Forgotten Billboards of Gowanus

Come take an online tour of the left-behind neon signs that dot the landscape surrounding the Gowanus Canal. Kevin from Forgotten NY is your guide:

Take a ride on the F or G train as it makes the giant curve and climbs over 80 feet above the canal, and take a look out the window on either side. You’ll see giant metal frameworks with immense neon ads hung high over the neighborhood. Advertisers considered both the IND subway and the Gowanus Expressway as prime territory to imprint their wares on the engrams of commuters making their way into Manhattan from Bay Ridge, Flatbush, Gravesend and all points of Kings County.Now, though, most of the businesses these neon giants beamed forth for miles around are gone. Like dinosaur bones, these signs are the only tangible reminder that they once existed. Though the businesses are gone, these signs are as indelibly Brooklyn as the Hollywood sign is Los Angeles. (Though admittedly, the giant signs are still there because it would be a pain in the neck to remove the giant superstructures.)

Don’t forget to check out Forgotten NY’s tour of Bay Ridge on Sunday at Noon. Meet at the 95th Street R station token booth.
Neon Billboards [Forgotten NY]