The Massive Roadside Oddities of Winston - Salem North Carolina / Winter Road Trip Thru Ice & Snow
Roadside Oddities around Winston-Salem
Transcript
0:03
today's adventure begins as i'm trying
0:03
not to slip here on the ice and snow as
0:05
a recording of this january 29th 2022
0:10
winston
0:11
salem
0:12
north carolina says speed limit 25 but
0:15
trust me you don't want to drive
0:16
probably that quick through here i had
0:18
to kind of tread lightly going from my
0:20
hotel which is about 10 miles away
0:23
to here
0:24
it is windy it is gusty
0:27
you can see the leaves there the wind
0:28
chill probably a lot cooler than the 27
0:31
degrees but it is sunny and i can even
0:34
see a little
0:36
melting of the snow up there even though
0:37
it is below
0:39
the freezing of 32 degrees ice and snow
0:43
start to formulate at
0:46
i'm going to do the intro try not to
0:49
slip here on the ice and
0:52
welcome everyone adam the woo here
0:56
corner peachtree street and sprog street
0:58
is a very amazing
1:00
old structure
1:02
gas station
1:04
right across the street
1:06
and i'm just going to go venture around
1:07
the greater winston-salem area and just
1:09
show some of the interesting
1:13
fun things my mom who is still in town
1:15
flies out back to florida late tonight
1:18
she would be going back to warmer
1:19
conditions
1:20
whoo
1:28
join me
1:28
she decided to sit this one out
1:30
probably a wise choice
1:32
shall you this was built back in the
1:34
1930s
1:36
and there were more than a half a dozen
1:39
of these
1:40
at one point
1:42
across this section of north carolina
1:45
and according to what i was reading this
1:47
is the last remaining one
1:50
that still exists and you can see
1:52
the car ramp here is covered in snow
1:55
and
1:56
same theming of the little shed over
1:58
there off to the side
2:04
shell gas stations
2:04
i pass through here gosh maybe
2:06
five six years ago
2:09
give or take
2:10
but it was not snow capped like it is
2:13
now it's still here
2:16
it pumps out front
2:18
this is a thing of beauty retro
2:21
vintage beauty
2:24
right here
2:26
now there's something here on the side a
2:27
photograph
2:36
some numbers and some numbers there i
2:36
can't really tell what that is it looks
2:38
like it's been
2:39
it's been charred
2:41
and burned
2:48
parking lot is empty for a moment there
2:48
were a couple different cars here
2:51
commiserating with each other
2:53
so i was waiting for them to kind of
2:55
pull away before i could show it in all
2:56
its glory
2:58
i parked across the street not to
2:59
obscure the angle
3:01
with my car blocking this beauty
3:04
yeah look at this
3:07
here in the briskness winston-salem
3:15
so beautiful with the snow
3:15
i just love the look of snow thought
3:17
about maybe i shouldn't drive around but
3:18
the roads are pretty
3:20
there's some crows up there roads are
3:21
pretty safe you can see
3:23
not a lot of ice even though it is 27
3:25
degrees
3:27
okay
3:28
go over here and show a little bit of
3:29
this snow
3:30
oh that sign over there says please do
3:32
not touch fence
3:34
you can lay a bumper of a car next to
3:37
the fence but do not touch
3:39
the fence there's my shadow waving in
3:40
the snow
3:42
how's it going
3:43
all right so i'm just going to move go
3:44
around this area this general area i
3:46
don't want to go too far because of the
3:48
elements
3:58
some quirky unusual roadside stops
3:58
around winston-salem north carolina
4:09
going down this hill thankfully not too
4:09
icy you can see downtown off in the
4:12
distance
4:13
the skyscrapers
4:16
of winston-salem
4:23
way over there drove over to the entry
4:23
point into old salem down that way now
4:25
nothing's going to be open it's like an
4:27
outdoor museum indoor outdoor
4:29
museum
4:32
but due to the inclement weather i doubt
4:33
they're going to have any volunteers on
4:35
staff today
4:37
however
4:39
this coffee pot right here
4:43
at the roundabout
4:45
square about
4:46
triangle about
4:49
i guess you could call it
4:51
also
4:52
downtown right over there
4:54
i'll drive over there momentarily this
4:56
coffee pot is said to be one of the
4:58
oldest roadside relics advertising a
5:02
business anywhere in the u.s dating back
5:04
to the 1850s
5:07
sometimes called the mickey pot because
5:09
the two brothers who started a business
5:12
also cheers to the mickey brothers i
5:14
have a piping hot caffeinated beverage i
5:15
have procured
5:17
from a convenience store just down the
5:18
way
5:20
it's still standing here for their
5:21
business the mickey pot
5:24
and i could walk over there and look at
5:26
that information placard however
5:28
it is a lot of snow and ice there so i
5:31
i don't even know if there's anything
5:32
even written on it can i walk should i
5:33
walk through here
5:34
i guess i could walk through here
5:37
oh it's brisk that wind
5:39
yeah tough to really read
5:42
what this says so
5:44
do your best interpretation
5:46
of what that says
5:48
and go back over here
5:50
and get a view of the mickey pot
5:53
cheers to the mickey pot
5:55
the mickey brothers
5:57
right outside oh there is a sign on the
6:00
bottom of the mickey pot
6:02
uh i'm gonna walk over there i'm gonna
6:03
do it
6:05
heck it
6:06
i got to find out about this dang mickey
6:09
pot
6:14
the mickey
6:14
car not a hidden mickey
6:17
but i don't know this weather's getting
6:18
to me mickey coffee pot built in 1858 by
6:21
the brothers samuel and julius mickey
6:24
moravian descendants
6:26
founders of salem
6:27
landmark originally stood as a sign in
6:29
front of their shop at the corner of
6:30
south main and bells bells bel ews
6:35
streets
6:37
in salem put here by the historical
6:40
society a thing of beauty
6:42
a roadside relic
6:45
of ancient
6:47
americana proportions
6:49
i love it
6:51
cheers
6:53
mickey pot
6:58
boy the snow really adds quite an
6:58
ambiance and a vibe through here
7:01
ah life is good
7:03
isn't it take a look at this church
7:05
structure up here that is incredible i
7:08
believe i misspoke also my mom flies out
7:11
tomorrow night not tonight
7:13
yeah i notice all that steam right there
7:16
everyone's got their heat on in the
7:18
apartments and in their office buildings
7:21
it's a little chilly
7:23
27 degrees right now don't be confused
7:26
because it looks very similar to the
7:28
empire state building the building right
7:30
at the end there
7:36
predates the empire state building by
7:36
two years
7:38
even though it looks very similar for a
7:40
while up to the 60s
7:42
it was the tallest building in the south
7:44
so they say
7:53
pretty tall
7:53
a very empire state building
7:56
like
7:57
as large marge would say like a garbage
8:00
truck
8:01
dropped off the empire state building
8:04
i don't know why i'm
8:06
imitating her with that voice but
8:19
north carolina's version looks like it's
8:19
the rj reynolds tobacco company building
8:22
and there is quite a gust
8:24
through these tall buildings
8:27
yeah that's a tall that's a tall one
8:30
rj reynolds
8:32
is the namesake
8:33
of this
8:37
yeah i'm just right downtown there's
8:37
there's
8:38
a nice little brisk breeze
8:40
through these streets looking down this
8:44
snow-covered cars through here right
8:46
next to the bus station adjacent to
8:48
where the greyhound stop is
8:52
as well as the camel pawn shop
8:54
back in the late 90s there was an art
8:57
teacher
8:58
who went by the nickname mr imagination
9:01
and this is the wall
9:04
of mr imagination
9:06
he asked people to donate junk
9:09
different things that they did not want
9:11
anymore
9:12
and he put them
9:14
all through
9:15
this wall the mr imagination wall
9:19
in downtown winston-salem
9:22
right along here there are a lot of
9:23
rocks pebbles
9:25
faces
9:27
along the side there is a horseshoe
9:32
and this has been here since the very
9:34
late 90s
9:37
and they just someone was walking
9:39
through here a city employee and they
9:41
put down a little bit
9:43
of salt but was just kind of strolling
9:46
through here
9:48
and putting it down but it dissolved
9:49
very quickly
9:52
okay you don't even see it anymore
9:54
but the employee went that way
10:23
okay yeah this gives all the info in
10:23
june of 99 gregory warmack peace and
10:26
love
10:27
mr imagination
10:29
covered in ice and snow
10:42
through downtown
10:42
drove about another 20 miles
10:45
over to thomasville
10:52
think to myself who would drive in the
10:52
ice and snow 20 miles
10:54
to see a unique water tower like this
10:58
the answer is me
11:03
there's also a antique store there with
11:04
some coca-cola classic well
11:06
pre-coca-cola classic original coca-cola
11:09
memorabilia on the side but it's not
11:11
just this very
11:13
impressive water tower i drove over here
11:15
for
11:16
this town thomasville is known as chair
11:18
city
11:19
they refer to them as the chair capital
11:22
of the south
11:23
there's something unique next to the
11:25
railroad tracks i want to show
11:32
hope these hedges and bushes look so
11:32
beautiful with the snow there
11:37
also got to watch where i'm walking
11:37
because there's a little bit of ice
11:38
built up here i gotta walk gotta tread
11:39
lightly
11:40
you get in the shade or some ice patches
11:42
in the
11:43
in the shade but look over here across
11:46
the way look at the size of this chair
11:48
on this corner
11:50
this thing is ginormous
11:54
it's probably like 30 feet tall
11:56
compared to the cars that are going by
11:58
look at the size of that
12:00
freaking chair
12:05
that person had duct tape on their
12:05
window as the story goes originally was
12:07
built in 1922
12:10
but then in the 50s because the woods
12:12
started to decompose they made it out of
12:14
concrete and steel
12:16
but it's an illusion to look as if it is
12:18
a wooden chair
12:20
simply called the chair
12:22
of thomasville the chair is an exemplar
12:26
and inspiration for future generations
12:29
exemplar the chair is an exemplar
12:32
not familiar with that word and an
12:33
inspiration for future generations to
12:35
emulate
12:37
and perpetuate some big words the
12:39
achievements of our time honored
12:41
future designers
12:43
furniture designers and craftsmen
12:46
duncan
12:48
fife a duncan five chair erected in 1950
12:54
you know like i was saying the wooden
12:55
chair
12:56
predated this one but this particular
12:59
one was built
13:00
in 1950 and lyndon johnson i was reading
13:04
once sat
13:05
in this chair
13:08
but i'm not allowed to climb up there
13:09
and sit in this chair in fact that's
13:10
probably just the base of it to get to
13:13
the bottom
13:14
of the leg is probably a good 10 feet
13:18
or so so just out a comparison i am six
13:20
foot three
13:21
and i'm gonna try to race so i'm six
13:23
foot three and even my reach i cannot
13:26
even touch i'm just barely touching the
13:28
top of the eagle
13:30
with my probably i don't know
13:32
seven and a half eight foot reach
13:35
maybe less than that probably less than
13:36
that
13:40
backing i probably should watch where
13:40
i'm walking but there's not too much ice
13:42
through here certain sections especially
13:44
in the shade there's ice
13:46
snow has not melted yet still
13:48
28 degrees
13:55
nice little downtown oh there's a mural
13:55
over there of a chair on the corner of
13:57
maine and salem street
13:59
about 20 miles from old salem where i
14:01
was a little bit earlier but this is the
14:04
corner of salem street gonna step up on
14:06
this and try to get an angle of
14:08
this lion this snow-covered
14:11
lion here
14:14
roaring
14:16
lion
14:23
that's a that's a chilly
14:23
cold face if i've ever seen one lion
14:26
got snow all over your backside
14:29
having some trouble over there are you
14:38
you can do it
14:38
you can do it balloon guy stand
14:41
stand strong balloon
14:45
waving balloon
14:48
go go go
14:50
i know it's cold
14:52
but get motivated
14:54
get some air in that torso
14:56
stand
14:58
you can do it balloon
15:04
that's like a op it's like the opposite
15:04
of a limbo
15:07
limbo would be the other way
15:09
you're doing the limbo wrong
15:12
in front of this pawn shop
15:17
i pulled over here to show the
15:18
the wind blowing the north carolina flag
15:20
and the american flag but i got
15:22
distracted by this go go you're almost
15:24
there
15:25
you're almost there
15:36
anyone in this neighborhood had the
15:36
window down zooming in on that probably
15:39
probably wonder why is that guy yelling
15:41
at a balloon
15:42
advertisement in front of a pawn shop i
15:45
got excited
15:46
it took a while but the balloon did it
15:49
it did it
15:58
heading over now to high point and this
15:58
train's not moving
16:00
but at least i'm seeing a train here
16:02
along these tracks about to go
16:03
underneath this bridge got the window
16:05
down so there's no glare
16:08
a little bit of a breeze
16:10
through here all right take a look at
16:12
this building
16:13
it is half
16:15
of a boat you can hear me driving
16:17
through the ice
16:18
right down there for the snow
16:21
that that is half of a boat this office
16:24
building here located on the corner of
16:26
east westwood and north hamilton in high
16:29
point
16:30
the furniture capital of the world i'm
16:32
just realizing
16:34
because on the top well halfway up
16:37
of the world's largest
16:40
almost i always want to say chester
16:41
drawers because my mom growing up saying
16:43
get in there and organize your chester
16:45
drawers
16:47
but it's chest of
16:48
drawers you see the rocks over here
16:53
with the snow the fire hydrant
16:57
try to walk over there without slipping
16:59
here on the ice
17:02
not chester drawers chest
17:04
of
17:07
all right hamilton
17:10
that's the name of the street
17:15
look at the big socks a cozy pair of
17:15
socks
17:16
at the top this is probably
17:18
four-story building size-wise
17:27
look at this
17:27
i can't be the only one that call that
17:29
calls a chest of drawers chester drawers
17:33
you know just the pronunciation of it
17:34
saying it quickly
17:36
chest your drawers i need some help if
17:38
i'm moving hey can you help me move this
17:39
chester drawers
17:55
because of the wind chill
17:57
so look at the car next to it
18:00
size of this thing
18:02
i'm showing a lot of gargantuan items
18:05
today that are larger than they should
18:07
be
18:09
constructed way back in the day 30s and
18:11
40s
18:12
maybe even earlier than that but then
18:14
reconstructed in the 90s just like that
18:16
chair about you know 10-15 miles ago
18:25
just so it'll last the test of time
18:25
or stand the test of time
18:28
this is probably made out of not wood
18:31
but oh yeah
18:33
that's definitely not wood
18:35
hurt my hand a little bit just from
18:38
you see my footprint down there
18:44
just because of the cool crispness
18:46
when you knock on something your
18:48
knuckles feel a little chilly
18:50
it is starting to warm up though it's
18:52
still
18:54
technically freezing i think it's like
18:56
28 degrees right now
19:03
it's a beautiful day though
19:03
and the roads are clearing up which is
19:05
nice
19:07
furniture capital of the world highport
19:09
north carolina
19:10
and take a look at this fire station
19:12
number four now uses a clothing store
19:14
a repurposed fire station
19:17
that's a that's a that's a relic right
19:19
here in town
19:21
number four and painted on the side of
19:23
this sign shop
19:26
say puff marshmallow man
19:29
the finger with the flaming finger up
19:38
and a heart here saying love you
19:38
that's nice
19:55
right there
19:55
wings and a top hat
19:58
now take a look at this
20:00
here's another very tall piece of
20:02
furniture
20:04
the size of a building this is located
20:06
in jamestown look at this right here
20:10
has to be about what five stories six
20:13
stories tall
20:14
right there the car driving past it
20:17
wow
20:19
this little shopping center furniture
20:21
outlet
20:22
in front of this furniture just a big
20:24
furniture outlet
20:26
where they produce furniture
20:29
i don't know if you can order one that
20:30
size though probably not
20:32
and now back at the hotel where i'm
20:34
gonna
20:34
stay put for a little bit and enjoy the
20:37
rest of the day out of the elements out
20:39
of driving on the ice and snow and the
20:41
coldness
20:43
you see some tire marks here
20:45
i'll see in the next video
20:47
the vlog gotta be
20:48
here to see how slick this is
20:51
oh yeah maybe i should go this way you
20:52
know i think i'm gonna walk i don't know
20:54
if i want to go that way this is pretty
20:56
ice up too because the shadow of the
20:58
building
20:59
well which way should i go okay this is
21:02
pretty slick through here
21:03
nevertheless i'll see you in the next
21:05
video if i can just traverse this
21:09
these are tennis shoes they have really
21:10
good traction but not on ice you got to
21:12
st you kind of hop over onto the dry
21:14
spots
21:16
i'll see you in the next video the vlog
21:18
or this
21:19
i don't know this may not be
21:20
the vlog is okay yeah this is okay this
21:23
is a little bit better
21:24
the vlog is over