I’d been wanting to take a photo of this glitzy and glamours “WASH ME CAR WASH” sign on King Street East for a long time. I love how sparkly it is. The other day when I was walking by it was shimmering in the sun and I couldn’t resist snapping a shot.
I guess you could say this is a bit of mini sneak-peak of an article that I’m writing for The Hamilton Spectator about King Street East, which should be coming out soon. While walking around taking pictures for the article I found myself getting slightly caught up with all the bling of the old used car and auto dealerships on this drag of King Street. Like what is this 1982!? I even found a car to fit the era by happenstance in a random parking lot!
I find it so strange that King East is still workin’ the car thing like gas is .20 cents a litre.
I’m not a car connoisseur or a lover of cars -we own a ’95 pontiac- whatever gets you around town right? But yet somehow I am nostalgic for what memories these used car dealerships were bringing back for me. The smell of used car, hot asphalt penetrating through my flipflops and the sun beating down and catching little wisps of that used car lot tinsel -it reminds me a little of summers as a kid. The hot burning feeling of fake leather vinyl as I gingerly took my spot in the back seat (of course there was no A/C and I had an older sister so I never got shotgun), the too hot to touch metal of my seatbelt buckle (which by the way may or may not have been buckled up -it was the 80′s!), and the many popsicles that were eaten sitting on the massive hood of our green beast of a station wagon.
