Happily we would
have no more snow along the way! Leaving Benton Harbor, Dan decided
that we should make our way to Michigan City, IN. After a quick stop to
see Lake Michigan and enjoy the spectacular vistas offered by
Warren Dunes State Park near Sawyer, MI, we discovered that Michigan
City's HJ had become a heavily remodeled Hampton Inn. Where its
Restaurant once stood had become a grassy lot.
Information about Warren
Dunes 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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Former HoJo's: Michigan City, IN |
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Former HoJo's: South Bend, IN |
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| Though not unexpected,
finding no trace of South Bend was profoundly disappointing. A
Howard Johnson's brochure described the Motor Lodge's setting
as a "sylvan retreat." You see, the Motor Lodge/Restaurant
complex incorporated the 9 acre Blake Gardens. The vintage brochure
extolled that the greatest care had been exercised in placing
the Motor Lodge so that it would blend in perfectly with the
lake and gardens. All bull-dozed, the site became a parking lot
and grandiose Comfort Suits. |
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Foreign to many Americans, toll
roads are a fixture in the Northeast and Midwest. Before
the days of the Interstate Highway System, toll roads were seen
as a primary means of financing highways. Starting with the Pennsylvania
Turnpike, just prior to WWII, Howard Johnson's aligned itself
with the futuristic limited access high-speed super-highways.
Motorists could travel in comfort and with speed!
Of the toll highways linked
from the East coast to Illinois, only the Indiana Toll
Road would never boast of having Howard Johnson's. Nonetheless
the 1950s era Travel Plazas are worth a look. While some
have been modified considerable, others like the one seen
here have nearly original exteriors.
Not long after the Ohio Turnpike opened, Howard D. Johnson received
the keys to six service plazas in a ceremony in 1956 to mark
HoJo's preeminence along our Nations Toll Highways. On a massive
rebuilding spree only a couple of the original service plazas
remained by 2004, and they will soon have been replaced with
the "futuristic" one seen here.
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Travel Plaza: Indiana Toll Road |
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Indiana Toll Road
Links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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Former HoJo's: Toledo-Maumee, OH |
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Former HoJo's: Toledo-W Central, OH |
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Glad that we had been able to
visit both the old and new Service Plazas, it was decided to
head into Toledo to check out HoJo's ruins there before heading
down to Bowling Green for the night. Toledo was full of good
surprises, for all three of the original stand-alone Restaurant
buildings remain to be seen. Only the Restaurant that was with
the Toledo-Maumee Motor Lodge has been lost,
and it only recently was replaced with a Waffle House. Ghost
listings on the Internet still indicate that it is a Chinese
place. Speaking of the Motor Lodge, while it is still located
in a vibrant area, it has become a place for longer term lodgers.
Since it was an early Motor Lodge, it was not built to familiar
HoJo's standards--it's a lot like the one that was in Port Huron,
MI--worth the stop to document but not to spend the night!
The former Restaurant on West Central now specializes in breakfast,
so by the time we arrived it was closed for the day. Next stop
was nearly back into Michigan at the Telegraph Road location. Amazed, Dan and I were able to
view one of only three "colonial" remains that we would
be able to see on the trip. Having been converted into a Ground
Round, it survived the recent demise of the corporation because
it is a franchised location. On the other side of Toledo, we
found Tom's Family Restaurant. From the outside
the Orange Roof bleeds through in places, but the rest of the
exterior has been significantly altered. Dan said that the layout
was like the one in Key West--a little different from the norm
as to how the restrooms were situated. The best part was that
nearly all of the original Terrazzo floor remains--except that
the Simple Simon and the Pieman inset had been cut out. Since
were eating in the Restaurant, I walked around to see what original
remained, and as I looked at the spot in the floor where the
Simple Simon logo once had been, 'Tom' seemed annoyed that I
was even interested so I went back and sat down!
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Former HoJo's: Toledo-Telegraph, OH |
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Former HoJo's: Toledo-Woodville, OH |
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| Having had a full
day of travel and HoJo's remains sightings, we contentedly made
our way down to Bowling Green. The exit along I-75 where the
Howard Johnson's was located is a busy one. In addition to travelers
and regular visitors, businesses also receive a steady stream
of patrons from Bowling Green State University which is just
across the street. A Dutch Pantry was located adjacent
to the HoJo's. Having fallen on hard times, only one Dutch Pantry
may still be in business. |
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Former Dutch Pantry: Bowling Green,
OH |
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| The best part of the Bowling
Green Motor Lodge was the original shower door and still functioning
double shower headed shower! Another treat was the through-the-door
Do Not Disturb/Maid Make Up Room device--its the only one Dan
and I have seen in a number of years. Unfortunately the Gate Lodge
is gone and the Restaurant lies vacant. The night we were there
the large parking area was filled up with car carriers--apparently
the former HoJo's turned Quality Inn is a popular layover for
car carrying truckers. |
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Former HoJo's: Bowling Green, OH |
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Former HoJo's: Bowling Green, OH |
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