All is not well in Bukowski Square at Main and 7th. As noted all over
the Internet, Craby Joe’s closed on Christmas Eve, a passing that was
mourned by many, though not the Daily Mirror, who was at midnight Mass.

However, a post by Ed Fuentes
noted that Craby Joe’s sign had vanished. My first thought was that
it was tucked away in the garage of Nathan Marask, 1947project partner, crime buddy
and authority on neon signs. Alas, no. Nor did Nathan know where it was. Sad foot!

So off I went to Bukowski Square, stopping by the film shoot I posted yesterday.

Photographs by Larry Harnisch / Los Angeles Times

There was the former Craby Joe’s, with a man asleep in the doorway. And
barely a trace of the sign. I wish I’d gotten a better picture of it,
but the sun is at the wrong angle this time of year and the Daily
Mirror’s Speed Graphic is in the shop–permanently.

Here’s Bukowski Square on Dec. 13, 2007. Note Craby Joe’s to the far left.

The good news is that I found some other vestiges of the past.

Here’s a sign from the Leonide Hotel–"Nice Place."

And, beneath a few inches of asphalt, what appears to be the tile floor of the Hippodrome, as noted in Ed’s post.

And "L.A. Takedown."

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