Enjoy an eye-popping gander at the fantastic North American roadside motels of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. I am an accumulator of motel postcards, and I've made it my life's work to share them with you here.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Pyramid Motel - Phoenix, AZ
Postcard was sent April 23rd, 1967 to Hank and Zona Sandus in Naches, WA. The author, whose name is unintelligible, stayed here after watching the minor league Phoenix Giants play baseball that day.
This is about the Pyramid Motel in Phoenix, Arizona. I have no idea if it still exists as I have not been down that part of Van Buren in over 30 years. But, around 1970 or earlier my family always stayed at this motel. We started to stay there because it offered COLOR TV and was the first motel we stayed at with COLOR TV. Although we lived in Yuma at the time we would often come to Phoenix to go shopping and, later, I would come on my own to go to the movies. The people who owned the motel were Joe and Katie Suzusky (spelling). They were from Poland and started working the minute they got off the boat. They were two of the greatest people around. They kept that motel spotless-I think one could eat off of the driveway. Katie would often get down on her hands and knees with a tooth brush and clean out between the tiles in the bathroom if it needed to be done. Joe kept the pool sparkling like a diamond, I doubt if one would find a cleaner pool any where. The folks who worked for them were like family. Several were either from Poland or of Polish descent. As my Mother was second generation German-American, I was raised on sauerkraut and various forms of meat (pork, hot dogs, etc.). However, it was while taking to one of the maids - of Polish descent-who told me that they put sugar in the sauerkraut. My mother said that was true but I never knew it before then. Not a major story but just a bit of a story about how the folks were at the motel. I stayed there when my father was in the hospital before he was transferred back to Yuma where died. I also stayed there when my mother was in the same hospital for a hernia operation. Katie was so supportive at at those times. I remember I stayed there one time around Christmas and I went into the office and Katie came out with a plate of fresh made Polish cookies. Another time I rented a car to go on a trip and left my car parked at the motel for the two weeks I was gone.
The last time I can remember staying there was in 1976 before I returned to University to get Elementary Teaching certification. At that time that section of Van Buren was starting to get run down. When I went in I remember Katie telling me-in her Polish accent- "There are some very bad ladies around here now. You stay away from them and don't talk to them." That was when that portion of Van Buren was beginning to be populated with prostitutes. However, they must have been doing well as they were all dressed fancy and several had beautiful Afghan Hounds they walked up and down the street with. And, yes, I stayed away from them. Katie would have kicked me out and if she didn't Joe would have had I not done so.
I can not remember when Joe and Katie sold the motel but it was soon after that. However, I kept in touch with them for years after and also with the lady who worked for them, also of Polish descent (Waytonik).
There is no way I can tell you how precious Joe and Katie and all who worked for them were to me during those years and how much, even today, they remain some of the people who have influenced me the most. No one, but no one, worked as hard as Joe and Katie did at that motel and it was spotless. At the start of this I said, with tongue in cheek, that one could have eaten off the driveway-probably not but I doubt if there was a cleaner drive way or parking area at any motel any where. And there were few places with people as nice as Joe and Katie were.
I do not know if you have a card from the PARAMOUNT MOTEL in Branson, MO, but that is another motel I stayed at-first in 1982 and then from 1987-1994 every year. The folks who owned it were also some of the best around. R.M.
This is about the Pyramid Motel in Phoenix, Arizona. I have no idea if it still exists as I have not been down that part of Van Buren in over 30 years. But, around 1970 or earlier my family always stayed at this motel. We started to stay there because it offered COLOR TV and was the first motel we stayed at with COLOR TV. Although we lived in Yuma at the time we would often come to Phoenix to go shopping and, later, I would come on my own to go to the movies. The people who owned the motel were Joe and Katie Suzusky (spelling). They were from Poland and started working the minute they got off the boat. They were two of the greatest people around. They kept that motel spotless-I think one could eat off of the driveway. Katie would often get down on her hands and knees with a tooth brush and clean out between the tiles in the bathroom if it needed to be done. Joe kept the pool sparkling like a diamond, I doubt if one would find a cleaner pool any
ReplyDeletewhere. The folks who worked for them were like family. Several were either from Poland or of Polish descent. As my Mother was second generation German-American, I was raised on sauerkraut and various forms of meat (pork, hot dogs, etc.). However, it was while taking to one of the maids - of Polish descent-who told me that they put sugar in the sauerkraut. My mother said that was true but I never knew it before then. Not a major story but just a bit of a story about how the folks were at the motel. I stayed there when my father was in the hospital before he was transferred back to Yuma where died. I also stayed there when my mother was in the same hospital for a hernia operation. Katie was so supportive at at those times. I remember I stayed there one time around Christmas and I went into the office and Katie came out with a plate of fresh made Polish cookies. Another time I rented a car to go on a trip and left my car parked at the motel for the
two weeks I was gone.
The last time I can remember staying there was in 1976 before I returned to University to get Elementary Teaching certification. At that time that section of Van Buren was starting to get run down. When I went in I remember Katie telling me-in her Polish accent- "There are some very bad ladies around here now. You stay away from them and don't talk to them." That was when that portion of Van Buren was beginning to be populated with prostitutes. However, they must have been doing well as they were all dressed fancy and several had beautiful Afghan Hounds they walked up and down the street with. And, yes, I stayed away from them. Katie would have kicked me out and if she didn't Joe would have had I not done so.
I can not remember when Joe and Katie sold the motel but it was soon after that. However, I kept in touch with them for years after and also with the lady who worked for them, also of Polish descent (Waytonik).
There is no way I can tell you how precious Joe and Katie and all who worked for them were to me during those years and how much, even today, they remain some of the people who have influenced me the most. No one, but no one, worked as hard as Joe and Katie did at that motel and it was spotless. At the start of this I said, with tongue in cheek, that one could have eaten off the driveway-probably not but I doubt if there was a cleaner drive way or parking area at any motel any where. And there were few places with people as nice as Joe and Katie were.
I do not know if you have a card from the PARAMOUNT MOTEL in Branson, MO, but that is another motel I stayed at-first in 1982 and then from 1987-1994 every year. The folks who owned it were also some of the best around. R.M.