New York’s Neon Obituary
Since 2006, Thomas E. Rinaldi has been documenting New York’s vanishing neon signs. Each year he publishes a blog post with obituaries for the neon signs that disappeared that year. In 2024 there were 15, including such iconic signs as the Subway Inn bar, Smith’s Bar and Restaurant, and the Playpen sex shop.
We always open his blog with a heavy heart, but now his 200 photographs – complete with historical notes and illustrations – are available in a beautiful book, so even if the signs no longer grace New York’s streets, we can preserve their memory on our own bookshelf.
