Some of them are cool buildings and its a real shame to see them disappear and get replaced with identical chain motels. A piece of America vanishing. Just like so many downtowns have been killed by Interstates which bring a boring sameness to travel. The same few restaurants. The same couple chain stores. The same few hotels. Identical looking gas stations. I remember when travel used to be a lot more interesting than it is in todays more plain vanilla and standardized America.
Same Sh+t, different town. Diversity my eye. With the advent of TV, even accents in speech are disappearing.
There is a great Rt. 66 restaurant in Tulsa.
In Pennsylvania, Rte. 30 is the "Old Pennsylvania Pike," and essentially grew from the first horse trails between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Whereas the "New" PA Turnpike (I76) goes through the mountain, Rte. 30 goes up, over and around the mountains, with many an inn, tavern or hotel along the way. I use to drive it frequently, but it's been a few years since I've been back that way...hope it is spared the same fate as Rte 66....
I agree. But if people don’t want to use them, then what is the option? Recently, my husband and I stayed in a family-owned motel built in the 1930s along what was then a major travel road. It had been beautifully maintained and had undergone renovations through the years to keep it up-to-date. We always look for these gems if we can find them. Sometimes you can’t. But if there’s not people out there like us, then there’s no other choice but for them to die.