Wednesday, August 16, 2006

the Midway Motel: direct color TV in every room
















As promised, here are a few photos of the signage at the Midway Motel, Snelling's finest (well, only, I think) motel. The neon arrow is a real peach, especially when lit up at night. I must return after dark. The use of arrows is an interesting aspect of motel and other road signage, and serves the practical purpose of enticing weary drivers in from the road. The details that the signs offer about TV are really nice. Not only do the rooms have "DIRECT TV," they also have "COLOR TV," which was no doubt a plus back in the 1970s (color TV became widely available just about then, I believe). This sign would vie with the sign at the Turf Club (which I really must get out and photograph) as the best sign in the Snelling area. As the larger "MIDWAY MOTEL" sign indicates, there are currently vacancies at the Midway. I’ve never stayed there but having popped in to use the pop machine I can report that the workers there are really nice. I've seen the "No Vacancies" sign lit up several times in the past, usually when the state fair or the retro motor festival is on.