Letter From the Editor
AHOME OF DISEASE, bribery, corruption, crookedness, rape, white slavery, thievery and murder.” Those are the accusations J. Edgar Hoover, at the time
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, slung at motels in a widely circulated magazine article published in 1940. Yeah, my family stayed in our fair share of motels in the Midwest during the ’ 70s and even as a kid I knew they were sketch. The first time I ever saw a condom vending machine was in a motel bathroom.
All those things seem vaguely entertaining in the rearview mirror, and that’s where they should stay.
If you’ve traveled by car in the past several years you’ve likely noticed that the motel industry is having quite a resurgence. Or, rather, a very welcome hipster makeover. A few places I’ve patronized have had bars that offer craft beer, free apple cider doughnuts for breakfast, movie nights, fancy soaps and even nighttime bonfires. You can find one of these uncut gems just about anywhere worthwhile visiting in the U.S., and a few of the best are featured in our “Return of the Motor Lodge” feature.
Some people, of course, don’t mind going without a warm bed at night.
“I got this story about these guys who plan to ski Half Dome in Yosemite,” suggested an editor during a pitch meeting several months ago.
“You can ski Half Dome?” I asked.
“Well, it’ll be a first. These guys are legends. They’ve, like, lived in caves in Yosemite for 10 years.” “What do you mean they’ve lived in caves for 10 years?”
It’s true, one of the guys in our “Yosemite Samurai” feature, Zack Milligan, lived in park caves for years, working odd jobs for cash, being constantly hounded by rangers and going on daring rock face ascents at every opportunity. One of his expedition comrades, Jason Torlano, is a volunteer medic in Middle East war zones and a father of four. “Daddy’s home!” must carry a shit ton of relief in that man’s household.
The guy on our cover also has four kids and is in the middle of a journey, of sorts. As the highest-paid comic in Hollywood, Kevin Hart has an absolutely packed work schedule, carries the burden of 100-plus employees dependent on his success for a paycheck and must contend with the Twitter mob for every past and present transgression, all the while trying to figure out the next best decision for his own self. How does he do it? Kevin suits up early every morning and figures it out.
OK, enough romanticizing. Check out the Porsche on p. 12, our epic gift guide on p. 22 and California’s obituary on p. 42. Enjoy the issue!