Welcome to the Motel Catalina

...Such a lovely place, such a lovely face.

If you're a fan of The Eagles you probably recognize the lyrics from the song "Hotel California." I'm not going to bother with a discussion on that song at the moment. However, I do wish to talk about a premier traveling destination on Indianapolis's West side called the Catalina Motel. I used to drive by this motel every day on the way to and from work. It's located on US Highway 40--also known as the "Historic National Road." In fact, my latest commute route takes me by this establishment on the way home just about every day.

While some hotels (or "motels" in this case) entice today's weary traveler with high-speed Internet access, work-out facilities and a complimentary breakfast, The Catalina Motel sticks to the basics like POOL, TRUCK PARKING, VACANCY, IONED, the world's oldest "American Express Card" logo (see the seperate gold and black sign) and my personal favorite, "COOT."

"What is COOT?" you may be asking yourself. Well, as it turns out a COOT is an aquatic bird, similar to a duck. But a COOT is a "rail" and not a duck. It doesn't have webbed feet...which probably makes sense because I'm quite sure no one would want to swim in the POOL located at The Catalina Motel--unless the water is (IONED for your protection (whatever that means).

I should end by pointing out that sadly, this sign is no longer. I noticed the other day that it had been taken down and replaced with a newer, more generic sign (but the motel looks the same). I'm not sure if they still have all of the amenities that drew them to my heart or if they still take your old yellow and black American Express Cards.