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.

Mystery of Life #63

There is actually more than one great mystery of life at work here. Firstly, why would anyone take a picture of a parking lot for a postcard, especially in such a uniquely beautiful spot as the Smoky Mountains? Secondly, who would buy a card like this? Well, I guess I bought it, so I can't say too much about that.

Here's the back of the card. Unfortunately, there is no message relating a pleasant (or otherwise) experience at the parking lot.

Hendersonville, North Carolina

Here are some views from a postcard folder of Hendersonville, North Carolina. No hurricanes in sight, but I'm not sure I like they way FDR is looking at those young women.

The historic Skyland Hotel is still standing, but it's now condos/apartments. You can rent one for about $500 per month. Here's a description of Hendersonville. It may be a little dated, but I love that they use the word salubrious in the text. How often does anyone say salubrious anymore?

The Beautiful Carolinas

Here are some scenes from a 1942 postcard folder of North and South Carolina. I wonder if ladies in the Carolinas really wear high heels with their bathing suits.

Fort Raleigh Grill

I don't know much about the Fort Raleigh Grill, but here it is in all its glory with blazing rainbows and sizzling steaks. It was located in Elizabeth City, which is also known as the "Harbor of Hospitality."

Motel Topton - North Carolina

I feel like I've been here before. Maybe it was in the movie Motel Hell or Mountaintop Motel Massacre. In any case, I think I'd better head out before sunset.

Hal Orr's - Rocky Mount, N.C.

I can't help it; I like it. I don't care if they don't have free wifi.

Rhododendron Court - Asheville, NC

A total bargain, pleasure included.

Streetcar Sundays - Charlotte, North Carolina

Today's streetcar postcard is courtesy of Robert Reeves, host of Live From The Surface of the Moon.

It's a great shot of a Southern Public Utilities streetcar with a conductor ready to make change if you don't happen to have the exact fare.

Charlotte's first streetcars began service in 1887 and were drawn by horses. By 1891, the streetcars had been converted to electric. The first streetcar line transported crowds of Charlotte residents to Latta Park, a 90-acre amusement center. The streetcar also enabled people who worked in Charlotte to live in Dilworth. Workers who moved farther out then began to rely on the streetcar as their primary means of transportation. When streetcar workers went on strike in 1919, it created a huge disruption for commuters, but also grew into one of Charlotte's most violent labor disputes, requiring mobilization of the National Guard.

The strike began on August 10, 1919, when motormen and conductors walked off the job, demanding higher wages and recognition of unions. Southern Public Utilities attempted to run streetcar service with non-union replacements during the strike, however the workers and streetcars were attacked by rock-throwing strikers. Strike breakers had to be armed for their own protection.

On August 25, a crowd of 2,000 gathered in front of the Streetcar Barn, confronting 50 armed strikebreakers and about 30 police officers. After the first shot was fired, police opened fire, killing five people and wounding a dozen more. In the following days, six companies of the National Guard arrived to restore order. Citizen volunteers were also sworn in to patrol the streets and preserve the peace. The strike ended on September 5, when the two sides agreed on a contract.

The last owner of the railroad was Duke Power, which also began introducing gasoline-powered buses in 1934. Some of the original bus service consisted of feeder lines to the streetcar, but later bus service actually replaced streetcar lines. In 1937, Duke Power applied to the North Carolina Utilities Commission to abandon the street railway system and replace it with bus service. City officials viewed the change as progressive move towards modernization. Charlotte's streetcar service ceased operation in 1938

In 2003, the Charlotte Area Transit System or CATS added light rail service in Charlotte.

A non-profit organization, Charlotte Trolley, has restored some of the old trolley cars and provides weekend rides on historic Car 85. For more information on the history of the streetcar in Charlotte, visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, which is where I found most of this information for this post.  American-rails.com also has interesting information on North Carolina interurbans and streetcar railroads.