Standin' on a corner...

I follow a guy on Twitter who calls himself @Hobo_Nick. He's a self-proclaimed homeless hobo currently walking across the USA, pushing a cart that resembles an over-sized baby carriage. He set out with no money and little in hand, and makes his way solely on the basis of what people give him (and giving away any surplus to other "hobos" he encounters). He posts his status with the help of an iPod and a solar battery charger, and more than 4,000 people follow his journey.

Recently, he was in Winslow, Arizona, standin' on a corner. Yes that corner, made famous by the Eagle's "Take it Easy" song.

With apologies to the Eagles, Nick sings a slightly different version of the song:

"I'm smellin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona,
I'm such a poor sight to see.
There's a girl, my Lord, in a flat bed Ford,
Hurryin' to get away from me."

If you look carefully at the reflection in the window, you will see the girl and the flat bed Ford. Here's a closer look:

All in all, the corner, and a little park associated with it is a pretty cool move on the part of the Winslow Chamber of Commerce; there's not much else going for the community except nostalgia. Once a stop on the famous Route 66, the little town of less than 10,000 survives because IH-40 did not entirely pass it by.

I remember Winslow for a different reason. Back in the day, there used to be road-side signs featuring a cowgirl leaning against against a placard that proclaimed, "For Men - 200 miles - Winslow, Arizona." The mileage varied, depending on how far from Winslow you were, but these signs were ubiquitous throughout the West. And after following them for hundreds of miles, when you finally got to Winslow, you found that they led you to... a men's clothing store!

According to the Old Trails Museum, "In 1943, Wayne L. Troutner opened a dry cleaning shop. His curvy cowgirl signs were placed all over the country, prompting thousands of curious tourists to seek his place of business. His store sold men’s clothing and shoes, and he even bottled his own men’s cologne, naming it “Essence of 66.”"

I don't know about others, but I was somewhat disappointed when we finally got to Winslow and found we had been somewhat snookered. Of course, I was a teen back then and wasn't even sure what a place advertised "For Men" would be like. Not that I do now, of course. That is, umm, uh... Oh look! There's a girl in a flat bed Ford!