While driving from Austin to Corpus Christi, I noticed this peculiar hotel in Cuero, TX:
And then compare to the Holiday Inn Express corporate sign:
My theory is that it used to be a Holiday Inn Express (HIE) but lost its accreditation when corporate raised its standards about a decade ago. In order to meet the new HIE standards, this structure would probably have to be razed. And the Hindu references would need to be removed.
We had to check out (or gawk at) this place, made famous by Bill Maher in "Religulous" and the many protests staged by legitimate and respected evolutionary biologists or just anyone with at least half a brain. I'm not going to go into it, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
Note: Admission is a ridiculous $24.95 per adult. My dad scoffed and the staff tried to compare the place to King's Island (even though it has no rides). I went as far as I could before I had to pay that.
How cute. A little girl with her pet t-rex.
A spear-fishing robot.
You can get a t-shirt with this little chart on it.
The entertainment.
Notice that most of these "scientists" are connected with someplace with "theology" or "seminary" in its name, or they actually work for the organization that runs the museum, "Answers in Genesis."
If you want to get even more frightened, read the reviews on the TripAdvisor page. If you want to see what the inside of the museum looks like from another gawkers perspective, click here.
According to the Wikipedia entry, "The Cincinnati Subway is a set of unused tunnels and stations for a rapid transit system beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is recognized as the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the United States. Construction took place in the early twentieth century, but the project was not completed so it never hosted a paying customer."
Further, "The project has been described as 'one of the city's biggest embarrassments,' and 'one of Cincinnati's biggest failures.' Some argue that because rapid transit was never completed Cincinnati is smaller, forces its citizens to be automobile-dependent, has its downtown area dominated by highways and parking lots, lacks 'walkable communities,' motivates people to live outside of the city, and has spawned today's traffic jams."
Taking a tour of the tunnels is on my bucket list, but for now I just have to look at what others have posted on the internet of this wonder. I imagine the abandoned New York subway tunnels from Ghostbusters 2.
This is a entrance point located along I-75. Creepy!
There's also this documentary about the history of and politics surrounding rapid transit in the city:
Amish selling their kettle corn. Hey! No electric fans allowed!
Goetta Ring Toss. Notice it says "Proceeds go to (painted over) individuals and families." They really go to that dude sitting there.
I felt the glass and it was not cold indicating that raw meat might be in the food temperature danger zone. Notify the local health department at once.
The above individual was observed checking in for a flight at Austin Bergstrom International Airport on 8/5/11 at approximately 8:00AM. I've people-watched at a lot of airports in several different countries and this guy is the most frightening person I've ever seen at an airport.
The shirt reads "The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Security-www.NRAILA.org (National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action)"
(Note: Faces have been blurred to protect the innocent.)
I noticed this old abandoned hospital while driving along a residential street in Taylor. It's really creepy and looks like it's about to fall down due to a crumbling foundation. I can't find any information on any ghosts but you know there's some in there. There seems to be some work going on so I'll keep my eye on it. It's located here.
Apples, cosmetic contact lenses and fake gold grills. There are a lot of things I won't buy at gas stations and contact lenses are one of them, even if they do claim to be FDA approved (not that that designation means anything anymore). Notice they are sold out of quite a few colors.
I have to look at this at my local Starbucks. To me, it looks like a clean Orc foot. There is nothing cute or funny about it. If it sells, I'll let you know. I should check and see what the artist wants for it....
My coworker spotted this dune buggy thing while we were in Seguin, TX. It was displayed on the lot as if it were for sale. However, no sign (or seat belts) were seen.
Update: A week later, this "vehicle" was gone from this lot. I would not be surprised to see someone driving it around Seguin as is in the above photos.
