Tuesday, March 09, 2004

THE PALMS OF ASHLAND AVENUE

Check out the orange palm trees lined up along the entrance to Arandas Tire and Rims on Ashland Avenue and LeMoyne. We’re talking giant, two-story vibrant orange plastic palms and two lime green companions. All four seem to revel in their tacky flamboyance and geographic preposterousness as they stand in front of a tidy, square building. Above the garage doors of the work bays, rows of hubcaps stand on edge behind lighted glass enclosures and provide a flying saucer backdrop. In a world where a Jiffy Lube or McDonald's sits on every corner and looks like every other Jiffy Lube or McDonald's in every other neighborhood in the country, Arandas Tire and Rims offers a welcome and important visual break. Let's hope they don't franchise.



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