I’m not in Port Morris, Bronx that much. It’s a forgotten Bronx corner cut off from the rest of the borough by the beetling Bruckner Expressway, with the shallow Bronx Kill marking its southern border, the widening East River its eastern border. There was indeed once a port there, as its abandoned gantries attest (they’re just sitting there rusting, unlike the restored ones in Long Island City). But its deserted, empty streets on the weekend fascinate me — the streets are lined with hulking factories, often with faded writing indicating the wares they produced. I’ll definitely be featuring it more.
Waldorf Bakeries occupies, or occupied, a stolid brick building at Locust Avenue and East 135th (usually when a street is named Locust, it’s honoring the tree, not the insect that eats the tree). I’ve never seen Waldorf Pound Cakes on deli shelves, so I imagine it’s strictly a wholesale operation.
Some signs just look like they were made before 1960. After 1960, lettering just became more playful, more inviting. Helvetica, one of the friendliest-looking fonts, arrived in 1957, as did your webmaster. Before that, with some exception, sanserif lettering wasn’t friendly at all. It said: we have work to do. Are you doing it?
10/29/13