Cardboard America Project - #3: Tropics Motor Hotel - Modesto, California

936 McHenry Ave.
Modesto, California 95350
61 deluxe units. Sambos restaurant. Cocktail lounge. Fully air conditioned. Individual TV and music in all rooms. Room Phones. Bridal Suites. Conference Room for thirty. Heated, filtered pool. All major credit cards accepted. AAA Approved. Member of the Best Western Motels.

Now:
 
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The Tropics is no longer as it's now a Rodeway Inn. However, the tiki theme is still going strong. No word on whether the woman is still on the diving board

Algemac's Restaurant Postcard Menu - Glendale, California

An oddly-shaped postcard menu from Algemac's Restaurant in Glendale, California. Not sure of the date but it is probably from the 1950s or early 1960s. Here's what the outside looked like and article about Algemac's in 2008, and here's what happened to it.

 

 

1964 Tournament of Roses Parade - Pasadena, California

The Parade theme for 1964 was SYMBOLS OF FREEDOM. I did not color correct or do do anything tothese photos other than crop a little of the corners. I tried to properly note the float or the sponsor of the float but it can be hard to tell.

Beverly Hillbillies Float

Beverly Hillbillies Float Full View

Unknown Float - First Prize Winner

Dollar Float

Assorted Floats

Either North or South Gate Float

Peanuts/Security Float

Washington Statehood Float

San Gabriel Float

Gone Fishin' Huckleberry Finn Float

Arcadia/Tripolis Float

San Diego City-County Float

Unishpere Float

Unknown Float

National Rifle Association Float

Lutheran Brotherhood Float

Faith-Hope-Charity Float

Smokey Bear Float

Statue of Liberty/Alhambra Float

Classic Postcards of San Francisco, California

This is just a smattering of the postcards from the great city of San Francisco. I posted some of my favorites from my collection. Clicking on the images will lead you back to my flickr site with information from the back of the postcard.

My collection pales in comparison to that of the fabulous Heather David. Her collection of Mid-Century Bay Area ephemera and information is a sight to behold. She has even written a book that I highly recommend you purchase called Mid-Century By The Bay.




Greetings

Alcatraz Island

Cable Cars



Cable Cars



Cable Car Turnaround

Chinatown

Chinatown

Lombard Street

Lombard Street

Lombard Street

California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park

Disneyland by Starlite - August 3-9, 1969

The cover to a pamphlet featuring information on some of the festivities that took place in Disneyland from August 3-9, 1969. I couldn't find much information on the performances of Bobby Bare or Bobbie Gentry at Disneyland. I did find a bit of information on Shango. You can read it here on the excellent Vintage Disneyland Tickets blog.

Postcards of the Madonna Inn - San Luis Obispo, California

The Madonna Inn is a hotel in San Luis Obispo, California. According to their website, "the first 12 rooms were completed December 24, 1958, and were given complementary for that night’s stay, to a very surprised group of travelers. An additional 28 rooms were quickly built, making a total of 40 rooms available to travelers.
Demand for public areas to handle the rooms encouraged us in April 1960 to start construction of the main inn, which was to eventually consists of the wine cellar, bakery, coffee shop, dining room, the cocktail lounge, banquet rooms, ladies’ boutique, men’s gift shop, and the gourmet shop. One hundred ten unique rooms now exist, each decorated differently to suit many individual tastes...rock rooms, waterfall showers, rock fireplaces, European fixtures, and fine furnishings to name a few."
The Madonna Inn has produced hundreds and hundreds of postcards. There are several of the outside including the one above, one with a frame, the sign at night, a close view, the inn at night, a wide view of the Inn and the Hilltop Motel Building.
The real beauty of the Madonna Inn is the interior. There's the lobby, the Coffee Shop, there are several cards of the amazing counter, several cards of the coffee shop booths. The executive coffee shop and the Gold Rush Dining Room and Men's Gift Shop are all represented. 
As you read earlier, there are 110 uniquely themed rooms. I haven't found a card for every room, but I have found dozens. The Madonna Inn website has a grid featuring the name and price of every single room. Here are the rooms that have cards that I can find. (Some of these postcards are from my collection, some are from Card Cow and the majority are from TimeTravelNow's awesome collection.)

Old-Fashioned Honeymoon 

American Home, Anniversary Room, Austrian Suite (again), Barrel of Fun,  Buffalo Room, Carin, Caveman, Country Gentleman, Desert Sands, Dot and Daisy (again), Edelweiss, Espana, Everything Nice, Fabulous Fifties, Fleur de Lis, Harvard Square, Hearts and Flowers, Imperial Family, Irish Hills, Jungle Rock (formerly known as Flintstone), Just Heaven, Kona Rock, Love Nest, Madonna Suite, Matterhorn, Mini-Maxi, Misty Rocks (again), Morning Star, Mountain Cabin, Old-Fashioned Honeymoon, Old World (scanned sideways), Oriental Fantasy (again), Pony Room, Rock Bottom, Romance, Rose Room, Round, Safari Room (again), Sir Walter Raleigh, Starlite, Sugar and Spice, Swiss Belle, Swiss Rock, Victorian Gardens, Vous, Yosemite Rock (again)

Motel Monday: Lobbying

This week's Motel Monday focuses on the entrance/lobby of the motel. Some of these places feature the bare bones essentials for greeting customers (chairs, couch, pamphlets) and some feature an extravagant place to congregate.

Starlite Motel - Los Angeles, California

Charnock's Motel - Rochelle, Illinois

Covered Wagon Lodge Motel - Vincennes, Indiana

The Castaways - Miami Beach, Florida

Blue Mist Resort Motel - Miami Beach, Florida

O'Hare Concord Inn - Des Plaines, Illinois

University Hotel Court - Athens, Georgia

Towne Point Motel - Dover, Delaware

Motel Modernaire - Winchester, Virginia

Memphis East Ramada Inn - Memphis, Tennessee

Ramada Inn - Phoenix, Arizona

Hyatt Chalet Motel - Flagstaff, Arizona