Hunting Ghosts: Uneeda Biscuit and Gold Medal Flour
Troy, New York was once a bustling place that depended largely on the steel industry. When that moved away, the city began to decline. Such places are great for spotting ghost ads. I passed through town over the weekend and saw a few.
I’d pulled over to take a photo of this Uneeda Biscuit ghost on Williams and Ferry in Troy, NY. The man you see in the doorway was watching what I was doing with some interest. I imagine that when some astronaut pulls up on a motorcycle and starts taking pictures of your house it might be an invasion of your privacy. When I finished up and stowed my camera in my tankbag, I looked at him and smiled. He smiled back. Mark that down in the win column for a flip-up helmet!
The slogan from Gold Medal Flour says, “Eventually. Why not now?” What a fitting message for a mind like mine that sees signs in everything! This ghost was painted on the building at the corner of 1st & Tyler in Troy, NY.
There was another Uneeda Biscuit on the corner of Harrison and 4th. There wasn’t very much foot or car traffic, so I parked in the corner crosswalk while I quickly snapped a photo. While there, a man in a work truck pulled up behind me preparing to make a right. At first, I thought maybe I was blocking him from seeing to pull out but no, he was waiting for me to finish taking pictures 🙂
And finally the last Uneeda Biscuit of the bunch. This one from Northampton, Massachusetts on Bridge and Hawley. I’d seen this one a few weeks ago while my daughter and I were cruising around after lunch at Al’s Diner in Chicopee.
All signs seem to be pointing to me needing a biscuit!
To me, Troy is a city of many layers and stark contrasts. The downtown area has been nicely cleaned up and restored, with many shops and eating establishments that are always busy. Other sections continue to struggle and decay. As gentrification continues, property values will continue to rise and eventually squeeze out lower income residents. It’s a downside affect of capitalism.
My daughter graduated from RPI in 2010 and she and her husband renovated a small two family house on Adams St, which they are renting out while he works for Lego in Denmark and she finishes her degree at Carnegie-Mellon.
This was the first time I even did anything other than pass through Troy. I see what you mean. I passed through some depressed parts but also saw a lot of young people moving around the interior of the city. it looks like it is just on the cusp of a renaissance. there is so much potential in those walkable streets and alleys.
So, how was the biscuits?
Or rather, how were the biscuits.
Dunno! Never had one 🙂