Painting on a Cloudy Day

I needed a painting for a watercolor critique and painted this one in half an hour. I know the scene well, it is the Kite Shop in Harwich Port, and painted it from memory. I roughed it out with pencil and then added the paint. The criticism was the lettering; once you spell something out, the eye of the observer is arrested. It is like seeing someone wearing a tee shirt with writing on the front. After reading the message, if asked for the vaguest details about the person, you are stumpted. That said, I see many urban watercolor scenes that are completely boned out with signage on everything from taxis to storefronts. It does have an effect, but I am not sure of the need to avoid all lettering. Paintings need some symbol to let you know where you are.