Motor Court Mania

The advent of auto travel and the development of interstate roads really changed the face of travel. Now the promise of the open road was available to everyone...if only there were a place to stay. While hotels had been around for a long time prior to this, then tended to be expensive and usually located within cities and not necessarily handy to the interstate roads of travel. For the hardy, autocamping was one possibility, but for many, it was just a bit too rustic and, over time, the autocamps gained a somewhat unsavory reputation. Enter the Motor Court. All the comforts of home in an atmosphere that more closely approximated one's "home". The fashion and styles of these varied greatly, from programmatic or themed buildings like teepees and English cottages to the precursors of standard motels. Most of these were "mom and pop" operations that sprung up as necessity dictated. Because they didn't have the advertising strength of the more proper (and more expensive) hotels, many of the owners joined syndicates which collectively advertised and attempted to maintain specific standards so that guest could feel comfortable that any motor court within a given syndicate would have amenities roughly comparable from location to location.

Motor Courts flourished up until the late 50s to early 60s when the motel juggernauts like Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, and others cashed in on the brand recognition and consistency that consumers of that period craved. While Motor Courts continued to operate, since the 60s they have been in steady decline though many still operate today (in varying capacities...cough cough). Many of the early syndicates though (like Best Western and Quality Inn) continued to operate through the evolution from Motor Courts to motels.

The Enchanted Tiki Blog

This man is so drunk he doesn't realize he's on the wrong side of the bar. Either he's had a bad day, or he's contemplating eating the purple umbrella. The woman in the back...past the tapeworm trees and the pineapple graveyard...is gazing disapprovingly at him. She shouldn't be so judgemental...in an hour, when she finishes her Blue Hawaiian, she's going to be topless on the bar screaming "Why don't you love me, Papa?!" at the top of her lungs. But judge her not...she's merely another denizen of this tropical hideaway...

Who doesn't like a drink with an umbrella? Most of the great tiki bars or restaurants are gone now, except for the Tiki Bar Emeritus, The Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Still there are a lot of tikiphiles around, still fishing with their tongues hanging for that last taste of rum and pineapple and Falernum at the bottom of their Orchids of Hawaii mug. Maybe you went to one on a vacation. Maybe eating at the one in town WAS your vacation. Whatever the reason, they're still alive and well here on Vintage Vacations. Aloha.

The Mai Kai...but not THE Mai Kai. This restaurant was in Manchester, NH of all places.

The Legendary Cocoanut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

Another view of The Cocoanut Grove.

And yet another view

From the sublime to The China Royal in Denville, NJ.

Now this IS the Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Like many tiki restaurants, the menu is, of course, Cantonese. Hmmm.

Another view of The Mai Kai. The gentlemen, imbued with the tiki spirit have cast off the oppressive garments of The Man and donned...plaid?

The Tiki Gardens...situated between Clearwater and St. Petersburg, FL. A tropical paradise in, of all places, Florida. Go Figure.

The Famous Hawaiian Room in the Hotel Lexington, New York, NY.

This is Canlis' of Seattle and Honolulu. Not sure which one we're looking at here...it's hard to tell Seattle and Honolulu apart.

The Beachcomber Bar in the Osprey Hotel in Manasquan Beach, NJ. Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Maui anymore.

This is the Polynesian Village in the Somerset Hotel. It's evidently in New England. Continuing the Wizard of Oz theme, we find Miss Gulch drinking from a pineapple as her neighbor induces vomiting with a chopstick.

This is Bali Hai at the Beach aka The Polynesian Room. They're proud to declare that it overlooks Beautiful Lake Ponchartrain, but evidently too embarrassed to admit that it's in Louisiana swampland.

This is the Macao room in the Kon Tiki Ports Restaurant in the Sheraton Chicago Hotel in IL.

Clad in the avocado green one so often associates with Polynesia, behold the Lanai Room of Trader Vic's at the Statler Hilton in Boston.

Trader Vic's at the Plaza, New York, NY.

The famous Testicle Room at Trader Vic's in the Savoy Hilton, New York, NY. I suspect the avocado green proved so popular in Boston that NY just HAD to follow suit.

Not to be overshadowed, the equally famous Penis Room at Trader Vic's in the Savoy Hilton, NY stands tall.

Here we see George Plimpton escorting his lovely young date, Judge Judy into Trader Vic's at the Statler Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC. It looks like they're being carded. I DID mention that most of these places are LONG extinct, didn't I?

This is Clifton's Pacific Seas, Los Angeles, CA...perhaps one of the only...if not the only...Tiki cafeteria. Sadly The Pacific Seas is no more, but don't waste a moment to drown your sorrows in Jello at Clifton's Cafeteria with its California Redwood theme in downtown LA. It's still there...and it's a time machine.

This is what you would have seen had you been lucky enough to actually GO to Clifton's Pacific Seas. It's not that clear in this photo, but it looks like the Amish were forced to eat upstairs. Either that or it's the cast of Fiddler on the Roof.

Kon Tiki Ports at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel. This is the Papeete Room.

The Oriental Garden Restaurant in the Westgate Shopping Center in Haverhill, MS.

Why this isn't a bar, restaurant, or hotel! No...but it's a recipe card from the granddaddy of them all, Don the Beachcomber. If any of you doubted the cultural sensitivity of the average Polynesian establishment, look no further!

The Traders at The Palmer House, Chicago, IL. I love this carpet. One Mai Tai and it comes alive.

The Kon Tiki Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Now that the tiki craze has died down, they could always use it as...um...well...it's kind of like...gee...uh... When the sender defiled the back of this postcard with ballpoint, the doubles were $10-$16. Sigh.

This is the Kona Kai Motel...within walking distance of Disneyland! Maybe it's just me...but they could have saved a fortune on theming. I'd have slept in a wet cardboard BOX if it were within walking distance of Disneyland!

The wonderfully alliterative Kona Kottage in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This is the..um.."Japanese Garden". Now I LIVED in Japan for 2 years...and I've been to Kyoto 4 TIMES...If there is a garden like this in Japan, I'll commit seppuku.

Favorite Brochures

I thought I'd post some of my favorite brochures. Beautiful graphics from the golden age of travel illustration.