Spring"
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
April 24, 2024 poetry & the creative mind Calling all poetry lovers! Join us as we celebrate the power of the word at Poetry & the Creative Mind, the Academy's virtual benefit featuring