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Rooms nostalgic, not plush
HOLBROOK - If you were to focus on the door, ignoring the quirky architecture that drew you here in the first place, you might think you’re entering a Hobbit-hole.
The door is on the smallish side, wedged behind an inverted V made of thick, rounded concrete. Take care to duck as you enter, even if you’re of average stature.
The odd nature of the door makes sense when taken into context. You’re stepping through a faux tent flap into a concrete tepee, one of the 15 at the Wigwam Motel.
The lodging/roadside attraction opened in May 1950, when thousands of motorists passed by each day on Route 66.
Those glory days are long gone — Route 66 is now the rather mundane Hopi Drive — but the rooms look much the way they did nearly 67 years ago. That goes for the interior and the amenities, but people visit the Wigwam Motel for nostalgia, not robes and a mini-bar.
And no, there are neither robes nor mini-bars. And no coffeemakers, refrigerators, microwave ovens or hair dryers.
Enough of what the Wigwam doesn’t have.
What it does have attracts guests from throughout the United States: novelty and charm. International guests visit to see Americana in its purest form.
Once through the door, the feeling that you are abnormally tall continues. It’s partly due to the one small window at about waist height. And then there are the circular walls, curving inward toward the 8-foot ceiling.
The narrowing walls make the bathroom slightly claustrophobic, but you have to admire how designers put a toilet, sink and shower into a concave THE GREAT WALL