Metropolis : The Inflatable City

With the gradual extinction of Los Angeles” glorious pop architecture--the Zep Diner, the Mt. Baldy Cafe and the Pup Cafe, all razed in the last 25 years--lighter-than-air advertising devices have become their ‘90s equivalent. Immune to architectural standards, these tethered and giant kangaroos, cellular phones and witches are a boon to businesses: cheap, disposable, novel and easily erected. Think of them as a perpetual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.