"There can be only one."

Over the past 15 months, I’ve must’ve driven back and forth between Seattle and Portland somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 times. By far, the best part of my trip north is just about a mile south of Kelso, Washington, where the sign for "FOOD EXIT 39" draws my attention every time I pass. In addition to service stations, Mexican(ish) food and a drug store, Kelso is home to the Hilander Family Fun Center. Now I’ve never actually been inside the Fun Center but something about it speaks to me like a siren song from the freeway. I’m can’t quite put my finger on it—maybe it’s the prospect of kicking back and enjoying a warm meal, the bowling alley and some video games. Or perhaps it’s the idea that even in this fast-paced world, it’s still possible to take your family somewhere and enjoy an afternoon together. And yet, I’m simultaneously repulsed by the thought of setting foot inside.

In an effort to get to the bottom of this, I pulled over on the shoulder of the freeway on Sunday to document the signage that seems to conjure up such conflicting emotions in me.