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With the rise of the automobile came increased demand for the motor hotel. These motels, as they came to be known, were meant to be cheap, easy to access, and strategically placed along major roadways to target the motorized traveller. In order to distinguish themselves, their roadside signs started to become taller, flashier, each reflecting the unique theme or geography of their motel. These signs became roadside beacons, calling out to weary travellers. They became spaceships with neon tractor beams or cowboys with neon lassos, roping in drivers on late-night excursions. By the 1980s, many of these classic signs were being replaced, either because of disrepair or because of changing aesthetic tastes. However, many signs from the golden age of the 1950s and 60s still stand to this day. As a travelling salesman, I am in a unique position to be able to document these noble vestages of a bygone era in my travels. After all, who knows how long these have before they are replaced with generic plastic signs like so many others. It's not just motel signs that are in danger: restaurants, bowling alleys, supermarkets and many other business utilized the neon sign during the golden age and with the economic situation some of these businesses are not going to make it. To document and archive some of the best examples of mid-century signage before they disappear would be a worthy aim, as far as I'm concerned. As long as it's unique and classic (and, of course, neon!), it has a place in this blog.