BS: Delightfully Tacky Places

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Dec 04 - 12:04 AM

Tackiness is not a new phenomenon. Here is one of Alaska's favorite buildings.

Arctic Brotherhood Hall, Skagway, Alaska

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: LadyJean
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 11:15 PM

My sister's home in Ravenswood I call the Greater Chicago Museum of Good God! Where did she find that thing! I have been contributing to the collection for years. I sent her an Elvis Presley clock for her birthday. The legs swing back and forth.
She and a friend discovered Mr. Ed's Elephant Museam in Gettysburg PA. You get in free if you bring an elephant.

My mother used to take tours up to St. Anthony's Chapel, in Troy Hill, home of the world's largest collection of holy relics.

Now, I go to the Ligonier Highland Games at Idlewild Park, a pleasantly tacky amusement park in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands.
Then there are Rennaissence Faires. Tacky tacky tacky. But I rather enjoy them.
I saw a musical Nutcracker, performed by only slightly gifte amateurs, who were having the time of their lives. It was likewise takcy, but I did enjoy it.
Incidentally, if you're out that way, the Greensburg Garden and Civic center has a nice little auditorium.
OH! How could I forget! The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial here in Pittsburgh, a nineteenth century marble monstrosity, used as the Shelby County Courthouse in "The Silence of the Lambs". They also have a nice BIG auditorium, the best accoustics in town for my money, though the music hall at the Carnegie Library, also pretty outrageous, has good accoustics too. Andrew Carnegie brought Lillian Russell out to test them when the hall was under construction.

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: dianavan
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 10:39 PM

Remember those big-eyed children holding big-eyed pets. I think it was Keene. Now those are tacky.

We have an East Indian restaurant (I won't mention the name) in Vancouver that displays posters of Indian movie stars by hanging them from clother hangars dangling from the ceiling. Christmas lights are up all year! The food is great!

How about those little porcelain cats in every Chinese restaurant. They are supposed to be good luck. I actually want one but they are soooooooo tacky.

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 10:37 PM

Speaking of films, how about the full she-bang at the Rocky Horror Music Show? I LOVE THAT!!!!!! About 13 years and 50 pounds ago...I used to go to that in full make-up, black teddy and a raincoat...WOOO HOOOOOOOOOO! *G*

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 10:33 PM

Las Vegas Nevada
Neon swirl coloured bread
Classic B films (Killer Tomatoes, etc)
Plastic figurines of animals
Commemorative Plate collections
Psuedo Mexican decor (usually in restaurants)
I'm sure I'll think of more.......

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Peace
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 10:25 PM

Tell 'em, BDE.

We have just launched "The Velvet Overground".

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 10:17 PM

I beg your pardon! Elvis on velvet is high art compared with those huge, pseudo-three-dimensional, illuminated Chinese landscape scenes that it seems like every Chinese buffet has on at least one of its walls. Take your pick, mountains or junks in a harbor?

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 09:34 PM

Favorite Italian Restaurant in NYC had a "paint on velvet" scene of a town AND the windows lit up at night! Totally Tacky

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 09:07 PM

well maybe that cheese castle is an American institution, but Im willing to bet most of the cheeses sold in it arent (American) then it would be tacky.

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Peace
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 08:52 PM

And what, may I ask, is tacky about art on velvet? Imitation velvet, yeah, then ya got somethin'. That's tacky. Take the scantily clad woman and surround her with a 'gold' frame--it's right up there with the Moaning Lisa. Some people just got NO taste at all.

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 08:33 PM

Canadian side of Niagra Falls! Completely tacky! Karen and I met Rick and Heather there one afternoon and had a ball.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 06:12 PM

DISNEYWORLD!

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: GUEST,Charmion at work
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 06:10 PM

German beer steins ...

My favourite tacky place of all time was "Der Gruner Baum" (sorry, I don't know how to put in umlauts) the gasthaus on the corner of the street where I lived in Hugelsheim, a village near Rastatt in southwest Germany. It was decorated in the most outrageous Black Forest kitsch style, featuring a Stammtisch lamp so huge I was afraid to sit anywhere near it -- not that I was _allowed_ to sit anywhere near it. All the waitresses were named Gisele (at least that's how it seemed to me) and the people who lived in the village brought their dogs when they came to drink lager and play skat in the evenings.

It's probably a McDonald's now. Speaking of tacky --

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 04:26 PM

Bar art, I love bar art. Inflatable, garish, neon, tacky bar art. It's a good thing I lack a den or it would be overrun with bar art.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Ellenpoly
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 04:20 PM

I didn't take any offense at your calling the Mars Cheese Castle tacky, Michelle. I'm sure it does qualify in some ways as exactly that.

But I do think that paintings on velvet are more accurately right up there in the annals of great tackiness.

But what's the difference between tacky and kitch?

(Martin, I ENVY you! Cheese heaven on your very doorstep! It's right up there with some of what I miss most about living in that area. I also have some real sense memories of the Buckingham Fountain turning all those colours at night on special occasions. Please tell me that still happens..?)

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 04:13 PM

To me, tacky is silly, fun, out of the ordinary...something folks like to poke fun at....in a good kind of way! :)

I once lived in an apartment building where my neighbor specialized in tacky things....he had a classic Santa head that hangs in the window with a blinky nose...and between our two apartments, he hung a collection of black velvet paintings...with the bull fighter taking center stage...OF COURSE!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Once Famous
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 03:57 PM

I was just there also coming back from Milwaukee, maybe about 3 weeks ago.

The Mars Cheese Castle is an American institution, a regional original. It is a cherished part of lost America.

Route 66 still holds some classic American landmarks of this type.

I think that you should redefine your description of tacky. Now a Takamine guitar, that is something truly tacky. do you play a tacky Takamine?

Subject: RE: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: Ellenpoly
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 03:41 PM

This is a WONDERFUL place Michelle! I used to drive by it regularly when I was going to University in Milwaukee and going home to Evanston, Illinois to see my mom on the weekends.

Like stopping at Lourdes.

I'm sure it's why I now have lactose intolerance for cheese. I ate too much if it in my youth.

This is NOT a tacky place! By the way, there used to be some great Beer factory tours in Milwaukee in the seventies as well.

Beer and cheese...CLASSICS!! BRRRUUURRRPPPP, PPFFFTTTT! Oops, Pardon me!

..xx..e

Subject: BS: Delightfully Tacky Places
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 02:53 PM

What are some of the delightfully tacky places you have heard of or visited? I recently saw (on tv) a place in Wisconson called Mars'Cheese Castle. I immediately looked it up on the net and sent for a catalog...it's a big old building that houses hundreds of different kinds of cheese...and it looks like a castle!!!   Tacky...and yep.....................CHEESY!!!!! *GROAN* *Giggle*

How about you? Tell me of your adventures...........

Michelle