Roadtrip Postcards

A reminder of how life in America USED to look, before the roadside was robbed of its style and genius. Neon, Googie, and "ultra-modern" are featured, with a touch of the odd, unusual, and seldom-seem as well. Hotels, motels, restaurants, attractions,...

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Let’s hop on that train and head to the Grand Canyon, shall we?

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One of the many lodging options in Williams, circa mid-1950′s. And still there, but now operating as the Mountain Side Inn and Conference Center. The small raised area in the parking lot gives it away:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/628+E+Bill+Williams+Ave,+Kaibab+National+Forest,+Williams,+AZ+86046/@35.252833,-112.181348,3a,75y,194.73h,89.62t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s_wNLEpkIi88bZEYwrBQX9w!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x87329ee5b0c2e991:0x967ddbbd9df68030

Across the street from the El Rancho where we stayed a few years ago.

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Welcome to Williams, AZ, gateway to the Grand Canyon.

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Can’t climb up it any more, but you can still climb nearby Lenox Crater.

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Newer card of one of my favorite places on or near Route 66.

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Beautiful picture on the front. On the back, well,.....a strange invective from an angry reader, I suppose.

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Not anywhere near 66, but a nice postcard nonetheless.

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“The City of San Francisco, California can be seen on a clear day from its summit.” No. And that’s not how it got its name either. But nice try.

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And here’s the proof, Vern.

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“Snow Bowl? You mean they got snow in Arizona?”

Yep.

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Can’t get the scan to look as good as the card. It’s just too bright.

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Mileage to anywhere you would want to go. Including the Arizona State Teacher's College, now Northern Arizona University.

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Had some trouble getting this card to scan well. The gold is so bright that no matter how I adjusted it, something didn’t look exactly right. Probable ought to wear your shades if your staying in this room.

Bright golds and yellows. Glass ashtrays. Pleated curtains. Pile carpets. Textured wallpaper. And we traded it all in. For homogenized blandness.

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Oh wow, man, check it out! This what the '70's was about. Bet the Bee Gees stayed in a room like this. I mean, if they ever made the scene in Flagstaff, that is.