Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV
Postmarked in 1964
I've been collecting postcards since early 1990's, on many topics like cats, amusement parks, various cities, restaurants and ah, yeah, ugly motel rooms. But for various reasons such as vision issues, I've decided to stop connecting postcards, and this postcard above is the last one that I've purchased, off eBay. It certainly is a very cool one with these swirly neon lights on the underside of the roof. I haven't been able to identify this building, but my guess is, it might be Binion's Horseshoe Club casino. If you know this building, please do let me know. I passed by this building last year and sadly, the neon lights aren't there, just ordinary light bulbs.
So long, folks...
Cosmic Age Lodge
Anaheim, CA
1960's?
Greetings, people. I know this blog has been inactive for some reason, and it's likely to remain that way. But here's a postcard that I couldn't resist blogging about. In addition to its goofy space-age motif, my family actually stayed at this motel one night on a trip to Disneyland in early 1970's. Normally, my family didn't stay at these kinds of motels -- my parents preferred hotels that are slightly more classy. But for some reason I don't remember, there was a problem with my parents' reservation at one hotel, so we ended up spending our first night at this motel which was very close to Disneyland -- it was right down the street from the front entrance to Disneyland's parking lot (which was just a ginormous parking lot back tehn). My parents weren't fond of the motel room, but as a grade school kid, I thought it was cool, especially these glass panels with bubbles of turquoise blue and green embedded in them.
Mark Twain Hotel
Elmira, NY
1950's?
It's Monday, so it's time for a post about another depressing hotel room. Look at these institutional green walls -- who thought they would be a good idea? And these cheap-looking blue bedspreads add all the cheerful atmosphere of a retirement home. That little sad-looking vase of white flowers on one of the night stands doesn't help, either.
Aside: I wonder if that black Bakelite phone on the other night stand would fetch a nice price on eBay?
Little America
Flagstaff, AZ
1970's?
This small chain of motels, Little America, seems to be rather fond of harvest gold (see a previous Little America postcard and another.) I mean, look at these harvest gold bedspreads, harvest gold carpet, harvest gold drapes and...well, you get the idea. Heck, there are even matching luggage racks upholstered in harvest gold (none of these tacky folding luggage racks for you). And...oh, my God, look at that wallpaper -- not only is it harvest gold, it's shiny, too! And see how the furnishings and chandelier are done in what I dub "1970's Gothic."
Captain Thompson's Motor Lodge
Alexandria Bay, New York
1970's
What makes this room Seventies-que? Let us see.
Fake wood panelling on walls? Check.
Harvest gold bedspreads? Check.
Drop ceiling? Check.
Old-school ceiling light, the kind that has a frosted glass plate suspended from the ceiling? Check.
Ugly curtains? Check.
Dentist's waiting room artwork on the wall? Check.
Outdated clothing and hairstyles? Check.
Notice how the couple are gazing out the window, as if they're trying to avert their gazes away from their shipwreck of a room?
Skylark Motel
Springfield, VA
1950's
Here is the postcard that inspired this blog, Ugly Motel Rooms. To be fair, the room isn't all that ugly -- in fact, I think it's groovy with all these Scandinavian modern furniture and fixtures. (And look at that cute little old-timey phone in the corner between the sofas.) But when I once showed this postcard to someone, she thought it was ugly. I've been collecting (and selling) vintage postcards for many years, and I've run into my share of many postcards showing motel/hotel rooms that are hilariously outdated by today's standards. So, I've decided to share these postcards on the blog, and trust me, I have way more th post in the future. So, brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen.
Marunouchi Hotel
Tokyo, Japan
1970's?
For unknown reasons, the red decor craze swept American hotels and motels in 1960's and 1970's. It looks like other countries might not be immune to this craze, as you can see from this postcard of a hotel in Tokyo. Observe the red-black checkered carpet and international orange bedspreads.
Everyone in in the postcard appears to be Caucasian, so you wouldn't have known this is a Japanese hotel, just looking at the postcard. Also, see how the woman's red plaid suit matches the red plaid suitcase -- now that's really matchy-matchy. Curiously, both suitcases are all closed up and standing in the path, like they're planning to make a getaway while the couple dines. And what's with these round big tags on the bags, anyway? Is someone tracking runaway suitcases?
