Harbor View Motel Part 2

After driving by it for years on the way to work, it was strange to pull into the driveway of the Harbor View Motel in Rocky River, and follow the narrow road past the beverage store leading back to the motel.

We seemed to be the only ones staying there that Saturday night, as there were no other cars in the parking lot. In fact, the elderly desk clerk kindly ‘upgraded’ us at no extra charge to the "honeymoon suite,” which was the room closest to the lake. It was also larger than the other rooms.

I remember that when we got into our room, we had the impression that no one had slept in it for a while. But it was neat and tidy, and a perfectly preserved time capsule of 1950s motel hospitality, complete with pink and black tiles in the bathroom. It was very cozy, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach as we drifted off to sleep.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after our stay that the motel did eventually close. By 2000, the former motel property was now the home of Harbor Village Townhomes.

It’s kind of sad to think that the era of mom-and-pop motels is pretty much over in 2015. It took special people – willing to forego their own vacations – to commit themselves to the incredible amount of work involved with maintaining a motel, and making sure their tourist guests were comfortable so that they’d want to come back again. 

The entrance to the motel property as it looked during the time of our visit

The same view today