run-down or crime-ridden abandoned dwellings or in some cases a needed refuge for homeless.

Why the route 66 interesting motels became the ugly chain Motel 6, I'd like to know.

That's not to say some of the places weren't all of those things, but at best they were hit and miss. I can remember staying at some of those places that looked cool on the outside, but the rooms were complete shit. Others might look crappy on the outside, but the rooms were clean and the beds were comfortable.

Chain motel/hotels added practicality and predictability. You pretty much know what you're getting at various price points in terms of amenities and value.

The name stems from their original nightly room rate of $6.00, just as the Super 8 chain is named after their initial rate of $8.88


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motel_6#History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_8_Motels#History

the heyday of the classic old and interesting roadside motels. I was not, in any way, referring to Motel 6 as being connected to them--only that they are the epitome of our modern, boring, non-creative motels today. I could have said "Super8" motels--all the same.

Not at all sure how you made that connection, but that was not my intention.

Or the motel 6 today... Not sure why that is so difficult to understand, unless you know none of the history of the development of the roadside motels throughout the late 40s-60s.

It is a comparison. Obviously all those independently owned motels did not literally and financially become part of the gargantuan ugly motel 6 franchise. The point is the roadside motel phenom evolved into something really unpleasant and "cookie-cutter".

I’m reminded of a meme about the secret to happiness, and with that in mind, I’ll just say...


You are right.

clean often with a nice restaurant attached.

that flashed:

M
MO
MOT
MOTE
MOTEL

which I thought was hilarious.

Or the Poinsett Hotel here in Greenville, SC, that had three neon letters out on their neon sign a couple of years ago:

"POINSETT HO"

for the same reason chain restaurants have taken over the restaurant industry. People really like predictability.

In 1962 my mom and us five kids moved from northern New York State to Tucson, AZ. Took ten days. Not as many interstate highways, we were in a '58 VW bus and it didn't go very fast. Stopping for the night was always a crapshoot. There were sufficient motels along the way, but cleanliness and the like varied wildly. Same with stopping to eat. Almost no chain restaurants, and Mom didn't want to spend too much money, not with needing to feed six people. What I recall most vividly is that almost no restaurants gave free coffee refills. Mom would get charged, probably a quarter back then, for each cup poured.

El Cosmico has it all! Tepees and yurts. Vintage trailers. A Cosmic Kasita. Safari tents and self-camping. A hammock grove. All this at a location next to the Chinati Institute's main Judd exhibits at the old bomber base. And relatively posh accomodations in the downtown Brite Building, which is now owned by El Cosmico.

I took these photos last month in Marfa, Texas. I did not stay at El Cosmico, only because I did not discover it until my last day in Marfa. Next time, I think I'll go for the suite in the Brite Building (1930 - L.G. Knipe), knowing that there is an Andy Warhol exhibit (The Last Supper) just below me - in the Ayn Foundation Gallery - on the ground floor.


Tepees at El Cosmico


Hammock Grove and bath house


Yurts, vintage trailers, and the Cosmic Kasita


The Brite Building, downtown Marfa

Photos @2018 Bo Zarts Studio (DemoTex)