Cozy up to the “Decorator Who Knew Too Much”

July 17, 2017 editor

Expecting a romantic getaway with work as a sideline, Madison Night accepts an assignment in Palm Springs with her hunky handyman/now boyfriend Hudson James. But after spotting a body in the river the work vacation takes a bad turn. Madison is still dealing with PTSD and seeing a dead body and being mistrusted because the body can’t be found causes her to clash with her boyfriend’s brother-in-law and question herself. The hint of a triangle drama continues even though she had to choose between two men in the previous book.…

Retro Travel

100 Things to Do On Route 66 Before You Die

May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 Jim Hinckleyretro travel, route 66, travel

Recently a publisher, on recommendation of Jim Ross, approached me with an intriguing proposal – write a book about Route 66 that is in essence a bucket list. The challenge fascinated me. How do you whittle down America’s longest attraction, a 2,000 mile corridor of fascinating museums, quirky folk art parks, historic sites, renovated motels, ghost towns, dynamic cities, time capsule restaurants and diners, and breathtaking natural attractions into a list of one hundred must see locations? I accepted the challenge and the result is a fun new book scheduled for…

Lifestyle Preservation

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

February 6, 2017March 6, 2017 Jim Hinckley

Nostalgia is often described as a wistful desire to return to a former time, an era when things were simpler, better, less stressful, more fun (insert your descriptor here). The truth, however, is that regardless of the period of time you live in or where you live it is the best of times and the worst of times. Nostalgia is a great deal like vintage pictures, it is one dimensional, a moment in time taken out of context. The cover photo, provided courtesy of the Mohave Museum of History & Arts,…

Retro Travel

Good friends, good times, grand adventures, and exciting times

October 31, 2016December 19, 2016 Jim Hinckley1950, 50's, retro travel, route 66

The good folks at the City of Kingman, Josh Noble, the tourism director, Ray Cullison and the Kingsmen, and the volunteers who labored so hard to make the recent Best of the West on 66 Festival a success deserve a hearty thank you.The good folks at the City of Kingman, Josh Noble, the tourism director, Ray Cullison and the Kingsmen, and the volunteers who labored so hard to make the recent Best of the West on 66 Festival a success deserve a hearty thank you. It was a delightful and…

Retro Travel

Two great Route 66 Exhibits in New Mexico – Catch them before they’re gone!

September 22, 2016 editorMid Century fan stuff, mid century motels, mid-century, retro travel, route 66

Route 66: Radiance, Rust, and Revival on the Mother Road Until October 2nd at the Albuquerque History Museum and conceived in honor of the 90th anniversary of Route 66, this exhibition celebrates the art, history and popular culture of the iconic Mother Road. Too often the history of Route 66 in Albuquerque has been overlooked, even though our city sits at the center of the Southwestern leg of the route and boasts, at 16 miles, the longest single-city urban stretch of the highway in the nation. We are also the only…

Retro Travel

Andaluz Hotel the pride of Albuquerque’s Route 66

August 30, 2016August 30, 2016 editor

In 1887, Conrad Hilton was born right in New Mexico. Eventually he would become the owner of the grand Hilton hotel chain, but in between then, he did a great many things. From being a Representative in the New Mexico Legislature when the state was newly formed to serving two years in the U.S. Army, Conrad Hilton was a man of many experiences. It wasn’t until 1939 that he returned to his home state of New Mexico and built the Hilton Hotel (what is now Hotel Andaluz). The hotel was…

Retro Travel

The Blue Whale

July 23, 2016July 23, 2016 editor

A favorite stop along Route 66 is the Blue Whale. Folk art stops like this make Route 66 fun to travel – but you have to wonder why it’s there? Built in 1972 as an anniversary gift, the Blue Whale quickly evolved into a local summer hot spot and family travel destination. Almost immediately the whale began attracting people who wanted to fling themselves off his tail, slide down his water-coated fins and poke their heads out the holes in the whale’s head. Travelers stopped by to picnic, swim, or…

Preservation

Help save a hip Wisconsin Motel

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016 editor50's, architecture, mid century motels, preservation

We love preservation efforts here at Mid Century Style Magazine and Motels are our secret passion – ok, maybe not so secret! 🙂 Christi and Mike are trying to save a fabulous atomic Motel in the Bayfield/Ashland area of Wisconsin and if you help them out you can get room credit for a great spot on Lake Superior when the motel opens! Christi is a former restaurant server and currently a vintage reseller in a shop in Stillwater, MN and on Etsy and Mike is a retired elementary school teacher who also worked…

Architecture Preservation

Lighting of the green at the Boots Motel!

April 15, 2016 editor40's, mid-century, midcentury, motel, motels, neon, preservation, route 66, savetheneonsigns, travel

We’ve been watching the restoration of the Boots Court Motel in Joplin, Missouri for years, from the “Save the Boots Motel campaign”, until they reopened in 2012 and we got to visit and check it out in June 2011. This latest, and possibly the last piece of the renovation not only highlights what a great job they’re doing for preservation of the motel, but for renovation all along Route 66! “Bringing back the neon” was not invented in the movie “Cars” but it’s an important step to bringing back the…

Retro Travel

Motel Monday – Capitol Skyline Hotel, Washington DC

March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 editor1950, Architectural styles, architecture, mid century motels, retro, Washington, Washington DC

The Capitol Skyline Hotel is a hotel located near the United States Capitol in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. Designed by Morris Lapidus, the hotel opened in November 1962 as the Skyline Inn. Morris Lapidus, an architect, primarily known for his Neo-baroque “Miami Modern” hotels constructed in the 1950s and 60s. A Russian immigrant, living in New York, he designed over 1000 buildings during a career spanning more than 50 years. In 2002, the Rubell family (of Studio 54 fame) bought the hotel and did some major renovations to the hotel,…