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Sheraton Hotel: Cleveland-Airport,
OH |
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Hopkins Airport: Cleveland, OH |
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With HoJopalooza having wound down
to its end, Dan and I stayed in a vintage Sheraton at Cleveland's
airport. Prior to taking on the Sheraton name, the
hotel had been a two story affair. After becoming a Sheraton,
the high-rise section was built and part of the original two
story section was razed. Recently the property underwent substantial
renovations, and serves as a convenient place for travelers
planning to fly in or out of the airport.
It was here that Dan and I parted--he
flew back to his home and I took off by car, bound for the South.
Even though the trip was officially over, I had several more
significant HoJo's sightings along the way!
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Former HoJo's: Mansfield, OH |
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| Not a planned stop,
Mansfield was an afterthought suggested by
Dan. Only listed in directories as being south of Mansfield on
U.S. 42, I had little hope of seeing anything. After passing
through the town of Mansfield, I had come to the southern edge
and thought that the former HoJo's was long gone, but boy was
I wrong! All of a sudden, there it was gleaming in all of its
Orange Roofed glory. Called Darrensburger's, it is named for
its original Howard Johnson's franchisee. Today the Restaurant
is owned and managed by the daughter of its founder. Darrensburger's
is as close as it gets to a real Howard Johnson's Restaurant! |
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Howard Johnson: Cincinnati-East, OH |
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| The stop in Mansfield
took about two hours from the day, so I hurried on through Columbus
without stopping to see South. Arriving in the Cincinnati area,
I stopped to find the East location which was built without a Gate
Lodge or Mansard Lobby. Phil Edwards had seen and documented
it in 2003, but I wanted to take a quick look too. Unfortunately
I lost the roll of film that contained pictures of it from the
trip. |
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Tennessee's last authentic Motor
Lodge, Nashville-West is as good as it gets! Set high on a hill, Motorists can still
spot its Orange Roofed Gate Lodge as they speed by. Although
its Gate Lodge was squared off and a small amount of stuccoization
has occurred, Nashville-West might be the best surviving example
of a still branded Howard Johnson. While not as clean as Vero
Beach, it contained all of the elements to make it a must stay.
Unfortunately the former Restaurant
is nasty. It is more beer/Karaoke joint than eatery. When I walked
in, the place grew silent, and the waitress/cook/owner, with
a grunt, reluctantly seated me . I picked up a menu that was
covered with food gunk--I should have left but did not! Instead
I ordered chicken that was served partially frozen while Bubba,
Bubba, and Bubba stared at me. The next morning I headed down
the hill to have breakfast in a Cracker Barrel!
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Howard Johnson: Nashville-West, TN |
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Howard Johnson: Nashville-West, TN |
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Admiral Benbow, Memphis, TN |
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| About an hour west
of Nashville, the weather cleared up for the rest of the ride
back to Louisiana. Once I reached the outskirts of Memphis, I
exited the Interstate and took Summer Avenue into town. Once it
was a main route and a host of businesses sprang up to serve the
motoring public. Many of the early chains could once have been
found along the route. Little remains today. The Admiral Benbow
Inn is one of the lone survivors of those entities. The Morrison
Cafeteria chain owned the Admiral Benbow name, and had built the
brand into a small regional chain. Just south of Downtown Memphis,
I discovered the sad remains of the Howard Johnson's-Downtown. Already documented
by Phil Edwards, it has deteriorated considerably more since his
visit. The Memphis Airport location is in bad shape also,
but still open. Many of the rooms have plywood over the windows,
and one of the guest buildings looks to have been abandoned. After
I get the film developed I'll post some more pictures of it. Almost
home, my last HoJo's sighting was Jackson,
MS. Although still open, its fortunes must be failing. Last
branded as a Super 8, it was operating sans-a-brand with little
hope of attracting the passing motorist searching to be "Rest
Assured." |
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Former HoJo's: Memphis-Downtown, TN |
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Former HoJo's: Memphis-Airport, TN |
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