Astro Motel (Demolished)
Fresno, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Just the name Astro Motel conjures up images of spaceports, flying cars, and even the Jetsons' dog. Check out the radiant orb above this Fresno motel sign, perhaps transmitting interplanetary messages to anyone cruising along old Highway 99. If there was intelligent life out there, this sign was certainly trying to get its attention.

The space-age orb was more than a collection of neon circles. Its rings lit in sequence from small to large, creating the appearance of a pulsing transmission above the roadside. A room for the night and a message from another galaxy. Not a bad combination for travelers making their way through the Central Valley.

Astro Motel
Fresno, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The motel office joined in on the fun with a decorative shape resembling a martini glass. Between that and the animated sign, the Astro offered plenty of Googie flavor along North Parkway Drive. This stretch was once lined with motels competing for Highway 99 traffic, but few could claim their own flashing orb in the sky.

UPDATE: The Astro Motel was demolished in April 2015 to clear land for the California High-Speed Rail project. Its animated neon sign was also removed and apparently not saved. Another piece of Fresno's old motel row disappeared, and the interplanetary transmissions have gone silent. 09-26

Cinderella Motel
Hollister, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Traveling along San Felipe Road in Hollister, check out the roadside sign for the Cinderella Motel. The sign may not look especially Cinderella-like, but its curved top and flowing script lettering add a little storybook flavor. No glass slipper, pumpkin coach, or fairy godmother seems to be hanging around, though perhaps they checked out earlier.

The fantasy theme becomes more obvious once inside the motel. Individual rooms have carried names such as Princess, Little Mermaid, and Jungle, giving travelers something different from the usual collection of numbered doors. It is a quirky touch that fits the Cinderella name, even if a few of the themes wander beyond the original fairy tale.

Cinderella Motel
Hollister, CA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Christine Busk and her family took over the 20-room motel in 1978 and operated it for more than four decades. Along with the guest rooms, the property includes a manager’s residence and a group of storage units. The small independent motel became a familiar sight for travelers heading into Hollister or continuing toward San Juan Bautista and Pinnacles National Park.

UPDATE: The Cinderella Motel property has since been sold, ending the Busk family’s long ownership. The motel remains open under new operators, offering its vintage roadside atmosphere along with updated amenities such as Wi-Fi, pet-friendly rooms, and a seasonal swimming pool. The Cinderella name continues along San Felipe Road, so this particular roadside fairy tale is not over yet. 09-26

White's Motel (Demolished)
Mojave, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Here's White's Motel in Mojave, not far from the airplane graveyard. Check out the tall marquee and its rather prominent promise of “TELEVISION.” That one word says quite a bit about the era this sign came from. A television in the room was modern enough to earn a large illuminated panel of its own.

White's began as White's Modern Cabins and grew into a one-stop complex with lodging, a cafe, gasoline, and automobile service. Its location at the meeting of several desert highways made it a handy place to pause between Los Angeles, Death Valley, and the High Sierra. An old postcard listed the telephone number simply as “14.”

Whites Motel Annex Sign
Mojave, CA
Photo courtesy Dan MacPherson

The motel also appears in Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild. She stayed here while packing her gear before setting out on the Pacific Crest Trail. A night at White's was the last bit of indoor comfort before a much longer walk through the desert.

UPDATE: White's Motel in Mojave is now gone. Many thanks to Dave van Hulsteyn for update. 02-08

UPDATE: The "Whites Motel" "Television" neon is no longer standing in Mojave. The motel has been taken over by a chain. This photo of the remnants of this annex neon in a vacant lot behind the motel was taken a few years earlier. Many thanks to Dan MacPherson for annex photo and update. 12-08

UPDATE: White's Motel and its old cabins have been demolished, with the property later redeveloped for chain motel use. The large “TELEVISION” marquee was gone by February 2008, and the smaller White's Motel Annex sign also disappeared. 09-26

Desert Star Motel (Rem.)
"Sleep off the Hi-Way"
Bakersfield, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

It's amazing how much a place can change in just a few years. Travelers along old Highway 99 once found a huge neon marquee pointing the way into the Desert Star Motel. Along with the motel name, it offered the inviting promise, “Sleep off the Hi-Way.” After a long day of driving, that probably sounded like a pretty good idea.

Vintage postcards show the Desert Star with tall palm trees, a swimming pool, and its large red roadside sign standing along South Union Avenue. The curved slogan panel and arrow gave the marquee a little personality while directing tired motorists toward the rooms.

Well, the moniker may still be around, but only on a very small plastic sign. Hmm... which version of this sign would be best at catching the eye of potential visitors?

Desert Star Motel (Original Sign Gone)
Bakersfield, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Desert Star name and old slogan eventually survived on a much smaller backlit plastic sign. It still identified the motel, but the roadside drama was gone. Hmm... which version would have been better at catching the eye of potential guests?

UPDATE: The original neon marquee has been removed and replaced with a small plastic sign. The motel buildings remain on South Union Avenue, though the property became the subject of a federal criminal case that resulted in the former owner's 2023 sentencing for participation in a sex-trafficking operation. 09-26