Neon

From the Times, an elegy for neon: Last Call for Neon in New York City.

In general, my reaction to articles like this is “things change.” When theaters on Broadway were first lit by electric lights, it was simply groups of regular incandescent bulbs, hence the nickname “The Great White Way.” Colored gas signs¹ were a change from those white signs and not necessarily welcomed at first.

Also, we know how to make neon lights, so there will always be some² and if the bulk are replaced by LEDs, is that so bad? Most people will never know the difference: they will see lighted signs, same as before, and may well call them “neon.”

There’s an association between neon and certain places, most commonly Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York. Here’s a Brooklyn-themed restaurant in Grand Island, Nebraska, with a neon sign:

And here’s actual Brooklyn, with a neon sign:

1. Neon signs are the orange-red ones; mercury is used for the blue ones, and so on. ↩︎
2. There are still some gas lights, and some horse-drawn carriages. Not many, but some. It’s rare for something to go away entirely. ↩︎