This carries a particular meaning in old country songs. But
here I reference a happier tone, rekindling a past scene spiced by
big arrows, tubed letters and circles of flittering lights.
Old Vegas had a spectric
tinge like this. And I recall as a kid thinking that, and recognizing Kingman had something neat here, festive even.
We need chain hotels, of course, predictable and prepackaged. It’s easier on some trips, for some purposes. But small
singleton motor courts with a couple dozen rooms are still sought out by experience
driven travelers. And they are reviving a few letters at a time.
The Hill Top Motel kicked off the trend by fixing the inner electrics of their flashing cloud and applying paint to the south-facing side. The north-face has yet to be prettied
up, but its nightly glow is no less fantastic.
In March, El Trovadore Motel refurbished both of their mid 20th
century neon lures; a roadside box and Eiffel Tower jutting from a little hill just behind
the motel. Warfarers will see this beauty some two or
three miles out.
The Route 66 Motel isn’t far behind. The owner landed a
grant to help regain the glory of her neon gold (really, it boasts amber
flashing lights around the central ‘Route 66’). Some prep work has already begun!
By this summer, a night cruise down Andy Devine (aka Route 66) will deliver an art
deco, nostalgia experience.
