Any place you can stay while away from home - whether it's a luxury resort or an inexpensive motel - offers its own value. Watch video
The Pocahontas Motor Lodge in Williamsburg, Va., was the first inn I ever stayed as an overnight guest. I was 10 years old and traveled to the colonial city with my family. For me, staying in the motor lodge was, quite possibly, the highlight of the trip.
There were so many things to fascinate a child - the ice machine in the hallway where multiple visits were made, the beds positioned so a kid could jump from one to the other and the swimming pool we were permitted to use ... even at night!
As it would happen, I didn't get to spend too much time in the pool because my stomach turned after driving from south Jersey in a bouncy VW Squareback. (I was kept on a diet of soft-boiled eggs for a couple of days). Still, it was all so new, so different and so wonderful. And, I checked ... it's still there!
As with anything else, tastes in travel accommodations run the gamut; some folks will stay only in hotels that have five-star ratings while others will stay only where there are rock-bottom rates. I'd like to go on record as saying any place you can stay while away from home - whether it's a luxury resort or an inexpensive motel - offers its own value.
MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey
This gallery features a range of vintage hotels, motels and inns. But first, a few N.J. "accommodations" factoids:
it wasn't just Magic Fingers; it was a "relaxation service!" * The Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District notes that more than 300 motels were built in the city's shore district during the "Doo-Wop era" of the 1950s and 1960s.
* The Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, established in 1876, is recognized as the oldest continuously operating hotel in Cape May and on the east coast.
* And, are you ready for this? "Magic Fingers" vibrating beds were invented in New Jersey! The credit here goes to John Houghtaling who conceived the notion in Glen Rock in the 1950s.
Be sure to click on the captions button to read even more about these classic photos.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.
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