Motel Monday - Another New Mexico Find

Last  fall I drove to Tucumcari, New Mexico during the Thanksgiving weekend for the longest sign chasing road trip I've yet to enjoy. You may remember my post about the Blue Swallow Motel a few months ago. Today's Motel Monday feature was the very first photographic stop on the trip.

Sitting at the far eastern end of Route 66 in Tucumcari, the Pony Soldier Motel was demolished sometime before 2010. What is left behind is a concrete slab, several rusted and gutted old cars, and this glorious sign. In searching for information about the now gone motel, all I was able to dig up is this vintage undated postcard on 66postcards.com

The sign has changed a bit since the postcard photo was snapped, but the core items remain the same. I wish they had saved the marquee, but I definitely love the "Here We Are on Route 66" addition. A close up of just that sign will be up in my Retro Roadside Photography shop soon.

Happy Monday!

- Stefanie

Look Mom, I'm on Design Sponge!

I know today is supposed to be Foodie Friday. I know... but I have something awesome to blog about so Foodie Friday will have to wait.

Late last night I got a message from a friend about a recent Design Sponge post that included a piece of artwork she thought might be mine. She thought right. The post in question was a DIY Before & After: Penny Wall.

Care of Design Sponge

I love that wall. That wall got me on Design Sponge. Thank you Lizzie and Ryan for your countless hours on your penny wall and for the after photo that includes my photography. I am thrilled.

Happy Friday everyone!

- Stefanie

Motel Monday - It's Still the Weekend

I dig the star mobile...

This President's Day Motel Monday is a little late because let's face it, it's still the weekend. I've been too busy chasing neon to be blogging. Sometimes there's just not enough hours in the day.

I have yet to find a Presidential themed or named Motel, so instead I'm opting for the Holiday Lodge Motel in Los Angeles. At least it's got the Holiday part right. I also find humor in the naming repetition of both Lodge and Motel.

If you're a fan of the cancelled television show Numb3rs you may have caught this sign flash by in an episode or two. The motel was used as a filming location for at least one perpetrator hide out.

Enjoy the holiday!

- Stefanie

Motel Monday - Third Star to the Right

"Third Star to the Right" available through my Retro Roadside Photography shop

I signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon recently and this morning it seems to be my inspiration for Motel Monday. Sometimes it's easy to decide which signs to feature, other days I wish my computer could play row sham bow to help me choose. Today Disney won.

Las Vegas is the king of neon and I'm sure they have single-handedly kept YESCO in business. For this I am obviously very grateful. The strip is full of neon that is replaced and repaired constantly. But off the strip along historic Fremont Street sit several motels and their signs. Some have been restored, some have fallen into disrepair. Some of them are long gone, and only their signs remain. One of these signs was featured in an earlier Motel Monday post.

Today is another Fremont Street friend. I have no idea how long it's been around, but the Peter Pan Motel was recently renovated and the sign was restored. The colors pop, the typeset is awesome, and Peter Pan is outlined in neon. Now if he could just teach me to fly I'd appreciate it. 

Come on, a girl can dream. Happy Monday!

- Stefanie

Foodie Friday - Since 1931

One of two Canter's Delicatessen photographs available on my Retro Roadside Photography shop

In need of a Restaurant, Deli or Bakery? You've come to the right place. Canter's is open all day almost every day of the year to feed your food needs. Canter's opened in 1931 but moved to Fairfax Boulevard when the neighborhood changed. In 1953 Canters moved just down the street to it's current location. That's almost 50 years in one spot and it has the neon signage to prove it. 

Canter's on Fairfax

All of the neon, including the signage on the front of the building, is in full working order. I can't wait to take another trip to LA and photograph this sign at night.

 Happy Friday!

- Stefanie

Motel Monday - Route 66 Abandoned Beauty

"Make Waves" for sale through my Retro Roadside Photography shop on Etsy

My road trips are meticulously planned. I spend hours online sign hunting with Google Earth as my right hand. I make maps, I plan routes... When I drive several hours for a weekend of shooting I want to make sure I don't miss a thing. It's understandable, right?

Thank goodness it isn't possible to find everything on the internet. If it were, my trips would lack beautiful surprises like today's Motel Monday feature.

A friend and I were on our way home driving through the empty parts of Arizona on I-40 when we saw it. My jaw dropped. And as we passed my head turned. We took the next exit and back tracked. You don't miss a sign like this.

The motel is long since gone. The foundation sits about 100 feet away but all that's left is some old linoleum and hints of where dividing walls might have been. Another abandoned building sits several hundred feet west, but it's not clear if they were once part of the same property. I found no evidence of a pool, but it could have been filled in years ago.

I've passed this sign one time since and seeing it beside the highway made me smile. It's like an old friend waiting to welcome me back to Arizona. I hope it never leaves.

Happy Monday.

- Stefanie

Foodie Friday - King Me Johnnie!

Johnnie's Pastrami for sale on my Retro Roadside Photography shop

A few days ago I featured the Astro Motel and Deano's, two vintage motels on Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City. I thought I'd stick with Sepulveda for the rest of the week and feature Johnnie's Pastrami. 

Johnnie's opened in 1952 and was packed with patrons when I snapped it's photo last year. The food looked mighty tasty and smelled delicious. Why have I always just eaten? Johnnie's vintage neon sign looks as great as the food smelled. I still love the crown dotting the I. It's just classy.

Happy Friday!

- Stefanie