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:
 
View Cardboard America Project in a larger map

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

Marriott Motor Hotel - Washington, D.C.

5 postcards of the Marriott Motor Hotel in Washington, D.C.

San Francisco Giants' Francisco Grande Motor Inn - Casa Grande, Arizona

In honor of the San Francisco Giants' first World Series win since 1954 I am posting a few postcards and a matchbook from their former Spring Training home. Here's a little history from the Francisco Grande website:

The Francisco Grande dates back to 1959 when San Francisco Giants owner Horace Stoneham developed the property as a spring training camp for his popular Major League Baseball team. Then Arizona Governor Paul Fannin attended the dedication before the first exhibition game in 1961, as did National League president Warren Giles, to an overflowing crowd. Optimism swirled like desert dust devils when Willie Mays hit a 375-foot home run off Gaylord Perry in the forth inning of the first ever game at Francisco Grande. "Francisco" was taken from the San "Francisco" Giants and "Grande" was taken from Casa "Grande"; thus the name "Francisco Grande." While Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal were honing their Hall of Fame skills, the Resort became an exclusive and intimate desert hideaway for Hollywood elites. Legends such as John Wayne, Dale Robertson, Pat Boone, and Gale Gordon made the Francisco Grande their home away from home.

There are several unique architectural facts concerning our Resort. Our famous swimming pool is in the shape of a baseball bat, and the hot tub is shaped like a baseball. The parking area in front of the hotel where Willie Mays parked his pink Cadillac with "Say Hey" plates was originally designed like a baseball diamond and the flower beds were constructed to resemble bats and balls. The overhang on the north side of the tower was built to resemble the brim of a baseball cap. The stairwells on the south side of the building were built to resemble those in a stadium at the time of construction. From the Sunset Terrace, you will notice the coach's observation tower; a round two story structure which was used by coaches and members of the press to view the action of players during practice. With your imagination, you can see the four baseball diamonds with some of the sport's best known players (then and now) as they practiced in their "Field of Dreams".

After the Giants were enticed to move to Scottsdale, the California Angels used the facility from 1982 until 1984. The next two years saw the transformation of the baseball fields into football fields, which were used as the training camp headquarters for the USFL's Arizona Wranglers and the Denver Gold.

                                   Francisco Grande Motor Inn Matchbook, originally uploaded by Drive-In Mike.

Recommended by Duncan Hines

Duncan Hines was born on March 26, 1880 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. During his many years as a salesman he traveled all over the country - he averaged 40,000-60,000 miles of car travel a year – he ate most of his meals in restaurants. Hines soon knew the best place to get a great meal in cities and towns all over the country. At the age of 55, Hines and his wife Florence compiled a list of recommendations for their favorite places to grab a bite and sent it to friends as Christmas gifts. In 1935, Hines self publishes, "Adventures in Good Eating", an expanded list of recommended restaurants. The book was a big success and in 1938 he released a companion book, "Lodging for a Night", which featured a list of  the finest motels and hotels.

According to the Duncan Hines website:
After being featured in the Saturday Evening Post, Hines' popularity grows. Soon most Americans have food and lodging books in their cars for quick reference. "Recommended by Duncan Hines" becomes a nationally recognized seal of approval. Businesses that were included on Hines' list were allowed to post a "Recommended by Duncan Hines" seal on their signs and in their windows. (A few examples here, here, here, and here.) After being added to the list, businesses were expected to maintain their quality or they would be taken off of the list. 
In the 1950s Duncan Hines sold the rights to his name to a newly formed company called Hines-Park Foods, Inc. At one point there were more than 250 different products featuring the Duncan Hines label.In 1956, Hines-Park Foods became part of Procter and Gamble. Shortly after, Duncan Hines introduced their now famous cake mixes, which were marketed nationwide along with several other items under the Duncan Hines name.

Duncan Hines died on March 15, 1959.

Side note from Mental Floss: A 1946 profile in Life touched on Hines’ penchant for drinking neat gin or whiskey, but he also enjoyed “Mrs. Hines’s cocktail.” The ingredients: the juice of a watermelon pickle, a whole egg, cream, gin, grenadine, orange-blossom honey, and lime juice.

Here you read a copy of "Duncan Hines: The Man Behind the Cake Mix" by Louis Hatchett
****************************************************************
YouTube video of the Day: Duncan Hines 
*****************************************************************
In The Heart of Downtown's Motel Postcard of the Day

Smith's "Uptown" Motel - 
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Then:
9 blocks west of business district on Hiway #16, Sioux Falls, S.D. Air conditioned, free TV in rooms, individual phones, wall to wall carpeting. Combination tub and shower. Beverage rooms. 24-hour service. 37 units including kitchenettes. AAA Approved. Recommended by Duncan Hines.

Now:
The building is still standing and now it's called Nite's Inn. The basic frame of the sign is there but the charm is gone. The clock, the Phones-TV-AAA sign, and the awesome SALESMAN STOP sign are absent. The reviews aren't terribly kind. My favorites lines are "yes its clean gzzzz" and "NO DO NOT STAY HERE unless you are a lot lizard!"
****************************************************************
All Hail the QSL!

Her name is TEENY CHATEAU. That is a glorious name. It sounds like something someone would name their manifesto shack in the woods. By someone, I mean me.
*****************************************************************
What Makes The Pie Shops Ticker: A family in Ohio found around 700 old baseball cards in their attic and they might fetch upwards of $3 million...I'm a big fan of 500 Tasty Sandwiches and I could really go for a sandwich right now....I love this photo from 1940....This isn't exactly old but it makes me giggle...This World War II poster warns you to Stop Needless Noise to aid in your "War Nerves"....The New Aero Willys - Almost Like Flying....Pretty cool shot of New York City, 1971....On this day in 1914, Babe Ruth made his professional baseball debut. The SI tumblr has a cool photo of a young Bambino from 99 years ago...A Ray gun, ham, a grocer and Cryovac all in one strange ad...Love this photo of Wanda Jackson at a recording session at Capitol Records in the 1950s...and it just get any better than gifs of the gorgeous Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief.
****************************************************************
Questions? Concerns? Neat stuff you want me to post?
You can e-mail me at jordan@thepieshops.com.
My other stuff:
Flickr, Facebook, In The Heart of Downtown, Twitter, The Pie Shops Tumblr, Cardboard America, Color Transparency, 73s and 88s, Seattle World's Fair and Skate Your Date!

Motel Monday: Seeing Red

This week's Motel Monday theme is motels with "Red" in the title somewhere. There's a variety of things from American Indians, fruit, horses, arrows, and shingles that can only be described as red.

All postcards from my collection. You can see my other blog, In The Heart of Downtown, to see my entire posted collection of over 2,500 different motels.

Red Feather Lodge - Grand Canyon, Arizona

Red Apple Motel - Yakima, Washington

Red Carpet Inn - Stateline, California

Motel Monday: Come Sea About Me

This week's Motel Monday features motels with the word "Sea" in the title. A lot of these names make sense for the location, but some are just way off. I am pretty sure there aren't many sea shell in Lordsburg, New Mexico or sea breezes in Phoenix.

All the postcards are from my collection. You can see my entire (posted) collection of nearly 2,500 different motels at In the Heart of Downtown.

Sea Dip Motel and Apartments - Daytona Beach, Florida

The Sea Horse - Daytona Beach, Florida

South of the Border, South Carolina

I had a heck of a time trying to describe South of the Border so I am going to let the all "knowing" Wikipedia describe it for me:

South of the Border is a rest stop and roadside attraction on Interstate 95 and U.S. Highway 301/501 between Dillon, South Carolina and Rowland, North Carolina. It is named "south of the border" being south of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The rest area features not only restaurants, gas stations and a motel, but also a small amusement park, shopping (including, formerly, adult entertainment at the "Dirty Old Man Shop"), and, famously, fireworks. Its mascot is Pedro, an extravagantly stereotypical Mexican bandido. It is advertised by hundreds of billboards along surrounding highways, starting 175 miles away. Well-known landmarks in the area, the irreverent signs feature Pedro, wearing an oversized sombrero and poncho, counting down the number of miles to, and promoting, South of the Border.

This is my current collection of South of the Border postcards. Clicking on the images will lead you back to my flick account with descriptions of each image.

Motel Monday: Capri

This week's Motel Monday takes a trip to the Island of Capri; where Italian in Capri pants roam the countryside as far as the eye can see. Ok. We aren't actually going there. We are going to take a trip around the United States and see some motels with Capri in the title. Some of these motels tried to conjure up the Italian island, some used the color (a color halfway between azure and cyan) as their inspiration. Either way, there are some cool looking motels in this set.

Motel Capri - Redding, California

Capri Lodge - Yakima, Washington

Capri Motel - Santa Clara, California

Motel Monday: Colonial Times

co·lo·ni·al  (k-ln-l)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, possessing, or inhabiting a colony or colonies.

2. often Colonial

a. Of or relating to the 13 British colonies that became the original United States of America.

b. Of or relating to the colonial period in the United States.

3. often Colonial Of, relating to, or being a style of architecture and furniture prevalent in the American colonies just before and during the Revolution

These motels mainly center around the architectural meaning. While not flashy, these really scream "down home" and I bet that's what the moteliers were trying to convey.

Colonial Statler Hilton Inn - Wakefield,  Massachusetts

Colonial Motel - St. Augustine, Florida

Motel Monday: Stay at the Beautiful Driftwood

This week's Motel Monday features motels and motor lodges with Driftwood in the title. All of these motels appear to have been near a body of water, hence the image of chunks of wood floating away. See all the cards after the jump.

Driftwood Motel - St. Petersburg, Florida

Driftwood Motel - Denver, Colorado

Driftwood Beach Motel - Ormond Beach, Florida

Motel Monday: Niagara Falls, Ontario

This week's Motel Monday spotlights some of the motels on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. The Falls are such an enormous tourist destination that it is/was inevitable that there would be need to be quite a few places to stay. These 12 places represent a good cross section of the lodging choices in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Oakes Drive Motel and Restaurant

Tip Top Motel

Canadiana Inn Motel and Restaurant

Motel Monday: Salt Lake City

This week's Motel Monday takes a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City has quite a few tourist destinations for the traveler. The Great Salt Lake, the Mormon Temple / Temple Square, and the Eagle Gate Monument are just a few of the things tourists of today and yesterday could see. These 12 motels feature a variety of designs but manage to keep it from being too gaudy or colorful, in keeping with the aesthetic of Salt Lake City. See all twelve postcards after the jump.

Romney Motor Lodge

Hotel Utah Motor Lodge

Continental Motel

Motel Monday: Sands Across America

This week's Motel Monday theme is motels either called the Sands or featuring Sands in the title. The Sands name appears all over the country after the Sands Hotel opens in late 1952 in Las Vegas, Nevada. I guess that owners felt that if they named their motels after the famous casino/hotel that travelers would think they had landed someplace classy and extravagant.
See all the selection by clicking on the read more button below.

Sands of Tempe Motor Hotel - Tempe, Arizona

Sands Motel - Sacramento, California

Motel Monday: The Orange Roof

This weeks Motel Monday theme is all about Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges. Howard Johnson's was originally a restaurant and then expanded successfully (until the late 1970s) into the Motel Business. They are still a chain of hotels all of the globe but these postcards are dedicated to their motel past and their signature orange A-framed roof. See all 12 images after the jump.

Here's a little history (from Wikipedia):

By 1954, there were 400 Howard Johnson's restaurants in 32 states. About 10% were company-owned turnpike restaurants that were extremely profitable. The rest were franchises.

Also that year, the company decided to open the first Howard Johnson's motor lodge in Savannah, Georgia. The company employed architects Rufus Nims and Karl Koch to oversee the design of the rooms and gate lodge. Nims had previously worked with the company to design Howard Johnson's restaurants. The restaurant's trademark simple Simon and Pieman was now joined by a lamplighter character in the firm's marketing of its motels. According to cultural historians, the chain became synonymous with travel among American motorists and vacationers in part because of Johnson's ubiquitous outdoor advertising displays.

In 1959, Howard Deering Johnson, who had founded and managed the company since 1925, turned the reins over to his son, then 26-year-old Howard Brennan Johnson. Howard Deering Johnson would observe his son's control of the company until his death in 1972. He died at the age of 76.

By 1961, the year the Howard Johnson's Company went public, there were 605 restaurants, 265 of them company owned and 340 franchised, as well as 88 franchised Howard Johnson's motor lodges in 32 states and the Bahamas.

In 1961, Johnson hired famed New York chefs Pierre Franey and Jacques Pépin to oversee food development at the company's main commissary in Brockton, Massachusetts. Franey and Pépin developed recipes for the company's signature dishes that could be flash frozen and delivered across the country, guaranteeing a consistent product.

Haverhill, Massachusetts

Ithaca, New York

Motel Monday: Going Back To Miami Beach

This part two of the Motel Monday series featuring the motels of Miami Beach. See the second dozen of these colorful motels after the jump.

Chez Paree Resort Motel

Motel Monday: Miami Beach

Today's Motel Monday theme is the motels of Miami Beach, Florida. These numerous and sometimes sprawling resort motels lined both sides of the streets and beaches of Miami Beach. A lot of these motels were even on the same street, Collins Avenue, which is known as Motel Row. I have so many of these postcards that this will be part one of the Miami Beach motels series. Next week will feature another dozen motels. See the first dozen after the jump.

The Castaways

Motel Monday: You're Movin' In With Your Auntie and Uncle in Bel Air

This week's Motel Monday theme has nothing to do with Will Smith and everything to do with Bel Air. Here, we have a dozen postcard that use varying versions of the Bel Air name to add an air of upscale sophistication to their motel. See if they succeeded after the jump.

Bel Air Motel - Redding, California

Motel Monday: Flamingo Fever

Today's Motel Monday theme is big, pink, and often stands on one leg. The flamingo is a beautiful bird and a gimmick that lures the driving motorist to stop and enjoy many modern amenities. Here are 10 examples of that version of the flamingo..

Flamingo Motor Hotel - Tucson, Arizona