The "Chic" of Araby: Ali Baba Motel

It is a great feeling to be traveling mindlessly down the streets of suburban Southern California one minute and in a split second be transported to the arid climes of the Mideast.  Standing sentry over Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa, CA, the Ali Baba Motel is the stuff of myth and legend, making every visitor feel like the chicest Sheik (or Sheba) of Araby!

Ali Baba Motel - Costa Mesa, CA
Mr. Tiny, the Sheik of Failure at self-portraiture

The gleaming golden dome and the mini minarets remind drivers that California is still the land of fruits and nuts (dates and pistachios, naturally), famous for it's brilliant, if altogether anachronistic, architecture.

A view of the dome from the interior courtyard.
Don't you love the atmospheric creeping vine and those aluminum sun covers?!!
The funny part about the Ali Baba (and most roadside motels of a similar vintage) is how
 with just a few cosmetic changes the entire theme could so easily change.  Imagine the
 Capitol Dome Motel; do you think there is a sister motel in the DC area?

The magic is really in the details (like this exterior tile) that are probably
 easier to change than to maintain.  Fortunately, the Ali Baba remains
 mostly intact, setting it apart from the many themed motels that have
 been changed over the years from magic Arabian palaces to just boring,
beige Best Westerns.

A view of the oasis pool through the geometric, Islamic-style screen.
Spaces like this help me dream of really awesome 60's soirees
that are equal parts I Dream of Jeannie and The Party.

Like many of its mid-century, themed counterparts, the Ali Baba has definitely seen better days and more prestigious clientele.  Odds are that plenty of pipe smoking occurs on the premises but I think one would be hard pressed to find a proper hookah.  Moreover, I'm pretty convinced that it is the official hideout of the original forty thieves.  Nevertheless, we can dream of the Ali Baba's glory days; if I found a magic lamp it is more than likely that I'd commit one wish to seeing the Sultan's Suite (there certainly has to be a deluxe room called the "Sultan's Suite," doesn't there?) as it was in 1965.

This is how Mr. Tiny sees himself at the Ali Baba Motel.
Just the hookah, the harem, and the Sheik of Araby.

"The Sheik of Araby" - Spike Jones & His City Slickers

Do you have any wacky tacky, themed motels in your area?  What's the funniest motel in which you've stayed?

Ali Baba Motel

2250 Newport Blvd

Costa Mesa, CA

(949)645-7700

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Magic Lamp Inn

What do you get when you cross a Swiss Chalet with the Arabian Nights?  An automatic tax shelter for all of that precious, precious gold?  No, you get The Magic Lamp Inn in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

 

Open Sesame.

The Magic Lamp started its life as Lucy & John's Cafe in the 1940's along famed Route 66.  In 1955, the restaurant changed hands and after a drawing was held among employees to determine a new name, it became the "Magic Lamp Inn."  Apparently, the exotic new name did not dictate a drastic change to a heavily, lamb-based menu.  The Magic Lamp is a steak house.  It is the kind of steak house that peaked in the 1960's and, thankfully, has never felt the need to update its appearance, menu or presentation.  There is no "plating" here.  There are no micro-greens.  There is only an ironic fanciness - like money clips and floor-length fur coats.  One of my least-favorite words in the world is "classy"  but one is hard pressed to find a more fitting description for this wacky tacky eatery.  If Helen Roper finally broke Stanley down and got him to take her somewhere nice for their anniversary, odds are it would have been the Magic Lamp Inn. 

The stained glass, gold-embossed menu covers, and printed china all speak to the romantic and mystical aspects of granted wishes and arid, desert nights.  How then, do you explain this???

The interior of the restaurant is clad in wood paneling, shingles, and gabled rooflines.
Maybe this is what Aladdin wished for with one of his wishes - an alpine retreat.
We don't ask questions and we don't need answers.
We simply bask in the strangeness of it all.

My photography "skills" are woefully lacking and make it nearly impossible to present appetizing views of the food but it was actually pretty tasty.  I'm not sure if the waiter noticed, but I made every person at our table phrase their order beginning with the words, "I wish to have the..."

 

It was Erika's birthday, so she got her favorite,
Mid-East delicacy - cheesecake!

One of the signature desserts is the Chocolate Tulip Cake,
a chocolate tulip filled with chocolate mousse and garnished
 with whipped cream and berries.  Desserts are not included
in Mr. Tiny's current diet but the gang seemed to enjoy it.
It too had that 60's/70's "class" factor.

The circular cocktail lounge surrounds an oversized fire pit.  Classy.

The booths are upholstered in brass button-tufted, oxblood leather.  Classy.

These kooks in the parking lot.  Not classy.

If you ever find yourself driving down Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga, be proactive; make your own wish come true and visit the Magic Lamp Inn - magic carpet not required.

Because we went for lunch, we missed the most exciting

 part of the whole restaurant - the flaming magic lamp.

(Source)

The Magic Lamp Inn

8189 Foothill Blvd

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

(909)981-8659

magiclampinn.com

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny