[Rachelsdad]

In reading recent threads regarding the 2025 Pontiac Nats and some of the <ahem> more interesting accommodation experiences, I got to thinking that my travel stays with my classic car (or going to classic car events) are considerably different - as a whole - from my normal business travel (fly in, rental or taxi to a 3 or 4 star hotel with almost guaranteed hot water, clean sheets, comfortable mattress, working broadband and TV, and high quality food).

I searched the LOBBY for threads with "motel" in the title and came up with just a handful, but no collections of experiences, so, feeling inspired by some of the previous mentions, I thought I'd start one.

I joined POCI in 1978, after a nasty broadside accident in my '63 (yes, the one in the pic in my avatar). The accident necessitated the replacement of the driver's side fender and door, along with some other badly bent parts, and locating replacement trim. While I'd been relatively successful dealing with people over the phone and by mail (kids: no public internet in 1978!), I really wanted to attend a convention. I'd just recently retired the Bonneville for show (1979), and was eager to enter the field.

A natural procrastinator, I ended up at one of the overflow motels, and could not get a room at the convention center in Gettysburg, PA. My parents came down the second day to meet me. We had rooms at the same motel, though not adjoining. I was by myself (yeah, I can just see having my girlfriend with me at a motel when we were 19 going on 20...and what her father would have said - let alone my mother...LOL).

Being quite worldly (not) at the aforementioned ripe old age of 19 1/2 (I'm a November baby), I'd never seen a motel room bed with a coin-operated vibrating gizmo attached to it. My dad, being a Navy man from WWII, took me aside to explain that previously-omitted chapter of the facts-of-life book to me. :-)

No hot water, loud and not-quite-effective AC, and a mattress which felt like several miles of bad road...what an experience. I had a blast.

(To boot, I managed to burn up a front wheel bearing on the PA Turnpike on my way there, and my dad and I had to replace both sides on Sunday before coming home... Somehow, we found a NAPA which was open and happened to have bearings on hand for a 1963 Pontiac. I still have that tub of bearing grease, too.)

I have a couple more (I stayed in a HoJo in 2023 on my way to the POCI convention which was straight out of the mid-1960's - orange and white mod circles wallpaper and all), but I'll leave it there for now in case anyone else has a coming of age tale or other weird and wonderful motel story.