In 1956 my dad drove the family from NY to Miami for an Easter vacation. We saw all the signs for hours getting to Florida. We drove through the place. Dad said “this place must cost a fortune” and we left and found a bungalow court. On the way back to NY we didn’t even stop to look.
It must’ve been much nicer, much more fun back then, though.
I’d heard about the place from my folks and others their age, who took bus trips down south and stopped at S.O.B. to shop. They all raved about it.
So, a couple of years ago, when my kids and I passed all those signs, I was expecting something quite different. Instead, it was empty and run down.
At one point, though, I was driving around a section of motel rooms. An older man smiled at me, pointed at the door of his room, and said, “I would never stay anywhere else.”
So, it seems S.O.B. is very nostalgic for many people. Every city or state has a place like that, that some people see as special, just because of the memories there.