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

Invading Indian Territory: The Wigwam Village Motels

Hi-how-are-ya! Hi-how-are-ya! Hi-how-are-ya!  When was the last time you immersed yourself fully in the indigenous culture of your country?  When last did you slough off the cares of our modern, workaday world for the purposes of cultural appreciation and personal enrichment?  I am always open to a spiritual awakening - an opportunity to open my heart and mind.  I embrace the chance to really "walk a mile in another man's moccasins," as it were.  In search of such an experience, I sought out, nay, I was called to the Wigwam Villages of San Bernardino, CA and Holbrook, AZ.  The Wigwam Villages were the vision of  Frank Redford, a Kentucky native, who built his first wigwam in 1933 to capitalize on his collection of Native American artifacts.  What started out as a roadside attraction dedicated to Indian culture soon turned into a motel concept and The Wigwam Village Motel was born.  In total, seven Wigwam Villages were built from Kentucky to California.  For the purposes of this blog post, we will be using the terms "wigwam" and "teepee" interchangeably - just to keep it authentic!

Wigwam Village Motel #7 - "Do it in a Tee Pee!"

Wigwam Village #7 (est.1949) in San Bernardino, CA is a veritable diamond in the rough.  This is not a stale cliche - "rough" is an accurate description of the surrounding area.  My mother's people are from San Bernardino; I can remember the dreamy days we spent with my great-grandmother and great-aunt in their turn-of-the-Century, San Bernardino homes.  The area, while decidedly working class, felt old-timey and safe. Unfortunately, the last few decades have been less than kind to San Bernardino.  Yet, somehow, it felt good to be there - especially in a teepee!

The Happy Hunting Ground

In Indian territory

The wigwam

The interior did not fulfill my dreams of peace pipes and smoke signals.
In fact, the furnishings did not speak to Native American heritage at all.

Rating: ^^^^^^^^^ (9 wigwams) - The facilities are well-maintained and the staff is very courteous and seemed genuinely happy to have us.  They allowed us early check-in, gave us recommendations for places to eat and even took our photo and added it to their Facebook page!  A one-wigwam deduction was taken for the boring, standard motel furnishings.

Wigwam Village Motel #6 - "Have you slept in a Wigwam Lately?"

Wigwam Village #6 in Holbrook, AZ was built in 1942 by Charles Lewis as a wigwam franchise.  According to the motel website, the payments to Frank Redford as franchise fees consisted of the dimes collected from the pay-radios installed in each teepee!  We liked the exterior of these wigwams better than the San Bernardino location as they look like the picture postcards from the 40's.

A teepee-cal teepee

Vintage automobiles enhanced the motel's Route 66 credibility and character.

The custom, metal benches outside the teepees were a reminder of  our  path.

King of the castle teepee!

We were happy to learn that the room's furnishings, including the quirky,

 bedside lamp and desk/vanity were all original.

Native American Art

The room was surprisingly roomy - enough for two beds.

My biggest complaint was the distracting, southwestern bedding!

Wigwams by day...

...and wigwams by night...

Rating: ^^^^^^^^^ (9 wigwams) - It is hard not to give a perfect 10 to a motel that has operated for nearly 70 years by maintaining the look and feel of true, vintage-American roadside/Route 66 history.  Really, who doesn't want to sleep in a wigwam?  A single wigwam deduction was given for a less-than-immaculate bathroom, proximity to the bustling railroad tracks (all-night freight trains) and those terrible, I mean terrible, bedspreads.  The staff was accommodating, the sleeping quarters were tidy (bonus point for the original art/furniture), the exterior of the wigwams were well-maintained and the vintage cars added greatly to the atmosphere.

Wigwam Village numbers 6 and 7 are independently owned and share only a common history.  Beyond the San Bernardino and Holbrook motels, there is only one other remaining Wigwam Village.  Wigwam Village #2 is located in Cave City, KY which means just one thing - we'll be seeing you in Kentucky for another authentically-Native American experience.  How!!!

Wigwam Village #6

811 West Hopi Dr.

Holbrook, AZ

(928)524-3048

galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam

Wigwam Village #7

2728 W. Foothill Blvd.

San Bernardino, CA

(909)875-3005

wigwammotel.com

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Signs of the Times: A Road Trip Retrospective

The American landscape is both beautiful and unpredictable.  My sister, my 13-month-old nephew and I found this out after we planned a two-week adventure across country to visit my brother-in-law; he is engaged in Military Police training before his unit is deployed to Guantanamo Bay.  We set out just as Missouri, our ultimate destination, was being ravaged by tornadoes.  Moreover, our itinerary had us driving directly through the threatened areas of Oklahoma. 

Astute problem solvers that we are, we decided not to continue the trip as planned, but instead explore the American Southwest - namely Arizona and New Mexico. 

We had already decided to travel along as much of the old Route 66 as was practical.  Our adventure along Route 66 began in the Barstow area and I immediately began snapping photos of the cool wacky tacky signs that had starting cropping up along the roadside.  The major stops along our route included Oatman, Kingman, Seligman, Williams, The Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona, Holbrook, The Painted Desert/Petrified Forest, Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Quartzite (all in AZ) and Gallup, Albuquerque, Truth or Consequences and Las Cruces (NM).

The Painted Desert

Sedona, AZ

The Grand Canyon

Instead of boring you with an endless travelogue or  countless photos of geological formations, I thought I'd share a compilation of the Southwest's best roadside signs and dinosaurs (that we encountered).  Forgive my proto-novice camera abilities; it may seem impossible to take a bad picture of The Grand Canyon, but I managed...

Wigwam Motel #6 - Holbrook, AZ

Juan "El Payaso"

"Dead Chicken" is actually the best item on the menu.

Burma-Shave signs are alive and well along Route 66. 

I captured Fred at The Flinstone Campground - just barely...

A taste of the Southwest.

I'm pretty sure this dinosaur is on the cover of a vintage roadside book that I have

Dinosaurs were EVERYWHERE!!

Who knew the Indians were so kinky?

The El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, NM was built by D.W. Griffith's brother
and hosted just about every Hollywood star of the 1930's and 40's. 

A cigar store-style Indian covered in turquoise.

Is that a skateboarding, pink dinosaur in a helmet?

Hotel Congress was built in 1919 in the "Pueblo Deco" style and was the
last hideout for John Dillinger and his gang before they were captured.

Easter Island in the middle of Tucson

This camel was a wheeler-dealer

Thanks, Petula.

The biggest surprise of the trip - the Southwest is more than giant, metal-lizard wall art, retirees and turquoise jewelry; active Route 66, unfortunately, is trading on little more than life-size cut outs of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis and Betty Boop...

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny