Third-World Lodging in First-World City

Filed Under (Travel Babel) by Admin on 03-06-2009

Gross motel squats on grade-A location across from the Santa Monica Pier

Sometimes I’m in too much of a hurry for my own good — like last week, when I needed a last-minute, one-night reservation in Santa Monica. I went online and booked a room for $89 (normally $149, according to the website) at the Pacific Sands Motel. In the online pictures, the place looked simple but OK. I wish that I’d read through previous visitors’ reviews on various travel sites before booking there. It is without question the worst dump I’ve ever stayed in, in the United States — bar none. I considered taking pictures, but at the time, I didn’t think I wanted to document how bad it was. But since I’m still sufficiently irritated to write a post four days after checking out, I wish I had.

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A town hotel is just a memory

Filed Under (World Travel) by Admin on 03-06-2009

It isnt the trolley car that catches my attention in this old photograph of another era in downtown Charleroi, Pa.

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Three Free Weekends in US National Parks

Filed Under (Travel Babel) by Admin on 03-06-2009

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