Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Evening Intersection

Madison, Wisconsin

Around the corner from the worst Motel 6 in the world.

5 comments:

John Sarsgard said...

Nah. Ain't so. Worst one is in West Palm Beach Fla. Spent a month there one week dodging drug dealers. Portrait workshop with Jock Sturges while attempting to save money. Chair under doorknob every night.

Carl Weese said...

John, well, see, the thing is the neighborhood wasn't bad at all. Shopping district sort of at the edge where urban turns to suburban. There was a games-and-pizza theme restaurant directly across the street, loaded with families with young kids. There was no excuse for the motel to be an absolute rat hole.

The night before I'd stayed at a 6 near Wausaw that was as pristine and roomy as a mid-level chain, and cost less than this rental slum in Madison. A few days before that I stayed at another 6 in Toledo in a really dicey neighborhood that gave me pause, but the room itself was clean, tidy, ample in size, and incredibly inexpensive.

Dennis said...

Well, John that's why you should exercise your god given and house of reps approved right to register a handgun in Utah and carry it anywhere.

BIG BIG irony alert, lol.

The photo reminds of Indianopolis and inland southern California somehow.

Ed said...

I never realized there was such a disparity amongst Motel 6's. Did they leave the light on for you? :)

Carl Weese said...

Ed,Motel 6 is, I think, the cheapest of the big chains. Super 8 and Days Inn are usually 30% to 50% more expensive in any given location. These are all franchise operations now, not top-down managed single owner chains. I think the higher up you go on the payscale, the more consistent the quality the franchisers are expected to live up to.

I prefer to find independent, unaffiliated small motels, usually buildings that have been around for many decades, which are often fun to see and photograph. But I found these almost impossible to find in the midwestern states on my recent expedition. The big franchise chains seem to have a near total lock on it.