Part two of our visit to the storied town of Muskogee. It's not usual we do two-part Main Streets, but for some reason nearly everything I saw looked interesting.

Not necessarily good or beautiful, but they don't have to be either to be interesting.

The Railroad Exchange building. Went bankrupt immediately after construction, as it turned out no one wanted to exchange railroads. Ha ha!

Due for a renovation, but plans were sidelined due to budget constraints.

The era summed up by those terra-cotta additions has entirely faded from mass consciousness.

Sez me, anyway. Not mine, and not yours, but in general? No one sees this and thinks about the styles, sounds, politics, history of the era from which it came.

It happens to every era.

This gives you another look at the main street. Oddly inert.

Grown-up stores that sold grown-up things, once.

It was someone’s idea of urban renewal.

Ah: our old friend the Eyebrow. Always a sign of a chic place that sold the latest styles.

I don’t know what it was, but many people do.

That’s actually rather cool, in an uncompromising way. Board of Education Science and Technology - Best!

Can’t help thinking it was something else before, though. And they redid the sign.

I’ve seen a few temples of the era, and they don’t strike was the loveliest example of the worship hall.

Well, when it comes to making it up as you go along, I’ve seen worse -

Actually, no. I haven’t.

I feel bad for this one. Heck, I feel bad for most of them. But to have such an important entrance, and have it disregarded and disrespected like this - to throw away the integrity of the whole building, it’s just a shame.

Not much better at the end of the block.

Modern as can possibly be, and now “retro” or some such word, with all the cultural meanings lost. This was forward looking, space-age, chrome-plated light up a Marlboro and have a cold beer in an aluminum can because this is America, jack.

Really, that’s all in there.

Changes of getting a room tonight might not be good

Or a meal.