Great Wall Architecture

Trying to be helpful, I suggested that the architect who steals my covers might want to emulate these fine examples. It seems he's a little stubborn and not open to new ideas.

Amazingly, the Great Wall is still standing.  It looks much the same in the street view, but it was closed in 2010.  Here's a link to the street view and to a photo on Flickr with commentary on the restaurant.

I think it's fair to say that the Sands is in a separate category from the other two. I'm adding some extra information, inspired by Howard's question in the comments below.
The Sands was designed by Architect Wayne McAllister and built in 1952.  In its heyday, it was the place to be.  It was the place where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.,  Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford first appeared on stage together.  At one point,  the Sands was owned by Howard Hughes.  By 1996, despite the addition of a large tower, it had lost its appeal and was imploded and demolished.  The Venetian was built in the same location after the Sands was demolished. It looks like this now. Makes the Sands look kind of quaint in comparison.

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Here are the backs of these cards, in case you want to go see them in person.

 

 

More from Columbia, South Carolina

Much of  Columbia, South Carolina was destroyed by fire in 1865 during the Civil War when Union troops lead by General Sherman occupied the city. Today, you can still visit the remnants of some structures that survived the Civil War, as well as more recent historic buildings.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

Royal Army Service Corps

This is an embroidered silk card from World War I, with the initials A.S.C.

Those letters could stand for any of the following:
American Society of Cinematographers
Artichoke Society of Canberra
Aeronautical Systems Center
Association of Society Cadavers
Ambulatory Surgical Center

In this case, the letters stand for the Army Service Corps, although they were sometimes referred to as Ally Sloper's Cavalry, after a contemporary rent-dodging, drunkard cartoon character.  However, the truth is that this corps played a very important role in World War I. Their name was changed to the Royal Army Service Corps. in 1918.

The A.S.C. was responsible for transport and supply of food, equipment,  munitions and other supplies on and off the battlefield. Although they were instrumental in winning the war, they are considered unsung heroes, because they rarely recognized for their importance.

Here's the back of the card. Silk cards from WWI were typically made in France.

Jo from Scotland recently posted some amusing old photos of the Royal Army Service Corps. Click here to see them.