Sunday, July 22, 2012

On the Road: Going Postal 2012, Day I

Howdy, folks! Evan here in western North Carolina, where the hills are smoky and the folks are really friendly. I've been on the road since last Sunday and have already visited 153 post offices, large and small. This trip will take me all around the country and I'm excited to show you what I've seen! Especially with my brand new 30x-optical zoom, 18-megapixel, high dynamic range-enabled Sony camera.

(No, the trip is not just about post offices. It's about experiencing America -- ballparks, cities, national parks, farmlands, and good local food. That said, since the rate of post office suspensions will only continue to accelerate courtesy POSt"Plan", post offices still need to be documented and Postmaster stories collected.)

Where to begin? Well, the first office on the trip was the... err... illustrious Dover, NJ Carrier Annex off I-80:
Dover, NJ Carrier Annex

When I was in middle school my family took a trip to Chicago, and one of our first stops was the post office in Buttzville, NJ and a great place called Hot Dog Johnny's. The post office was located in a former gas station, and has since been suspended. I recognized the site this time around:

Former site: Buttzville, NJ post office:
Former Buttzville, NJ post office

Check out Hot Dog Johnny's. Fresh fries, great shakes. It was completely packed.
Hot Dog Johnny's
Hot Dog Johnny's

Beautiful post office of Sunday: Phillipsburg, NJ, built 1933. Amazing brickwork. Check it out: Phillipsburg, NJ post office
Phillipsburg, NJ post office

In Allentown/Bethlehem, PA, I found both the current and former site of the Lehigh Valley post office and P&DC:
Lehigh Valley Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) and Lehigh Valley post office

The former site is now known as the Airport Branch or Airport Annex of Bethlehem:
Bethlehem, PA: Airport post office

After that, a torrential downpour took out most of the potential postal photography time, as these clouds foreshadow:
Allentown rain

And that's just day 1! There's plenty more for the next installment of GP 2012.

5 comments:

  1. I hope there is more to your trip than taking long lens pictures of various Post Office buildings. Otherwise a vacation can't help you.

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  2. Of course there's more to it. Just amended the post to note that I'm hitting up ballparks, national parks, music festivals, and good local eateries!

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  3. I used to live near Hot Dog Johnny's. Our family has very fond memories. Thanks for bringing them up again!

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  4. You definitely missed one of a kind. Aladdin, WY 82710. Still housed in the 1800s general store and absolute must see.

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  5. You really should check out Luckenbach, Texas.
    Population, 7 when I was there. Front of the building was a dusty old souvenir store and the rear was a post office with a potbellied stove and you could sit around it warming your hands while having a nice cold beer. I did just that with a couple locals. 01/20/1995 Cold beer and hot coffee...As for the song, the lady said Willie had been there lots of times but Waylon had never been there.

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