Pride on Display, at Lowe's

Possibly, these are even cooler than THESE.

Barometer of Middle Age

There was a time when I thought nothing could be more footling than a vanity license plate. And by footling, I mean a perverse combination of frivolous, wasteful and moronic. Why on earth would someone squander their hard-earned cash on a license plate celebrating the name of their dog, or attempt to pack a maximum of self-aggrandizement into eight characters? What sort of freak of nature would buy a Mercedes and then get a plate that says "Benzie"? During my brief stint working at the Water Club restaurant as a temporary automotive storage specialist, I considered personalized license plates to be a waving red flag of slobbery and cultural poverty, an announcement of the complete classlessness of an incoming car's occupants. But that was years ago.

I'm not sure when it happened, but these days I've completely reversed my position. Nothing is or could possibly be cooler than my vanities. Perhaps it's the new but retro "Empire Gold" New York State plate theme. As soon as I saw this design on the road I started looking forward to whenever it is that I will next have to renew my registration. From there it was only a short leap to going ahead and just ordering new plates immediately....

Even Smarter Car

On the street in Shoreditch, East London

Does anybody else remember Esquelita's?

Somewhere in northern California, or perhaps southern Oregon (I was too flabbergasted to take notes) you can get your transmission worked on "while you wait." Is this outfit completely oblivious, or, as suggested by the flying guy in tights with the flowing, Village People mustache, are they perpetrating a grand in-joke on the rural locals?