Wooden Phone Booth Sighting: The Ear Inn

This photo sucks, but the rough old Ear Inn on far west Spring Street isn't big on lighting. And they've also got these terrifying "The Ear Inn Is a Cell Phone Free Zone" signs posted everywhere, which made me fear for my life at the hands of the many tough-looking, large-bellied, hard-drinking bar denizens when I briefly took out my phone to snap this shot.

Anyway, it's a genuine wooden phone booth, with a few peculiar features. The folding door collapses in an uneven way, the hinge being set toward one side. The fan inside (all of these booth seem to have ventilation systems) is actually an old, metal fan with three open blades. It spins around at a snail's pace when you flick it on.

But the most intriguing thing about the booth are its tin walls, something I've never seen. (Were they afraid a fire would break out inside?) It's a nice pattern and painted green for some reason. Or maybe that was just the green bulb that is the booth's only illumination.