Customer Reviews

Motels (American Retro)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The individually-designed, independently owned and managed American motel has to be one of the most unusual cultural icons of our society. Almost invariably tacky, a little seedy, and smelling of too much dust and Lysol, they were a welcome sight to the weary traveler from the 30s through the 60s after finishing an empty stretch of road late at night . . . especially if the vacancy sign was lit.

This book combines photographs of motels with postcards their postcards and contrasting quotes to provide perspective. These quotes are usually "advertising slogans, popular sayings, puns and [comments by] . . . personalities." These words bring "to life an age when being economical with the truth came naturally . . . ."

I grew up on Route 66 in California, and was startled to find many motels that I had seen as a youth pictured in this interesting gift book. The nostalgia was strong as I peered once again at the cone-shaped rooms of the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona. We also had one of those motels in Fontana, California. I used to try to talk my parents into taking me there to stay overnight for my birthday. The quote with the motel was one that used to grace the motel's sign: "When they suggested we stay at the Wigwam Motel, I had my reservations."

I had a similar sense of deja vu when looking at an abandoned motel near Weed, California connected to a quote: "Never judge a summer resort by its postcards."

By now, I was excited. That excitement continued as I examined the Hobo Inn in Elbe, Washington and its rail car rooms. I chortled when I saw the photograph of a moose looking at the sign for the Town Motel in Gardiner, Montana ("Northern exposure").

Imagine how my mood shifted, though, when I opened the page to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee to see the plaque and wreath in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated there. "I have a dream . . . ." I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach, almost like the morning when I heard that Dr. King had been killed.

Other juxtapositions were also powerful. Dolly Parton shows up twice in the book on billboards. One is for a show at the Mirage in Las Vegas along with Kenny Rogers. This is paired with her quote: "You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap." You then go on to see details of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The book contains several other versions of modern-day motel chic in expensive lodgings (including a photograph of an old-line motel framing the new Stratosphere Tower and Hotel in Las Vegas, and the Swan Hotel at Walt Disney World in Florida).

Although the modern images were certainly a fair comparison of our continuing preference for the overdone, I would have enjoyed the book more if it had stuck with the nostalgia orientation of its initial images. For that reason, I graded the book down one star for the experienced independent motel user looking for nostalgia. If you are a motel owner, though, this is a five star book.

After you finish enjoying this book and recalling the memories it evokes, I suggest that you look around your own community and think about where there are buildings, signs and other cultural icons that will not be around in 50 years. I suggest you photograph them to share with future generations. It will give you both a lot to talk about.

Make your reservations early for a more enjoyable trip through life!

I was expecting more photos with at least a small description of the motels or their history.
Yes, the photos included were of good quality but there was no real substance to the book.
FYI - I own a 50's motel and was looking for decorating ideas, etc.

This books isn't much and maybe the small size should have been a tip off. There are much better books on this genre. I would look elsewhere.

Should have been jammed packed with retro motel pictures so you feel like you're on a retro vacation, but seems like many pictures weren't even retro, and some didn't even belong in the book. Small book, thankfully very little writing. Author should use this as a primer to create a real treasure of a book in the future, a major collection of retro and doo-wop motels, and 50's vacation photos.