Puttin' on the Ritz

A couple of other Ritz's, that is.

The top linen card, the Ritz of Muldraugh, Kentucky, is advertised as being "completely air-conditioned," and as having a "clean rest room."  It specialized in "Southern style cooking for tourists."

The Ritz Plaza on the bottom is located in Terre Haute, Indiana.  It was right next to the Howard Johnson's, and had RCA 21" televisions in all the rooms, not to mention wall-to-wall carpeting.

Two great examples aspiring, but not quite reaching the caliber of the real Ritz's, which were the hotels in the Ritz-Carlton chain starting way back in 1918!

All Hail Caesar!

Once upon a time, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas may have been a little bit alone on the Strip.  The place wasn't as built up, back when this postcard was produced just after 1966, when it opened.  But, did it really look that desolate back then?

I don't think so!  Look closely, and I think you'll agree.  The desert background, in both top and bottom shots, is exactly the same.  The crafty graphic designer cut out the two views of the hotel (old school, way before Photoshop, way before personal computers) and plopped them onto the same background.  It's especially obvious on the left hand side of the pictures, where you can see the same mountain rise in the distance, and the same road going off into the vanishing point with an asphalt area to its left!  Maybe this would be an acceptable practice for pictures on two different postcards, but for two pictures on the same postcard?  This graphic artist should have had his license revoked!!

Accordion Time

As the back of this card from the 50's-60's says, "Introduce your child now to the delight and satisfaction of the accordion."

Or, just give 'em an iPad.  The more things change, the more they stay the same (or is the other way around??)

Sand Man

No message on the back.  Don't know where this postcard came from or was sold.  But, it's been in the 90's for 4 days straight, with two more forecasted, so I looked at my collection of "Bad Postcards" and selected this one.  How'd you like to join this family at the beach and help build the Sand Man.

Or, maybe check these pictures instead: Sand Castle Images

A New Kitchen

I'm posting this card in honor of the groundbreaking of our new kitchen renovation at home.  After planning and saving for several years, it's time for the old floor, counters, cabinets, and appliances to go!!

Youngstown Pressed Steel Kitchens were the #1 brand of steel kitchen cabinets across America in the postwar period.  Don't leave this page until you've watched this video, that they made in 1953 with the "Mullionaires" to rally their sales troops.  Be sure to sing along with the bouncing ball!

Summer Dining

Time for summer shack dining!  Let's meet up at the Seminole Restaurant in Clewiston, Florida for some catfish and hush puppies.

The "Flagship" of Holiday Inns

This Holiday Inn on 57th St. in New York City is advertised as the "flagship" of Holiday Inns, but I'm not sure why.  Sure, it's got a lot of rooms, and it's in the biggest city where "The World's Innkeeper" has inns, but I don't think it was that awesome.

I'm including the card as a tip 'o the hat to a best friend from high school, with whom I made a trip to NYC for the first time in 1980.  We had a great time, leaving on a 3:00am Greyhound bus from Portland, ME, for the long weekend.  After a few years, we drifted apart, but managed to reconnect last weekend for dinner after about 30 years.  Somewhat disappointed in ourselves for letting so much time slip by, I think we'll keep in better touch now!

It's still there today as a Holiday Inn, and the buildings that were there on either side are still there, although they didn't show up in the idealized postcard illustration above!