Epically scaled neon signs and letters loomed over us, competing for our attention like giant, candy-colored shrines to a city built on dreams and bent on continual reinvention.

I was so excited, I had to contain myself so I’d have a steady hand with which to compose my shots. The absence of a crowd made the experience even more surreal. There were five of us — me, the tour guide, and three other visitors — and we felt like survivors of an apocalypse, wandering through the remnants of a lost civilization. The guide explained the history of each monument at length, but I barely heard him; my camera was jammed to my face as I fired off shot after shot for the entire hour.

As a photographer, signage is one of my favorite subjects. So visiting The Neon Museum in Las Vegas— the only institution in the world dedicated to salvaging iconic examples of the genre—was like stepping into heaven.

The tour began inside the crown jewel of the museum’s collection: the lobby of the La Concha Motel, a 1960s building known for its then-futuristic, mid-century modern architecture.