Walla Walla, Washington

Street scene in Walla Walla, Washington, with Marcus Whitman Hotel in background.

Steve's Gay 90's - Tacoma, Washington

Steve's Gay 90's restaurant was located at 5238-40 South Tacoma Way in South Tacoma, Washington. Originally known as Steve's Cafe, the restaurant was opened by Steve Pease and John Stanley in 1941. After a few years of operation the name was changed to better fit its atmosphere and decor.

The restaurant offered cocktails and American food served smorgasbord style for a nominal charge, with dining music  and entertainment in the evening. The Gay Nineties had a smorgasbord table and booths decorated to appear like "surreys with fringe on top." Checked table cloths and wagon wheel chandeliers complete the down home look.

In the mid-fifties, Steve's added to their unique treasure trove an actual cable car, converted to street driving, bought at auction in San Francisco and driven to Tacoma. The Cable Car Room then opened with replicas of Tacoma and San Francisco cable cars as booths in the cocktail lounge. The crowning gem was the Opera House, opened in a mid fifties expansion, furnished with antiques from the South Tacoma mansions and featuring a twice nightly floor show with can can girls, among other performers.

Sadly, due to years of declining business, Steve's business partner "redistributing" restaurant, and changing tastes, Steve's Gay 90's Restaurant closed its doors in 1977. The building appears to be empty, but the shell of the sign survives.

Special thanks to the Tacoma Public Library for the information and some of the text above. You can see nearly 100 images of Steve's from the Library's fantastic image archive here.

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YouTube Video of the Day:


The Wonderful World of Wash 'n' Wear - 1958 RCA Washing Machine 

The new "RCA Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII Laundry Pair" washing machine is put through its paces during this sponsored 1950's infomercial. The film also explains the benefits of the new man made fibres being used in clothing.
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In the Heart of Downtown's Motel Postcard of The Day 

Motel 6 - Boise, Idaho

Then: 
2323 Airport Way Boise, Idaho 83705 91 Units, TV, Phones, Pool

Now:
It's still standing and it's still a Motel 6.
This place is permanently etched in my mind. I grew up in the Boise area and remember seeing this sign lit up from Interstate 84. I love this sign so much that I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.  The rest of the place is not much to look at. It's a pretty standard chain motel but I am certain that this is one of the places that started my fascination with motels.
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QSL Corner
Skyking and Freckles! Skyking wants to drink away the pain and the large-chested Freckles is alerting someone somewhere that Skyking is holding up the bar. I had no idea that there was a town in Pennsylvania called Shoemakersville. It makes me imagine an entire town of elves and cobblers.

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What Makes The Pie Shops Ticker: I was born and raised in Idaho. I was in the Idaho History Bee when I was in 4th grade. I am fascinated by Idaho History and this has to be one of the best blogs around on the subject...Want something safe and fun to do this weekend? May I suggest taking a trip to Guidancetown U.S.A.?.....Please don't squeeze the Charmin but feel free to squeeze the Butternut Bread....I am currently an intern/volunteer for the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St, Joseph County here in Northern Indiana. There is a bit of a war going on between the HPC and the St. Joseph Country Public Library over the historic Avon Theatre in downtown South Bend. The commission is working on saving the theatre. The library, which now owns the building, wants to tear it down. I hope the commission wins. No other notes for the day. I plan of having a drink or twelve and watching some goofy old movies. Maybe even Gidget. Have a fantastic weekend. The end. ************************************************************************
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: Sleepy Bear is Everywhere

This week's Motel Monday theme centers around the Travelodge chain (outside of California). These dozen motels represent the chain's presence in various states and one province. Most of these cards feature Sleepy Bear, the official "brand ambassador" for the Travelodge chain. Here's some early history of Sleepy Bear from the Travelodge.com website:

History

1954
Travelodge Hotels, Inc. introduced its mascot Sleepy Bear to North America. The lovable bear was also incorporated into all in-room items. Sleepy Bear quickly became an icon to children of all ages and a welcome face for travelers seeking affordable and comfortable lodging.

1955
The Sleepy Bear plush stuffed toy was born. Dressed in a white night shirt and cap with “Sleepy” on the brim, the toy was a winner with guests of all ages.

1956
The first Sleepy Bear walk-around costume was created and worn by individuals in parades, celebrations, and grand openings of new hotels.

1973
Sleepy Bear, one of the most recognizable logos in the lodging industry, was transformed from a sleepy-eyed brown bear to a warm, smiling bear for a softer, cuddlier look.

184 Days of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair - Day 70: "Peep" Backstage, U.S.A. (NSFW)

Today we have a souvenir booklet from "Peep" Backstage U.S.A. during the Fair. This booklet features all of the shows that occurred during the Fair along with names of risqué (for 1962) photos of the performers. Peep was a Jack D. Matlack presentation. Matlack died in 1990 and was a bit of a character. You can see his obituary here.

You can see the entire (NSFW due to some very "gentle" 1962 nudity) booklet after the jump.

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: 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