Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire
Beaudry-- That was one of my favorite posts yet. I might add to your list of thin towels, smell of disinfectant etc, those gas wall heaters with ceramic crosshatched burners.... and of course I couldn't resist driving around town via Google Street View. It turns out that the La Brea Towers does still stand--note the window pattern and roofline of the Summit Motel at the same address. It still has its tower although it's now a billboard rather than a derrick. (I love the idea that someone might have imagined a glamorous highrise before arriving at the the La Brea Towers Hotel....)
Summit Motel nee La Brea Towers Hotel, 5005 S. La Brea
The Paradise is still The Paradise. And it even has a great "new" sign:
Don't you hope Paradise is like this? 1116 Sunset
The Sun Motel seems to have been replaced, building and all, by an America's Best Value Inn. But the house to its left remains:
5265 Sunset
The Vine Lodge--same name, same place:
1818 N. Vine
The Nity-Nite (my favorite name) is now the Copacabana Inn. And it's still eminently respectable--weekly specials are available, but there is no mention here of hourly rates.
5316 S. Figueroa
And the Tick-Tock--another great name (even if a little odd and perhaps suggestive). As you say, it's still there with the silo above. It doesn't seem to be receiving guests any longer, however.
1444 S. Atlantic Blvd., East Los Angeles
All photos via Google Street View |
Gadzooks! You're absolutely right (especially about the gas wall heaters, and their younger cousin, the dust-covered coil heaters that glow orange). But also about the La Brea Towers, I didn't look hard enough and was thrown by the "Custom Window Blinds" store or whatever it is they plopped down in the middle of the parking lot.
I like how the derrick in the far distance is basically replaced by a cell phone tower:
Oh, the times, they are a-changin'.
And the Sun is apparently still with us -- sort of --
The tower, the basic fenestration, the slight hint of the filled-in door (if you do a close-up on Google Street at the Copacabana, you can see where they "filled in" the Nity-Nite entry)...as is true with so many motels around town, it's had some sort of "Tuskan" makeover.
Glad you liked the post, I certainly had fun doing it! It's about time I put my years of fetishism to some good use. There'll be more...