This is part of a series of essays with photos on the last motels still standing in Reno. We previously had a series on the last motel residents of Reno. Motels, initially conceived for tourists, increasingly became a last housing option for many, due to bad credit, not enough money for deposits, or not wanting to deal with a multitude of bills and complications, or a first housing option for residents coming out of homelessness. Many motels are now being torn down, after being bought out and razed by slow to act developers, with many vacant lots now dotting the downtown landscape.
july goes quick
this motel appeared out of corner of my eye as i was driving around
a woman was smoking a cigarette on her porch as i began walking up
no one at the office
no one else around
there were plenty of cars parked for at least someone to come around, i thought
this motel seems to be so tucked away as it is towered over by the Silver Legacy and the Eldorado
sometimes, one of my favorite things about photographing these old motels is seeing the different sort of cars that are parked outside in the lots
like the lincoln for example
the deep grill on the front of it
the worn down paint job
it just all seems so fitting
they put an imaginary person into my mind of who might be the one driving it around, staying at the motel
one man emerged from his back corner room
cargo shorts
collared blue, striped golf shirt
except he didn’t get in a car, he made a quick turn behind the motel and disappeared
a couple began staring at me as I was walking around taking my last few photos
and not just noticing me, but staring at me, following my every move, and didn’t stop looking at me until i rounded the corner and left
heads on a well-oiled swivel, locked onto my every move
strange