"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.