Repute

[LeeP]

R8 28mm RF lens / One of the photo exercises I engage in is taking a camera with me wherever I go and finding things to shoot as I go about my business. I purposefully do not waste brain cells trying to be artistic. I find what I find and if I find something I find something. This morning being dog bandana day at Dutch Bros I was in Downtown Bakersfield rather early so I drove around for a few minutes. We have the honor of having the last Woolworth's lunch counter in the USA but we also have some infamy.

Cinema 19 is an old-school porn house with drug, prostitution, and vice busts. Why it still exists is beyond me aside from selling access to porn, and providing the venue for drug sales and prostitution that is. We also have several massage parlors that get busted and closed down for prostitution and then they reopen as if nothing happened and the bust happens again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Cinema19.JPGmassage.JPG

[Jkarl]

The color contrasts really set these photos off. Nice job.

[LeeP]

Catching them just shortly after dawn was key. During the day, the porn theater is very busy. What's interesting is that the area downtown where this is, is becoming gentrified to the point that it's obvious this place doesn't fit. This used to be skid row, but now across the street is a posh new fitness center in a renovated/restored building that's about to open. I'm sure their patrons will not like the patrons of the "theatre".

[Ramsden]

Hi Lee

Great story again. Stupid question from across the pond: what's dog bandana day? 

I could google it, but prefer to hear your version!

Ramsden 

[LeeP]

So there is this chain of coffee shops called Dutch Bros. It's like a Starbucks but far less rude and uppity. Every first Wednesday, they give out stickers with a purchase. Occasionally, they give stickers at other days. One of the cool ones is "Drink one for Dane" day where you get a sticker and they donate $1 per drink to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research. Dane was one of the founders of the company and died due to ALS. On a lighter note they have "merch" (merchandise) give aways. It was national dog day so people were encouraged to bring their dogs for a free Pup Cup (a tiny cup with whipped cream and a dog biscuit) and a bandana for them to wear.