"Water to Ease, Wine to Please"

Thought this room divider at La Sandia restaurant was timely heading into a holiday weekend. Fun little detail I love to discover in restaurants and/or retail spaces ... especially chains! BTW, the food is very good and not the enormous-portion, greasy kind you might be used to.

Punch the Pig!

Yep, that's right. A wall-sized, interactive game offered by PNC bank. It appears to be related to their online feature (a pig icon) that encourages you to transfer money to a savings account whenever you're on their site. One-click functionality, I'd guess.

The wall is located on the upper level of the Tysons Corner Center shopping mall. More on the installation.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a Putzmeister?

Does anyone else think this is hilarious? I spotted this truck in traffic near me and found the name, Putzmeister, hilarious. It's a real company - Putzmeister. I'm sure this was named after someone hardworking and industrious, but the slang association made me snicker.

Room With a View

The entry area at Hooked restaurant in Sterling, VA has a cool decorating feature. This portal -- staged behind floor-to-ceiling white sheets -- is actually a video screen. It plays ocean waves as if you were viewing from inside a boat. Seafood is good too!

Cakes to Die For

Spotted this in Virginia, though it appears to be a MD-based business. Think the hearse-as-business-vehicle for a baker is hilarious. Clever, and probably works well with taller cakes!

Helvetica Humor?

Just discovered Barbara Kruger's work in a W magazine article. Really great stuff! Their website doesn't have the article online, but the image above is borrowed from Hamptons.com, where Kruger's exhibit "Plenty" was covered. "You Need It You Buy It You Forget It" -- truthful, huh?

Her ahem ... coverage ... of Kim Kardashian on the November cover is a statement in and of itself.

An observant friend visiting Paraty, Brazil sent me this shot. Check out the top street sign ... and its MasterCard sponsorship?! Couldn't find anything about it in a quick online search, but this primer on Brazilian street signs doesn't mention it.

Lucky 13?

I arranged to spend a day last week with a dear friend getting her chemo treatment. We went separately to the center, so imagine my surprise when I realized what floor the oncologist was located on!

When I mentioned the irony of the location (do you consider 13 an unlucky number?), she laughed. Fortunately, she considers 13 a lucky number ... as do I, having been born on Friday the 13th.

When Smells are Good

This neon sign, "Free Smells," caught my eye in Menomonee Falls, WI. The sandwich shop, Jimmy John's, is an Illinois-based chain.

It's no H1N1 Poster

Caught this in the ladies bathroom at O'Hare yesterday (Concourse E/F). "Keep Area Clean of Rash" is  excellent advice for moms. Don't you love it when just the 'right' letters fall off a sign? This remains "G" rated no less.

Unrelated, the airport website lets you to look up the music you hear playing in each terminal. Not sure that's where I'd go looking for new iPod tunes.

Promo Pick

"Stolen from Booth No. 400" says this guitar pick given to me by a friend. Clever, huh? Wish it had a logo ... to promote the trade show (unknown) or the brand (also unknown) using them as a promotional vehicle. I've seen a lot of custom merchandise, but never picks. A quick Google search showed 275k results with Pick Factory at the top (sponsored). Guess I need to look further than custom pens, t-shirts and tote bags.

Cork Coordinates

Never mind the long-running battle over (cork vs. composite) wine corks. Here's a fun cork from Redwood Creek. It's a Yellowstone GPS hike, complete with latitude & longitude coordinates (Steps 1 and 2). Step 3? "Watch Old Faithful erupt." Gotta love the marketing.

The other side has the requisite URL:

Note: Their website also has some interesting interactive tools along the same lines.

Interesting Sales Pitch

Not 100% sure where I caught this, but I think it was in a Diesel store in Sweden. Judging by the irreverent humor, I think it's a likely match.

Funny Store Sign Geared to Young Adults

Look in the upper right of this photo ... a hip clothing store for young adults called Acne? I thought it was hilarious. It's based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Google's Brand Strength

How strong is Google's brand identity? When you hit the home page today, you see this image with the search box, not the typical Google logo. Do you think for a second that you've mistyped the URL? No. It's a great campaign. My favorite though, was the interactive (yes!) Packman one.

An Oldie but a Goodie

This Starbucks cup is kind of dated now, but I kept it. Why? It's a great positioning statement for a (nearly) $5 cup of coffee. "We don't just want To Make Your Drink. We want to make Your Day." It's not just the coffee ... it's a lifestyle choice. Apparently.

To be completely truthful, I'm a gold card holder.

Interesting Pick-Up Lines

This bar coaster is a promo for Big Bang Theory, a CBS TV show picked up at the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis, IN.

Genius tips for picking up chicks: 

1. Naked is as naked does.
2. If at first you don't succeed, try again, and again, and again. All it takes is one to say yes.
3. Look for women with an ugly friend. Then surprise them by hitting on the ugly friend.
4. Borrow someone's baby and bring it to the bar. Ladies love babies,
5. Lower you standards. Really low.

Off the Workout Wagon?

Love this motivational message from Get Good Sports, a sports equipment company focused on field hockey and lacrosse. I'll even ignore the typo on their home page ... advertising the "comfrotable tees" bearing the logo above. They're $20. I'll be sure to hit the gym today.

Truth in Advertising

I spotted these on the shelf at the Copenhagen airport. Friends in London and Canada tell me this is nothing! Apparently packages there have graphic photos. Would you still smoke after looking at these?

A Classic Beauty with Classic Candy

This was at the 2010 Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago. Made entirely of Jelly Belly candies. Pretty amazing, huh? They're launching some new cocktail flavors too, like Mojito, and while not as good as a real Mojito, they're pretty yummy.

Coffee Cup CYA

After the whole McDonald's hot coffee debacle back in the early '90s, Atlantic Bread Company has a hilarious CYA cup. Again, the bberry picture isn't great, but here's what the side says. At the bottom, (least hot) is "Red Stilettos" followed by "The Earth's Core" (mid-range hot) and finally, "This Drink" at the top. If they have to say, "this drink is hot" at least they found a fun way to do it.

Juvenile Humor

So you'd think the bar bill would just have "drink - call" or "drink - well" listed on the receipt. Not the Marriott Marquis Broadway Lounge (bar) in midtown New York.

Cool ceiling in Stockholm

Ceiling of a smoothie shop in a Stockholm mall. Imagine glass, rectangular slides (think high school biology class) wired to an overhead grid. Simple little thing had huge impact.

On "Drop-Off" Parties

Loved this sign at a sportsplex that hosts children's birthday parties.

Only in Vegas ...

Bowling ball at the Red Rock Casino, Las Vegas. Bowling alley unlike most. Swanky setting with comfy, plush chairs to lounge. At this private event I attended, they even provided socks! Really, new-in-package socks. Nice!