Algiers Motel (Demolished)
San Mateo, CA Photo courtesy Michael Campbell
In this 1982 night shot, the neon sign for the Algiers Motel is putting on quite a show along El Camino Real. The lettering, shapes, and glowing details make it the kind of sign that could stop a roadside photographer in their tracks. 02-09
The Algiers stood in Redwood City, farther down the Peninsula than its old San Mateo caption suggested. Before it became the Algiers, the property was known as The Southern. Later advertisements offered travelers a heated pool, dining room, cocktail lounge, and air conditioning. The sign was designed by Eugene Maillet of Sunnyvale, who gave the motel a memorable introduction from the road.
El Camino Real translates to “The King’s Highway,” a fitting name for a road with so many old motel signs along it. The familiar story of one continuous 600-mile mission trail is more complicated than it sounds, but the road became a busy auto corridor through the Peninsula. The Algiers was one of the places ready to catch that traffic.
UPDATE: The motel was demolished in 2005, and its neon sign was removed. What happened to the sign afterward is unknown, making this night photo a welcome look back at the Algiers when the lights were still on. 09-26
Modern Motor Lodge
Lodi, CA Photo courtesy Scott Strickland
The words “motor lodge” glow bright red on the sign for the Modern Motor Lodge in Lodi. It is a big roadside marquee, the kind made to catch a driver’s attention before the turnoff slips by. The pink buildings behind it add a little more color to the scene. 10-09
The motel sits on Cherokee Lane, once the Highway 99 route through town. Before the freeway carried traffic around Lodi, travelers came straight down this strip looking for gas, food, and a room for the night. The Modern Motor Lodge had a sign they were unlikely to miss.
The old marquee still stands, though it has weathered considerably since this photo was taken. The motel property also appears worn, and its current lodging status is unclear from the available listings. Whether those red letters still light up at night is another question.
UPDATE: As of September 2026, the vintage sign remains on Cherokee Lane. Even without a confirmed glow, it is still a reminder of the road’s motel days. 09-26
Casa Mobile Park (Rem.)
West Sacramento, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Casa Mobile Park sign along West Capitol Avenue is a shorter version of the tall roadside sign that once stood here. Even cut down, it is a reminder of the days when this stretch of West Sacramento was lined with motel signs such as The Experience Lodge. 12-10
West Capitol Avenue once carried U.S. 40 and U.S. 99W traffic toward Sacramento. By the late 1990s, many of its old signs were disappearing as the boulevard changed around them. The Casa sign lost its height but kept its spot by the road.
UPDATE: Casa Mobile Park remains open, and the shortened sign still stands along West Capitol Avenue. 09-26
Surf Motel
Sacramento
, CA Photo courtesy Mike & Robyn Howard
A little unexpected surf turns up on Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento. The sign for the Surf Motel has held its place along the road for years, even as other old motel signs nearby have disappeared or traded their neon for plastic. No ocean in sight, but the name still brings a bit of beach weather to the boulevard. 07-11
Auburn Boulevard once carried travelers along the Lincoln Highway and later U.S. Highway 40 and 99E. Motels lined the route, ready for drivers making their way through Sacramento. The Surf was one of them, with a roadside sign to catch the passing traffic.
UPDATE: As of September 2026, Sacramento’s Surf Motel and its roadside sign are still on Auburn Boulevard. 09-26
