Sunday, May 20, 2007

The Shadow Of Your Smile - Sandpiper Lodge

Now let’s travel about 300 miles north of Anaheim, on good old Highway 99. Here we are in Merced, at the site of that cities newest motel, The Sandpiper. Not sure if the inspiration came from the Burton-Taylor film of the same name or was simply a wistful reference to the beautiful Pacific Ocean which was (and still is) only about 200 miles to the West.

The Sandpiper had rooms for the budget-conscious as well as luxurious suites for those better off. Each room was “…elegantly appointed and magnificently furnished and equipped with individually controlled heat and refrigeration.” There was a “…Bridal Suite, Conference Room, and Background Music”..? Phone RA 3-1034 to reserve your room.


Aahhhh…What a (non) difference 45 years can make. The Sandpiper still stands in most of its original livery, the pool is still heated, the parking lot had some fairly new cars parked in it and business appears to be OK. Only one thing I’m not sure of: do they still have Background Music?

4 comments:

Synthetrix said...

It's nice to see a motel that has not been radically altered over the years. I guess that's because it's Merced and not Anaheim .

walterworld said...

Yes - What a shame that Anaheim couldn't have seen the benefit of sprucing up the area (burying the telephone poles and such) but retaining the unique and wonderful signage that was abundant around the park...

Synthetrix said...

It's a mixed bag on Anaheim. As much as I loved that old signage, the area had really become run-down looking and not attractive to tourists. Most people were not into the wacky themes etc. They had become dated and the resort needed a fresh look to get people coming back to it after D-Land's attendance numbers dropped heavily in the 90s. I think the area looks much nicer now, but I still lament the loss of such signs. All good things must end, but hey, that's what our sites are for. A stroll down memory lane.

Monkees!!! said...

Interesting........ I think I'll research some more.... Yeah right!