Icons of yesteryear… slowly disappearing

Lately, you just might notice that you see less and less of certain items. Here are two that I find becoming scarcer…

Yesterday I was sitting on a bus and as it passed by a gas station (itself starting to vanish – to be replaced by charging stations?) – I spotted this:

 

Bell phone booth
Photo (cc) by The MisAdventures of Maja

And it struck me – I hardly ever see phone booths anymore! Think, when was the last time you saw one? Okay, before that, then! 😀 The thing is, they used to be ubiquitous, but now, not so much. They are being edged out of existence by cell phones, which almost everyone owns these days.

Another thing we don’t see as much anymore is this:

Napkin-holder

As I was enjoying brunch yesterday with my lovely daughter, I did a double-take when I noticed it. Why? Because napkin holders like this one – help yourself, why don’t you! – are seldom seen anymore on restaurant tables. My guess is that way too many patrons were grabbing a batch and stowing them in pockets or purses for their own use at home! Nowadays you often have to ask for one, and you get just that – one!

Soon these items, or pictures of them, will only be found in antique stores or flea markets – relics of the past. Sad.

8 thoughts on “Icons of yesteryear… slowly disappearing

  1. You are right, Ellie. I have tried in our area, to find a phone booth to take a photo of. I haven’t found one yet. I think they have all vanished from our area.

    I don’t see many drinking water fountains, anymore.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. TONS of phone-booth photos on Google images, though! Drinking fountains! *Also* going the way of the dodo, true! Which is why I always bring my own bottle of water with me in my purse whenever I go out for more than, say, an hour.

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  2. ♪♫♪♫ Where have all the phone booths gone?
    Gone to cell phones, everyone.
    When will they ever learn?
    When will they ever learn? ♪♫♪♫

    -With apologies to Peter, Paul and Mary

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  3. Ellie – How many kids today have ever actually seen a dial phone?? I brought one to show a grade four class – one of those coloured ones (mine was an ugly mustardy yellow) that hung on a kitchen wall and actually had a “receiver” attached to a coiled wire!! Do you remember your old telephone number???

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