The best-known "full service" hotels in Canada were built before World War II and are swanky, multi-story affairs meant for wealthy passengers travelling by the railroads (they include the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the Chateau Laurie in Ottawa, the Empress in Victoria and the Fort Garry here in Winnipeg). In contrast, our budget hotels tend to be franchises of large American companies like Super 8, Days Inn, Motel 6 and Best Western.
so many feels man! Ok the best is from my childhood when every summer we'd load into the wood paneled station wagon and drive up highway 1 and stay in motels along the beach and build driftwood forts. My mom and dad would steal all the free soap. We had baskets of it at home. Hard to find a motel nowadays.
Pacific Coast Highway 1 or PCH goes up and down the California coast. Here’s a pic last week with the bomb cyclone brewing. Oh never mind no pics in comments boo
I love the PCH! I got to drive back and forth from LA to Santa Barbara back in 2003 like 3 days in a row, and that left a huge impression on me.
East coast route 1 was in my home town, and it goes all the way from Key West, FL up to the northern tip of Maine. Would be cool to go from end to end one day.
That’s it! I didn’t know there’s an east coast version and I must’ve been on it because once we drove down to Key West from Orlando in a rented convertible, that was really nice. I’ve always wanted to do the Alaska highway which goes down through Canada
PS- neglected to mention, despite the above, I still and always will love a good road-trip. During those times described above, traveling the roads with my young daughter are some of the best memories. For example, when she was four we had one of our longest road trips ever, she had a little karaoke machine that we would crank as we belted out the tunes. I dont remember where we slept or the coffee, but i do remember the music, the drive-thru zoo, driving through a sunrise in the mountains and pure happiness.
As a big road tripper fan, Ive stayed in both. As a woman though, I think my perspective is a little different. When I was young and naive and poor, there wasn’t an option. A good roadside motel was the only affordable option. An added bonus of being young and poor, I didnt even know the difference in a good cup vs bad cup of coffee. The more life I lived, the more safety and security came into play. Many motels cater not only to weary road warriors desperate for just a little shut eye, but also to traveling packs of male-dominated work crews. It only takes one or two nights being catcalled as they watch you walk into your room solo to realize how incredibly thin the doors are and how not secure the locks are. Add a child into the mix (I lived in MI and my family was in TX so many many road trips bc who could afford to fly) and the vulnerability magnifies. I started having to sacrifice affordability for safety - pack a cooler and bring your own coffee. Eventually I gave up on hopes of a good nights sleep and try to make the 26 hour drive straight-thru, resulting in a few catnaps at well light rest stops mid-day or stopping at a gas station, asking the attendant to keep an eye on your car as you park right in front of the window in order to just rest the eyes for a minute - hoping to God the gas station attendant was ‘safe’. Fortunately, these days I can afford a good hotel with a nice mattress, great pillows and a long interior corridor, which also makes it easier to ‘fake-out’ where your room is should you pick up on any creepy vibes. These days I also appreciate a good coffee or even the opportunity to purchase a Starbucks or ‘dinner’ from a little interior cafe. Anyhoo, just bringing a different perspective to the full service conversation. Safety and Security trumped affordability and bad coffee, but it wasn’t a choice - well, i guess it was a choice, just not a fair choice.
I know the feeling of having to sacrifice safety in exchange for economics, but the solo female aspect changes everything with the way this all works. That being said, I feel all of this acutely and know just what you mean about the oglers and creeps that were all around. I was fortunate to travel with another male friend on most of these very early trips, and even with that added layer of security, it was dicey for us at times. Of course, we also welcomed danger in a perverse way only older teenagers or early twenty-somethings can.
In order to stay economical in my photographic journeys, I have stayed in some very sketchy motels. Travelling as an employee of private universities, I got to travel for work, even internationally, and witnessed the massive disparity in accommodations. But I am not too high that I cannot stay in a motel to save money on a personal adventure.
If I'm traveling solo, I will absolutely stay in a motel. My standards are usually: "is this better than the warehouse I lived in for 2 years that had no heating or cooling? Yeah, probably so"
The best-known "full service" hotels in Canada were built before World War II and are swanky, multi-story affairs meant for wealthy passengers travelling by the railroads (they include the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, the Chateau Laurie in Ottawa, the Empress in Victoria and the Fort Garry here in Winnipeg). In contrast, our budget hotels tend to be franchises of large American companies like Super 8, Days Inn, Motel 6 and Best Western.
It should probably surprise nobody that the motel was "perfected" in the US, right?
Yes, and it's also not a surprise that the franchising of chain hotels and motels started there as well.
If there's something that causes congestion, we're like the best at it.
I'm just gonna leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st21dIMaGMs
Yes! Saved for later when I can watch w/sound.
Quality content
so many feels man! Ok the best is from my childhood when every summer we'd load into the wood paneled station wagon and drive up highway 1 and stay in motels along the beach and build driftwood forts. My mom and dad would steal all the free soap. We had baskets of it at home. Hard to find a motel nowadays.
Pacific Coast Highway 1 or PCH goes up and down the California coast. Here’s a pic last week with the bomb cyclone brewing. Oh never mind no pics in comments boo
I love the PCH! I got to drive back and forth from LA to Santa Barbara back in 2003 like 3 days in a row, and that left a huge impression on me.
East coast route 1 was in my home town, and it goes all the way from Key West, FL up to the northern tip of Maine. Would be cool to go from end to end one day.
That’s it! I didn’t know there’s an east coast version and I must’ve been on it because once we drove down to Key West from Orlando in a rented convertible, that was really nice. I’ve always wanted to do the Alaska highway which goes down through Canada
Yeah, Alaska heading down south would be so cool!
Like US 1? Did you grow up on the east coast, or is this another highway 1? I feel like I should know this!
I love the free soap story. I might or might not have collected freebies from hotels and restaurants during my most impoverished years.
PS- neglected to mention, despite the above, I still and always will love a good road-trip. During those times described above, traveling the roads with my young daughter are some of the best memories. For example, when she was four we had one of our longest road trips ever, she had a little karaoke machine that we would crank as we belted out the tunes. I dont remember where we slept or the coffee, but i do remember the music, the drive-thru zoo, driving through a sunrise in the mountains and pure happiness.
Karaoke in the car! Now that's a good way to do it.
As a big road tripper fan, Ive stayed in both. As a woman though, I think my perspective is a little different. When I was young and naive and poor, there wasn’t an option. A good roadside motel was the only affordable option. An added bonus of being young and poor, I didnt even know the difference in a good cup vs bad cup of coffee. The more life I lived, the more safety and security came into play. Many motels cater not only to weary road warriors desperate for just a little shut eye, but also to traveling packs of male-dominated work crews. It only takes one or two nights being catcalled as they watch you walk into your room solo to realize how incredibly thin the doors are and how not secure the locks are. Add a child into the mix (I lived in MI and my family was in TX so many many road trips bc who could afford to fly) and the vulnerability magnifies. I started having to sacrifice affordability for safety - pack a cooler and bring your own coffee. Eventually I gave up on hopes of a good nights sleep and try to make the 26 hour drive straight-thru, resulting in a few catnaps at well light rest stops mid-day or stopping at a gas station, asking the attendant to keep an eye on your car as you park right in front of the window in order to just rest the eyes for a minute - hoping to God the gas station attendant was ‘safe’. Fortunately, these days I can afford a good hotel with a nice mattress, great pillows and a long interior corridor, which also makes it easier to ‘fake-out’ where your room is should you pick up on any creepy vibes. These days I also appreciate a good coffee or even the opportunity to purchase a Starbucks or ‘dinner’ from a little interior cafe. Anyhoo, just bringing a different perspective to the full service conversation. Safety and Security trumped affordability and bad coffee, but it wasn’t a choice - well, i guess it was a choice, just not a fair choice.
I love this nuance - thanks for sharing it here!
I know the feeling of having to sacrifice safety in exchange for economics, but the solo female aspect changes everything with the way this all works. That being said, I feel all of this acutely and know just what you mean about the oglers and creeps that were all around. I was fortunate to travel with another male friend on most of these very early trips, and even with that added layer of security, it was dicey for us at times. Of course, we also welcomed danger in a perverse way only older teenagers or early twenty-somethings can.
Feels like a lifetime ago.
In order to stay economical in my photographic journeys, I have stayed in some very sketchy motels. Travelling as an employee of private universities, I got to travel for work, even internationally, and witnessed the massive disparity in accommodations. But I am not too high that I cannot stay in a motel to save money on a personal adventure.
If I'm traveling solo, I will absolutely stay in a motel. My standards are usually: "is this better than the warehouse I lived in for 2 years that had no heating or cooling? Yeah, probably so"
You pay whatever (possibly your point) and I prefer good coffee to hand and eating out (nearby).
It's really tough for me not to insist on good coffee these days.