strolling in style

 

The call for entries is out for the annual "Putting on the Dog" photography exhibit.  All year, every place I've gone, I'm on the look-out for dogs.  I spotted this pair of Maltese in Hot Springs.  While I'm pounding the sidewalk on Bathhouse Row getting all sweaty, these pampered pups are being pushed-- with portable shade and a built-in water bowl! It's certainly "a dog's life" for these two.

 

Hot Springs, Arkansas

9.9.2013

gradys -- going, going, gone

 

 

When the Majestic Hotel was bustling, Gradys Grill & Bar was the place to be.  Now the arrow points to a deteriorating building with false promises of renovations.  The built-in booths are still in place but the only patrons now are pigeons and mice. The Velda Rose, a newer hotel built in 1964, also stands vacant  It is a prime destination for the ghosts tour.   One enterprising photographer spent his time in Hot Springs shooting the signs -- wish I had thought to capture more of them myself.

 

Gradys Grill & Bar

101 Park Avenue

Hot Springs, Arkansas

9.11.2013

majestic no more

 

 

The Majestic Bath House and Resort Spa is one the faded grand dames of Hot Springs.  Its history from construction in the 1800s to closure in 2006 covers the spas, baseball celebrities, gangsters and gambling.  Photographers who like old and abandoned buildings will be envious of Walter Arnold who had legal access and a key to the door to photograph the hotel and its demise. (We even had the same thought of shooting the facade through the awning struts.)

 

Majestic Hotel

101 Central Avenue

Hot Springs, Arkansas

9.11.2013

101 Central Avenue

line-up

 

My heart beat a little faster when I spotted these lawn chairs lined up against the chartreuse wall -- even with the wooden barstool impostor hiding behind the telephone pole.

 

No Name Drive-in

East Grand Avenue

Hot Springs, Arkansas

9.11.2013

false advertising

 

 

This souvenir shop did not actually carry cameras and film -- I checked.  The digital age has put a crimp in that inventory.  They did have t-shirts and caps galore, would imprint your penny with "Hot Springs" and have the Wizard tell your fortune.

 

Souvenir Shop

334 Central Avenue

Hot Springs, Arkansas 

famous BBQ

 

 

McClard's was known for great barbecue before Bill Clinton made it famous.  If you want a photo of the place, get up early before the cars congregate all around the block.  Opened in 1928, the barbecue sauce is based on a secret recipe offered by a destitute guest in exchange for the rates at the motor court.  The cafe soon surpassed the motel.

 

McClard's Bar-B-Q

505 Albert Pike

Hot Springs, Arkansas



towers 1

 

As I drove south on Park Avenue I wondered if the Tower Motel took its name from the spire of the Park Place Baptist Church down the street.  On the return trip driving north on Park Avenue, I discovered the answer:

 

towers 2

 

The Tower Motel must be named for the turret of the Queen Anne house next door.  It looks like the estate grounds were sold off for the motel.  For a vintage motel, it didn't look too bad.  The "God Bless America" is supported by the Statue of Liberty on the front porch.  The Short-Dodson house was built in 1902 -- the heyday of Hot Springs.  Just blocks down the street is the childhood home of Bill Clinton.

 

Tower Motel

755 Park Avenue

Hot Springs, Arkansas

 

 

 

 

 

 



blue chair and awning

 

The Buckstaff Bath House is one of two bath house still in operation at the Hot Springs Historic District.  The location has been in business since opening in 1912. 

 

Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs, Arkansas