More Motels For You

If you're still not sure where you might like to go this summer, here are a few more suggestions.
I recommend the Downtowner Motel in Memphis, Tennessee for the consistent and classic decorating scheme with warm hues carried throughout, and effective lighting and a appropriately-sized painting on the wall. Smokers will be glad to see that the room is well supplied with ashtrays. Sorry, no wi-fi.

The Floritona in Daytona Beach claims to be on the world's most famous beach, so why are people sunbathing in the grass with a view of the parking lot (even if they are nice cars)? I don't know, but it might be worth it for you to go there and find out.

These two motels, in Sharpsburg, North Carolina and Ashland, Virginia, seem similar enough to be interchangeable. It may just depend on whether you prefer yellow or pink bedspreads.

Here are the backs of the first two cards.

Tampa, Florida

Newberry's, a Kress store, great old cars, a streetcar...what more could you want?

7 Seas - Miami, Florida

Classic Florida and classic streamlined architecture with a nautical touch.

Orlando, Florida

I wonder if it's just nostalgia that makes me like these cars more than modern ones?

Corporal Eveline Lapan, a WAC stationed in Orlando during World War II, writes home to her parents:

November 4, '45

Dear Ma + Pa,

Got here O.K. at 1:30 P.M. Had a nice trip. Will write letter later. Everything  is different here. The girls only need 25 points to get out now, so plenty are leaving. Going to Lakeside with Marcello now.

Love, Evelyn

Note that she spells her name as Eveline at the top of the card and Evelyn at the bottom. I'm not sure why. As much as I love stamps, There's something pretty fun about military personnel being able to send a card with "free" in place of the stamp.

Does anyone have an explanation for the 25 points to get out?

Florida Citrus

Special Note: I have extended the deadline for last week's giveaway for an additional week. Many people noted that they don't have iPhones, so they can't use the app. I should have made it clear that the apps also work on iPad and on iPod Touch. So, just in case you wanted to enter and didn't, here's your second chance: Click here for the giveaway post.

Along with that, here's some Florida sunshine to brighten your day. This scene looks like something from a model railroad; it doesn't look quite real.

This Really is an Oasis

You may not think that yesterday's freeway rest stop qualifies as an oasis, but this is a different story.  Although it may not look like it, this is actually a postcard; it folds over and there's a space for the address and stamp on the back. No room to write anything though.

Not only do you get stylish furniture, you also get free ice cubes and shuffleboard. And the lobby is decorated with Oasis themed murals. Let's go!

Mini Views of Florida

Here are some bright mini views of Florida, a keepsake from someone who went there on vacation from Binghamton (Bingo), New York in 1947.  The views measure about 2.5 by 3.5 inches. I especially like the train. All 20 views are still in the folder, but I only selected 9 of them to post.

Palm Beach, Florida

The message sent to Ralph Jillson in 1945 reads:

This is where you should come and what a good time you would have swimming every day.

(illegible name)

Mermaids!

If only you could travel back in time, you could enjoy a cocktail at the famous Mermaid Room of the Hacienda Bar in Fresno, California. The Fresno Bar was probably inspired by the Weeki Wachi mermaid show in  Florida, but unlike the Fresno mermaids, the Weeki Wachi ones are still there. The difference is that now they have tails and bikini tops and really look like mermaids.

If you don't have time to go to Weeki Wachi Springs State Park to see the mermaids, you can click on the link and see pictures of them cavorting underwater and flirting with a submerged Greek statue of Adonis. They also do underwater dance routines with the American flag and with Kermit the Frog. You can even join them on Facebook.  Here in Oregon, none of our state parks have mermaids. They must be extinct here, so I'm glad that Florida is preserving theirs. Out here, we just have trees, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, and stuff like that.

Here's the back of the first postcard:

Hey, it's Postcard Friendship Friday, so head on over to Beth's blog, The Best Hearts Are Crunchy, and check out all the other fun postcards.

World's Most Unusual Drug Store

 Webb's City was the brainchild of James Earl "Doc" Webb. He bought into the St. Petersburg, Florida drug store in 1925, and within a year he had bought out his business partner. At that time, he changed the name of the store to Webb's Cut Rate Drug Store. Webb kept his prices low and his business actually thrived during the Great Depression. He used his profits to expand his business, buying up everything around it, until he eventually owned seventy stores covering 7 blocks. As the business expanded, Webbs didn't just sell drugs; he also sold hardware, furniture, clothing, and provided services such as haircuts, dry cleaning, and dance lessons. At one point, he had an average of over 60,000 customers per day!

Doc Webb used clever gimmicks to attract customers, including special attractions like mermaids, chimpanzees, and shooting the flying Zacchinis out of a cannon in the parking lot. At one point he even had a limited-time offer of dollar bills for sale at 95 cents. The gimmicks worked for a long time, but eventually lost their effectiveness. Doc Webb sold out in 1974, and the business declared bankruptcy in 1979.

In 1949, Norma was toiling away at the Victoria Paper Mill in Fulton, new York when she received a postcard from Millie, who wrote:

Dear Norma,

You really should take a vacation here. It is hot but wonderful. Getting a nice tan. Pop's really enjoying it too. 

Millie

Florida Float, Real Photo

Here's a real-photo postcard of a float in a parade. We don't know if the parade was in Florida though. The parade could have included a float for every state, and it could have been just about anywhere. Real-photo postcards are often highly sought after, depending on the subject matter. Why? Because they weren't printed, they were developed, and there was often only one card of the particular scene.

It helps a lot if you know the exact location of the photograph. It also helps if you know the date, although the stamp box on the backside of the postcard will help you determine that.

Real-photo postcards were developed on various papers, and they often included markings that help narrow down the date. For instance, this one has the letters AZO and 4 triangles pointing up. Because of this, we know that the postcard was printed between 1904 and 1918. Not exact, but better than nothing!
Here's another one, with an Al Capone look-alike on the right.

Where is his right hand? Is it holding a gun?  Are the men exchanging something behind the woman's back? Is this Mae, the woman Al fell in love with and eventually married? Here's the back of the card:

The letters PMO indicate that the picture was developed between 1907 and 1915.  That's, of course, very disappointing to me, because Al Capone was born in 1899, so that would make him no more than 16 years old in this picture.  So, I guess it's probably not Al.  Darn! Well, at least you can see the usefulness of these stamp boxes for determining the date. If you would like more information, Playle's website provides an easy guide to determine the dates of old cards.
Today is Sepia Saturday, so click on the link to view some beautiful sepia photographs accompanied by colorful stories.

Motel Wigwam Village - Orlando, FL

I hardly know what to add to this, except that it looks like a great choice for a family reunion.

Seminole Village, Florida

This looks like a fine place to spend the season in a completely furnished duplex with private tile baths, electric refrigerators, and automatic hot water.

Gary's Duck Inn

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I love how this Jumbo Shrimp platter seems to be coming in for a landing on the roof of Gary's Duck Inn. Sadly, the Jumbo Shrimp Platter is gone forever, since Gary's Duck Inn closed in 1994. Gary's first opened in Orlando, Florida in 1945 and was considered a landmark by many, attracting celebrities such as Dolly Parton and Bob Hope. During the 1970s and 80s, Gary's Duck Inn served an estimated 25,000 pounds of shrimp annually.

The Price is Right

Virginia Kneitel sent this postcard in 1957, in an attempt to guess the price of the Valentine Showcase on the Price is Right. The Price is Right started airing in 1956. In those days it was hosted by Bill Cullen; Bob Barker didn't come along until 1972. The home viewer showcase allowed television viewers to send in their bids by postcard. The bid closest to the actual price without going over would win the entire showcase. I wonder if Virginia won.